Windows 7 - Warning sound while booting my laptop

As a retired software engineer I can usually solve most WinXP software and
hardware problems.

But this one has me scratching my head.

While my laptop is booting I always hear a warning beep -- kind of a dull
flat sound.

The best I can describe it is to open Sounds and Audio Devices Properties,
then select the Sounds tab, then click on Critical Stop.

Anyone know how to diagnose what is causing this?

I should have added that I checked Event Viewer to no avail.

In message <juv3qj$gpt$1@dont-email.me>, Michael T.
When you say while booting, do you mean before Windows loads? If so,
it is probably from the motherboard BIOS; it could be something worrying
like duff memory, or something less so (but still needing attention)
such as cell failing or overheating (fan failing - is it still running?
Blocked?).

To see if it _is_ something like that, stop Windows booting (tapping F8
repeatedly will usually do that; or, loading a bootable CD or USB stick,
but only if the BIOS is set to boot from those first) and see if you
still get the sound.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

... of the two little boxes in the corner of your room, the one without the
pictures is the one that opens the mind. - Stuart Maconie in Radio Times,
2008/10/11-17

Thanks for the tips. They are greatly appreciated. My focus is better
defined now.

I do not hear the sound if I boot in Safe Mode.

In Normal Mode I hear it just before the "Start Windows" sound plays and the
desktop icons start to appear.

I have used SpeedFan 4.41 to occasionally check the temperature. it is usually
within normal range.

But today it is running hot at 60 degrees C and I do not hear the fan nor do I
feel airflow out of the air vents.

So even though I hear the aforementioned "sound" during boot when I first
turn it on in the morning -- i.e. when my laptop is cool enough the fan is
not in use -- perhaps the test is sensitive (or smart) enough to detect a
marginal fan even when it is not supposed to be running.

I will do some more checking.

Hard drive bearing ?

Is the sound different in frequency than the normal BIOS beep ?

It could also be a fan bearing, but I suppose you would  hear that later too.

Paul

From: "Michael T." <no_spam_1974@cox.net>


If iot is happening at boot-up then  it is most likely BIOS related.  It
could be a POST Beep Code.

You need to be specific WHEN this been occurs during the boot procvess.

--
Dave
Multi-AV Scanning Tool - http://multi-av.thespykiller.co.uk
http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp

Fortunately it is a Dell laptop which comes with a thorough set of
diagnostics, if you press F12 at startup.

I just spent over an hour testing all the hardware.

Both dual-speed fans (CPU and video) tested OK.

By OK I mean they both passed the on/off test and they both show the RPM for
both speeds. Unless there is a fan failure the diagnostic missed, I am moving
the fans down my list of possible causes.

Judging from the other posts in this thread it sounds like it is more likely
to be hardware than software.

As I said previously, the dull sound (similar to the Critical Stop sound)
occurs just before the desktop icons begin to appear.

it is definitely not the sound of a hard drive bearing. it is clearly coming
from the speakers. It may be what Paul referred to as the BIOS beep. Since I
was not sure, that is why up thread I tried to describe is as a bit like the
WinXP Critical Stop sound.

David, I just posted more detail in my reply to J.P. Gilliver.

Paul, I just posted more detail in my reply to J.P. Gilliver.

I think the wide range of our suggestions, is intended to suggest there
are many sources for sounds in a PC. And you have to be careful not
to get fooled by the source of the sound.

The PC can have a "beeper" used by the BIOS post. In terms of drivers,
a device like that can have a dedicated "square wave" source, so the
BIOS can even make a "European Police car" sound, by reprogramming the
square wave generator once a second and setting a different frequency.
The "beeper" is less likely to make "nuanced" sounds, because the
thing driving it is not designed for normal audio.

The computer audio speakers would be separate devices, perhaps a pair
of stereo speakers, driven by HDaudio subsystem. The "Critical Stop" or
other system sounds would come from that. The BIOS does not tend to drive
the stereo speakers, so is less likely to be sending sounds through
those speakers. The BIOS likes the "beeper", if an alert is needed
at the BIOS level. (The beeper is likely at a known location in the address
map, and the code routine to run it is tiny.) Normal error beeps in the BIOS, would
be at a fixed frequency. And the pattern of beeps indicates an error. The
beep pattern is repeated at regular intervals (so if the machine was
unattended and you come back, you can tell its a BIOS beep pattern).

The hard drive makes a few different sounds, because the motor controller
has more than one option. The motor is multi-phase. If the processor
on the disk drive controller thinks the motor is "stuck", it is possible
to modulate the motor windings in a way intended to "shake the spindle loose".
The idea is, the motor is not powerful enough to overcome even a slight
source of friction. And tearing the heads off the arm is not considered
a good solution either. So modulating the motor, can cause the motor
to make a sound which you might mistake for the system speakers or beeper.
And that is why you have to be careful, when doing acoustic debugging,
not to jump to the wrong conclusion.

On a desktop, even the power supply can make noises, such as

Some computer mechanical noises, are only present for the first
30 seconds, or until something warms up, or in the case of a fan,
it starts spinning on axis again. I have had fans here that would
spin straight. Eventually, they speed up once they spin along
the correct axis, and there is no more "grumble" until the next
cold start.

Paul

it is not a beep sound Paul. Sorry for the confusion earlier.

Even though I have been using PCs since the PCjr in the 1980s, it has been a
rare occurrence when I have ever heard the BIOS beep. I apologize for not
being able to tell (up until now) with any confidence that it is not a BIOS
beep. I had simply forgotten what it sounds like.

But I was able to find a YouTube video to refresh my memory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atzg6oJtMpA

As further confirmation that my conclusion that the sound was similar to
all sound not coming from the speakers including the barking dog next door.

