Many websites that have been designed to continuously monitor specific events use an automatic refresh to ensure the most recent data is visible. This is usually accomplished either through a REFRESH META tag in the HTML header, or by using JavaScript to set an elapsed time after which the page is refreshed. Other more complicated and sometimes less desirable methods use Flash or Java applets to continuously access data directly from the database.
An often annoying side effect is that Microsoft Internet Explorer (at least on Windows platforms) makes a clicking sound at every refresh, the same sound made when clicking a hyperlink or pressing a form button. Refreshing a web page every five seconds could become the modern-day equivalent of Chinese water torture.
If you have a web application that is likely to be sitting and refreshing for long periods of time, and you wish to get rid of the clicking sound without simply turning your speakers down or off, you’re in luck. The good news is that it can be done. The potentially bad news is that turning the sound off is a system-wide feature; no websites you view will click. There is no way currently to specify that an individual page or website should not click. It’s all or none.
To remove the sound, start with your Control Panel.
- On Windows 95/98/2000, doubleclick on the “Sounds and Multimedia” icon and choose the “Sounds” tab.
- On Windows XP, doubleclick the “Sounds and Audio Devices” icon and choose the “Sounds” tab.
- On Windows NT, just doubleclick the “Sounds” icon.
From here, the instructions are the same for each of the above operating systems. Scroll down in the “Sound Events” window until you reach the “Windows Explorer” section. In this section there is a “Start Navigation” option to assign sounds to. In the “Name” Drop down menu select “None” and then hit “OK”.
Done!
THANK YOU!
Thanks so much, that was very helpful and super easy with your instructions!
Good stuff.
Chalk another one up to the IE annoyances list.
Thanks.
Thanks a ton, this really helped !
Thanks =)
I’ve been looking all over for this solution!! Thank you!!!
I agree, it’s terrible. Get Firefox immediately. Then make sure the next computer you buy is a Mac. No more going into the registry to disable autorun, or to try to figure out what spyware running in the background. No having to find your install disc when you want to type (or even read) a foreign language. No more ultra-slow search sessions with a cartoon dog. No more subscriptions to antivirus software. OK, this is turning into a rant, sorry…
Thanks for putting information up as it worked like a charm. Simple little process but big payoff by getting sound out. Thanks a million.
hey Richard,
thanks for that useful how-to, it worked out well with Mozilla too. Who really needs that sound anyway?
-> People that want to hear that sound (there MAY be reasons) surely know how to turn it on. So why don’t they deliver Windows with that awful thing turned off xD
greetings from germany
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Perfecto
This solved the problem for me just great, but I’m wondering about all the other IE visitors who have to tolerate my rattling Flash banner!
How can I design my Flash banner so it doesn’t click in IE?
Thanks for this great solution.
Mitch
What twåt at Microsoft thinks that we want horrible noises each time we do something in this devil system?
I was trying to work while recording a sound file to Windows and found my file full of annoying clicks.
I knew this solution but it didn’t work as Windows ‘Works the way you want it to’ crap does what it wants and kept resetting the sound to what it wanted.
Eventually I gave it the ‘kick-åss’ treatment as follows;
Navigate to Windows/Media and you will find all of the annoying sounds that Microsoft have created to annoy us.
Use Ctrl A to highlight all the files – and then delete. The result is blessed silence.
The very best solution is to install Linux alongside Windows. One you are used to it you will probably never use Windows again.
I find windows sounds infuriating – especially when I am recording something and want to navigate the computer.
I have tried turning them off, but Windows XP – ‘works the way you want it to’ – doesn’t believe that I really want sound off and turns them back on again!
My foolproof way is to go to Windows/media folder (you may have to unhide the contents) where you will find all those annoying sounds that have been bothering you. Delete the lot! If you are a bit wimpy, then create a new folder in ‘media’ and move all the sound files into it. In either case – the result is blessed silence and Windows cannot reinstate the dåmn things.