|  RSS

PC World Forums: audio: explosion every 3 minutes - PC World Forums

Jump to content

Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

audio: explosion every 3 minutes

#1 User is offline   toddgill Icon

  • Newbie
  • Pip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 5
  • Joined: 15-May 08

Posted 20 January 2009 - 11:19 PM

About every 3 minutes a loud explosion sound is heard on speakers. I am running XP media center edition and use McAfee Security suite. I have done multiple scans for virus and malware to no effect. This is really getting to me while I'm watching video. Need help.
0

#2 User is offline   mphenterprises Icon

  • Moderator
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Moderators
  • Posts: 12,259
  • Joined: 19-February 07
  • Location:Philadelphia, PA

Posted 21 January 2009 - 04:44 AM

Hi ToddGill and welcome to the PCWorld Communities. :D




First, let me confirm your findings. This is not a viral or malicious attack issue. I would almost bet you have a surround sound setup with a subwoofer, correct? If so, there may be some electrical interference that is causing the "explosion."

Have you tried the following:


- move the computer or speakers to another location?

- update the audio drivers?

- disconnect the current speaker system and try another speaker system?
0

#3 User is offline   toddgill Icon

  • Newbie
  • Pip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 5
  • Joined: 15-May 08

Posted 21 January 2009 - 10:08 AM

No, I don't have a large speaker system, just two little plastic ones. The sound is just like a wav file.
0

#4 User is offline   mphenterprises Icon

  • Moderator
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Moderators
  • Posts: 12,259
  • Joined: 19-February 07
  • Location:Philadelphia, PA

Posted 21 January 2009 - 10:22 AM

Okay, well this could be a sign that the speakers are dying but without actually hearing the sound, it is hard to tell. However, you did not answer the three questions posed to you earlier. Can you answer them?

In addition to the three earlier questions, does this sound only occur when you are listening to music or just every few minutes regardless of what you are doing?
0

#5 User is offline   toddgill Icon

  • Newbie
  • Pip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 5
  • Joined: 15-May 08

Posted 21 January 2009 - 10:40 PM

I have tried all of your suggestions and no change. Today the explosion sounds are about 14 min. apart. They occur despite what I'm doing on the computer. I searched for explosion sounds and found very similar wav files.
0

#6 User is offline   dmason508 Icon

  • Newbie
  • Pip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1
  • Joined: 08-October 06

Posted 22 January 2009 - 04:25 AM

Some Thoughts:

1. What are you listening to the sound with (Media Player?). It may be the program that you are using to watch the video. Have you tried different ones?

2. When you updated the sound drivers, did you completely uninstall the driver, restart, install the latest driver, and then restart again? I had a problem in the past where I had to install in this way to fix the issue.

3. Now your sounds are more distant apart, can you think of anything you have done differently? Try exiting ALL programs (including Virus software), and then just using the program to listen to your video. Still have the issue? Same distance apart?

Good Luck!
0

#7 User is offline   mphenterprises Icon

  • Moderator
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Moderators
  • Posts: 12,259
  • Joined: 19-February 07
  • Location:Philadelphia, PA

Posted 22 January 2009 - 04:26 AM

Hi Todd. The link was an actual .wav file itself, not a site. For security purposes, a url to a direct file would not have been allowed to be posted. For now, I have taken the link out and contacted Bill, the PCWorld Technician, to see if there is an issue.

Okay, all this time I was thinking the sound was more mechanical or electrical than anything else. If what you hear is similar to what I just heard, wow, there is something seriously wrong. Sorry.

Going through and searching for .wav or .wave files is pointless because there are so many different wave files in Windows itself, let alone any other wave file you may have on your computer.

The only thing I can think of is create another User Account, a test account, and see if you get the same sound in the test User Account. If you do not, it may be in your best interest to transfer your current User Account into the new User Account. Here is a Document to explain exactly how to do this {document:id=1370}.

Note, doing that may just transfer over the sound too but we are trying to isolate the issue.
0

Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

1 User(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users