So with the help of the YouTube video and the headphone I was able to
finally confirm my original comment about the sound being what sounds like a
wav file of some type -- thus the Critical Stop wave file comparison.

Hope this helps clear it up.

Windows should only be able to make those sounds, when the HDaudio
driver code starts running. And that might be, just before
the desktop appears. So if it is a Windows sound, it should come
fairly late in the boot sequence.

Then, you might look in your Startup items, using something
like Autoruns from Sysinternals, for the reason why.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902

If the sound happens early in the session, it is less likely
you will be able to use debugging tools to catch it. And then
playing with Startup items is an option.

Paul

That's an excellent suggestion.

I will start with MSCONFIG disabling all non-Microsoft services.

Then if that does not help, I will move to Autoruns which is already installed.

In message <juve08$9em$1@dont-email.me>, Michael T

I would agree with that decision.

You did say it does not appear (if appear is the right word for a sound!)
when you start in safe mode. That, I am pretty certain, eliminates the
BIOS beep, or anything similar: it would be something generated by
Windows, assuming it is coming from the normal stereo speakers at all.

To make absolutely sure, plug something into the speaker (headphone)
socket, ideally not external speakers or headphones (i. e. just a lead,
or external speakers that are turned off and do not work when turned off
[some do at reduced volume]), such that no normal windows sounds (or a
.wav or .mp3 file if played) can be heard. But if you are sure it is not
Windows-originated sound anyway.

Paul: when you are referring to a "beeper", I presume you are meaning the
sometimes a little 1" (or even less) piezo disc. But I have seen systems
where the signals that drive that _do_ come out of the main speakers:
I have seen sound cards with a "PC speaker" input header, intended for the
wires that normally drive the internal speaker to be connected there
instead, leaving the internal speaker/beeper disconnected altogether.
Sometimes the driver for such cards has an extra channel in the mixer,
sometimes it is a fixed proportion. I have not been inside many laptops,
but I'd be surprised if at least some of them do not more or less do the
same, to save the cost (since they have the speakers there anyway) of
the extra beeper, pennies though it is.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

WANTED, Dead AND Alive: Schrodinger's Cat

and=20
dull=20
Properties,=20

Possibly a low battery alarm.  I suggest you open "Sounds and Audio =
Properties",=20
save your current scheme, then change to "No sounds".  If the sound =
disappears,
reenable sounds a few at a time, starting with the low and critical =
battery alarms.
If it is the low battery alarm, you might try booting with the laptop =
plugged in or
removing any USB devices while booting and see if that makes a =
difference.
Also see
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/=
en-us/pwrmn_set_alarm.mspx?mfr=3Dtrue

Ben

Possibly a low battery alarm.  I suggest you open "Sounds and Audio
Properties",
save your current scheme, then change to "No sounds".  If the sound
disappears,
reenable sounds a few at a time, starting with the low and critical battery
alarms.
If it is the low battery alarm, you might try booting with the laptop
plugged in or
removing any USB devices while booting and see if that makes a difference.
Also see
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/pwrmn_set_alarm.mspx?mfr=true

Ben
****************
I am running on AC and the battery is removed. But your tip was good one
nevertheless.

Anyway, I think I fixed it Ben, but was waiting a couple days before posting
back to see if the sound during startup returned. It was occurring just as
the desktop icons began to display.

As I wrote up thread, it was definitely a sound from a .wav file coming
through the speakers (confirmed with headset). It sounds like it might be
from the "Windows XP Critical Stop.wav" file.

Even though I fixed it, unfortunately I never did determine what the exact
cause was. But I am least 90% sure it was software rather than my earlier
suspicion that it might be hardware.

The solution was to perform an XP Repair Install which is a significant task
taking 3-4 hours.

For the record, I consider that to be a horrible "solution" to what
should have been a simple issue. If you are happy, though, that is what
matters most.

A. It was not a simple issue. I spent hours trying to diagnose it and I have
almost 30 years experience troubleshooting PCs as a software engineer
(before I retired).

B. It is not a horrible solution when that is perhaps the only solution
left, even if the harm was self inflicted.  :)

I tend to be a little overly aggressive at times. I kept removing services
and startup apps until I finally rendered my laptop unusable. It would no
longer boot, even in Safe Mode. Pretty stupid of me not to be more careful.

Hey, what can I say. I am an old (literally and figuratively) horse player
and poker junky. Risk aversion is not in my DNA.

As the old saying goes, "All is well that ends well."

I have sympathy with the OP, in that, despite CONCERTED efforts to pin down
a problem, it occasionallly gets mystically resolved during "ones" efforts
to resolve it,
....and one is left VERY ANNOYED that the specific fault was never actually
pinned down !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...I suspect that this is because one did not stick to a strictly METHODICAL
approach, (I admit guilt in this area!!!),
...often due to the VAST amount of  time-consuming (despite FAST hardware),
re-boots one suffers, in these areas !!!!!
....even with fast hardware, ONE RUNS out of time, has to cut corners, (in a
methodical approach to problem solving),
....and when the problem is solved, and because one failed to RIGIDLY stick
to a METHODICAL APPROACH, one is left :-

VERY ANNOYED WITH ONESELF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

regards, Richard

What surprises me in this case, is that a Repair Install would fix it.
As a Repair Install does not meddle with everything, and lots of
problems would remain unresolved by doing so.

Paul

Post Mortem (lessons learned):

For the benefit of those who might encounter this thread in the future there
are a few things I should have considered to avoid the time consuming
consequence called a Repair Install.

Namely, make use of some combination of the following to hopefully isolate
which software was causing a wave file to sound its warning just prior to
the appearance of the desktop icons.

Create an ntbtlog.txt file selecting the BOOTLOG option.
Create a drwtsn32.log with drwtsn32.exe.
Create a HiJackThis log.