Vista - Re: Unexpected recurring but very intermitant ding.

Maybe one more.
Yesterday while working at my computer reading and editing over a period of
about 4 hours or so I heard this *ding* or ding-a-ling sound, one that I did
not recognize.
As you did, I paused for few seconds to see what was going on. Could not
see anything running or see any other visual alerts, so I went about my
business on the computer.
So as I continued reading, editing and researching and for what may have
been 5
or 10 minuets later _maybe_, (I lose track of time) I hear this same
computer ding sound. That's when I thought of your post and said to my self
"Well dam!
I thought to my self that as soon as I finish my work Ill have to check out
what's going on. Later I get the sound again and really just ignore it this
time. Few minuets later I'm ready for a coffee break and a trip to the
John.
Interring the John which is 20 or 30 feet away from my computer and its 5 in
1 surround sound, I hear this same *ding* ,ding-a-ling or ping computer
tune/sound, but this sound is right on top of me. What the.*%_?, going on?
That's when my brain rebooted and I realized its my cell phone attached to
my belt wanting to be recharged. This also made me think of the coffee
machine that sits only a few feet behind my desk and computer. Not long ago
when I first put this new coffee machine in and while working with my
computer I found it makes computer sounding alerts too. I'm almost use to
its three Simi subtle ping.... ping.... ping, but still every time, I pause
for the three or four seconds it takes, mainly to make sure that in fact it
is the coffee maker and not something else.
To me its just humorous, but may not help you at all.

The next time you get this dinging or ding do a Ctrl+Alt+Delete open task
manager
and see if it will give you any clues.
When I say event I should say Task. What Task is this tied to?
Can you pin this sound down to any particular thing "task" you are doing at
the time this sound is heard?
When and what were you doing when you first heard the sound?.
How long had you been using this computer before you ever heard the sound?
What changes did you make to your computer prior to the time you first heard
the ding?
What are the events or task, you can do and NOT get this ding sound.
Which events/task are you sure to hear this ding?
Set Windows Default Beep to (None) see if you still get the sound. Test for
a while.
When you changed the the windows default Beep to a different sound then you
still got
this sound your talking about only now it's the sound you modified the
default Beep to?
The sound is 'windows ding' This is assigned to "default beep". Changing
Assuming you have eliminated the keyboard, mouse and cables (hardware) as
suspects. You need to go on a sound snipe hunt. Open "Control
Panel">select "Hardware and Sound">under the "Sound" find and click on
"Change systems sounds" this will open the "Sound" dialog, you will see 3
tabs select the Sounds tab. You will see a scroll box and in this scroll
box will be every program you have installed that are capable of producing
some types of sound alerts.
As an example your antivirus program, maybe your printer software or others.
For the programs you installed and that are not a shipped with Vista set
each alert sound to (None) (Note: You will see at the bottom of the sound
dialog box a drop down select list and that is where you can set to (None)
and
other sounds to events) You may want to note the sound that each is
currently set to if any. You trying to eliminate your program alerts
sounds as the cause of your issue. Use your computer for as long as it
takes to verify, as an example, after all *your* program sound alerts
were set to (None) your no longer having this issue. If that, in fact is
the case, you now know it is one of your programs and not any that ships
with Vista. Now one program at a time, set the sound back as they were and
test for as long as it takes to find *the one* or eliminate it as a cause.
With the >Test in this dialog box you can hear each possible sound
alert/prompt and maybe able to zero in faster when you can identify a sound
that you know for certain its _not_ or it can't possibly be.

Conversely you may chose to set ALL event sounds in windows, windows
explore and IE and your installed programs to (None) then use your computer
and devices for a day or two
to see if you still get the ding your talking about. Should you get the
sound under this scenario then in all likely hood your back to hardware,
soundcards, speakers or cables and so forth, and so on, etcetera, etc. Your
goal is to try and pin down this sound your hearing, hopefully to one event
your doing when you get the ding sound. As I said a sound snipe hunt. If
your real lucky maybe someone reading this, who can tell the difference
between the sounds a cell phone or a coffee maker makes and those the
computer makes will jump in with the quick and sure cause and fix.

Well I've got to run. Either I have a phone call coming in, coffees ready,
battery's in the smoke alarm need changing, someone just got off the
elevator a delivery truck is backing up close by, or I just received some
new e-mail.
Nope! Its just the cat playing with his new toy that makes many ding pings
beeps and mouse and bird sounds.
Can't tell you how many times driving alone in my car, radio on_ I've
answered my cell phone but it turned out to be only all those sounds played
in
the back ground of many advertisements just to _lose_ your attention. They
need to quit it!
Good Luck