ThinkPad Keyboard Beeps Fixed
I’ve discovered the fix to the elusive keyboard beeps which occurred whenever I pressed certain combinations of three (3) keys. Using experimentation, I came up with this rule:
The computer beeps when I press any three key combination all in the same row including at least two of these keys: 4567rtyufghjvbnm.
Some Google searching found me the fix in a ThinkPad mailing list. At first, I thought they were talking about Linux. But no, it was Windows, and yes, it worked. Another person blogged it too (the original link to his blog was broken, so I feel it is especially important for me to blog it and clarify the instructions). Here’s what you do:
1. Open the Device Manager. You can do this from My Computer -> Properties -> Hardware -> Device Manager.
2. Show Hidden Devices. You can do this from View -> Show hidden devices. This is where I was stuck: I didn’t know the Device Manager had hidden devices.
3. Under Non-Plug and Play Drivers, open the properties for Beep. Go to Driver -> Stop, and the beeping will cease. I think you can also Disable the device, but for me, this would require a reboot.
I believe the Beep device is the most stupid device ever invented. It’s really the stupidest. It serves only as an annoyance, in very strange instances. And I’ve only seen this on the ThinkPad, after using lots of other computers.
Can anybody explain to me why this beep even exists?!
Anyway, I hope somebody found this interesting, or maybe, if you had one of the beeping ThinkPads, found it useful. I’m on a Z61t by the way.
Update: I reinstalled Windows Vista on my ThinkPad and had the same problem again. The steps are similar, but here are updated Vista screenshots to ensure nobody’s confused on what they’re looking for to fix this. Sorry for the low quality, but Microsoft Paint doesn’t compress images very well.
Make sure you select “Show hidden devices”.
There’s that dreaded beep, listed under “Non-Plug and Play Drivers.”
Thanks, it works. I created a link (in Czech) at your post: http://www.boruvka.net/blog/2007/06/thinkpad-jak-se-zbavit-pipnuti-pri.html.
Thank you so much! You probably just saved a few hundred heart attacks from ever happening.
Thank you very much! Myself and a few co-workers all are having this issue and making the people around us ‘jump’ at the loud beep.
The fix resolved this issue on my laptop and I will share this fix!
Thank you so much for sharing this fix
Thank you for your instructions. I also didn’t know about hidden devices and spent hours on searching for beeping device. Solution is so simple but almost impossible to find out if you hadn’t heard about hidden devices before.
Thinkpad Keyboard Beep…
I never noticed until a couple of days ago, but suddenly my Thinkpad began beeping when I typed something on the keyboard… It was really strange. By accident I stumbled upon Elliot Lee’s page and he had a theory:
The computer beeps when I…
How in God’s name did you figure that out!! Regardless. Thanks. New Dell Latitude D620. Nothing on Dell’s site for this.
Wearing headphones with that beep had me jump out of my chair. Every time I heard it I smacked the computer like a read-headed stepchild. Thanks for saving my T60 from more abuse.
Thanks a ton – I use my keyboard as a midi input device and composing songs while getting a huge beep in the ears is quite annoying.
My T60 is beeping randomly when it is supposed to be sleeping. I’ll give this a shot (along with disabling Beep) and hopefully this is gone. I’m sure there is a “good reason” for Beep to exist which I’d really like to hear!
Like everyone else…thank you, thank you, thank you! I stopped using my new Bose headphones on my computer because of the stinking beep. So glad to have found the solution.
Kudos!
Thanks a million. This was so annoying.
Thanks. Thanks again. And thanks a million. I’ve had generations of thinkpads and always wondered WHY on earth someone would come up with such a brilliantly annoying beep, and how it managed to persist across so many hardware iterations..
And thanks again! :)
Gone were the days I could type “you” without my computer screeching mechanical profanities at me. But now those days are back again. Thanks!
Thanks for this solution. The beep manifested for me especialy on fast typing of successive vowels such as OU followed by a consonant on second line. it was a lOUD, tOUGh, and really annoying, especially with earphone on listening to music while typing. Many, many thanks!
yay – no more beeps during arena sessions in world of warcraft. this is a must-fix for gamers
thank you so much for this; I jump every time it beeps when I am wearing headphones (all the time)!
I wish i had found you before i bought a new computer. Agree, why is it there..Thanks…Mary Laver
I am Tech, my new Latitude D620 was driving me nuts with that god awfull beeping. Thanks heaps for the tip ill be sure to pass that on to my colleagues or perhaps I should let them suffer. Cheers
Thank you (beep free you!) so much for posting this!!!!! I get so sick of typing “you” and having a beep kick off 9 times out of 10. It really does get annoying when you have a headset on.
I’ve had my T60 since they came out and have always hated this feature. Today, it just got to me and I had to utilize my Google search certification.
Most awesome post in the history of the intarweb!!!!
you are a god!! i think you saved me from getting deaf!!! awesome work!!
I agree that this solves a real stupid issue. But it also messes up a nice feature I like to use – the Caps Lock toggle keys. I type looking at the keyboard and if I hit caps lock, well you can guess what happens. Using the toggle feature (contol panel – accessibility options – keyboard – check “use toggle keys”) causes the computer to send a beep when I accidentally press the caps lock key. Your fix negates this sound. Any suggestions?
PRAISE THE LORD. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
THAT BEEP SERIOUSLY SCARES THE SHI! OUT OF ME.
On linux, disable the beep by adding:
xset -b
to your .xsession (or other x startup script). Works as long as you are running X.
Wow, thanks. Worked great on my R60e.
I’m a fast typer, and although I don’t make a LOT of mistakes, they do happen. I’m sitting here typing code and out of the blue I hear a 600-decibal BEEP that nearly made me change my pants. This isn’t the first time it’s happened, but I was determined to make sure it was the last.
you’re a lifesaver. literally.
all of us here have been through a lot with that annoying beeping. -__-
thanks to you we dont have to live with an extra annoyance! :D