Some types of software have/generate their own sounds, such as Yahoo messenger. In that case you need to go into the option for each piece of software and make sure you disable any and all notification sounds.

Just because you cant hear it doesnt mean it is off.

If I was you I would go to "start" then "run", and type in msconfig. Once that opens go to the last tab "startup".

In there is some check boxes, all the ones checked start up automatically when you turn on your computer. The more you have on the slower your computer boots, and all those eat up your system resources. You do not need all of them running.

There is some you have to have check marked, but yahoo messnger, or any messenger you can turn off, kodak, actually anything that is an extra software. Once you uncheck the boxes it will want to restart. Click yes.

You will find that your computer will start and run much faster. When you want to use the programs you unclicked, there is usually a short cut on your desktop, or look in "start" "programs" and then select desired one.

Hope this helps a tiny bit.

allen

is there an easy to way to check what you don't need running?

i unchecked a few. it sure seems like i have a lot still checked.

I only have 5 things running, and could probably turn off the qttask. qttask is quick time.

When entering the msconfig folder to disable starup items (start > run > msconfig), it isn't necessary to individually disable items in the starup folder. To maximize your system resources, go to the General tab and simply uncheck "Load startup group items". Of Course, the other two items (system.ini & win.ini) MUST remain checked. Then click Apply, and let your pc reboot.

Once you have done this you can go back and look at the startup folder to note which ones are the ones needed to run the computer.

I leave qttask running because of all the videos that use that type of file. When you go to watch a quick time video, or listen to a audio file, and have this disabled it will ask you if it can download the missing files. That will just turn it back on in the startup folder

I'm a Mac user but my suspicion is much simpler than all the other ideas. Is it possible that in your DVD player software there is an option to play a chime notification at every chapter marker? That's what it sounds like to me.

It would be a matter of choosing no alerts in the DVD player's preferences menu.

I was helpin my sister with her computer, and realized that the directions I gave were GEEKED! LOL

Sorry I was speaking geek speak

Here is a website that explains how to improve your computer in language everyone, even my sister, can understand.

http://arstechnica.com/guides/tweaks/sgp-tweaks.ars

It wasn't too terribly geeky. I've heard and do hear much worse every day. My other half is DaGeek.

Now, for the average generic user you may have given one or two a headache. But it *is* a difficult thing to talk someone through that doesn't know what you're talking about let alone where to look for it. I run into that problem on a daily basis as I do callcenter tech support for an ISP. There are just some things I tell the customer they'll either have to bring the machine in or have someone come out and look at it cause it's just too difficult to talk them through it and I certainly don't want to make a problem worse because they didn't fully understand the directions I was giving them. I'm amazed on a daily basis how little most people know about even the basics and don't want to know. They want it done for them but they don't want to pay for it. Sigh.

And of course that doesn't apply to the wonderful people here...because they want to learn! (boy I dodged that one nicely didn't I)

I sure do know what ya mean jarret, all my friends and family use me like the tech line. If I cant talk them through it, or outright fix it, then they go call you lol.

I was trying to help a son and a sister understand how to keep viruses at bay, and also keep there machine running smoothly. When I noticed both of them had this dazed look.

That is when I realized maybe I had everyone here also in a dazed condition lol.

I sure feel for you now that vista is out. Everyone thought it was supposed to be easier, and then found out they have to know how to do certain things just access stuff. This one must keep you on the phone for hours lol.

With Vista I tell them to go back to XP. Vista is *so* not ready for prime time.

I've run in to a number of issues with Vista that are the fault of programming. They built it to be difficult. For instance, if you want the right click and save function to continue to work in IE7 on Vista, do *not* install any kind of toolbar. Sigh.