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 *so* much for the help! the beep is also connected to any changes to the master volume in winXP for me. the frustrating part was that it *loud* regardless of the volume setting. Ugh!
Thanks! … I think … isn’t this just MASKING the problem?
Why is it BEEPING when I press any of the 2-key combinations below (ALL while holding down the SHIFT key and keys pressed QUICKLY in sequence):
RT
FT
VT
$T
GT
BT
^Y
&Y
UY
HY
JY
NY
MY
… ggrrr!!!
Freaking godsend. Thank you. The only use of this “feature” is to notify me and everyone else in the room as loudly as possible that (1) I forgot to mute my speakers, and (2) I am a dumbass prone to mashing keys when taking notes in class. If the beeping was in fact included to notify users of a typo, may I suggest to Lenovo using minor electric shocks instead. The user will be just as flustered, but at least fewer people will notice.
I’ve owned many older Thinkpads; the T400 was my first encounter with this issue. Now if you could only find and publish the name and address of the jerk who designed this…
Thank you!! This beep has been killing me (and my ears when using a headphone)
Perfect fix for my T400 :] thank you greatly!
thank you for this explanation
the beep seems a mystery to me. Another example of design without any thought to the user. Those most likely to suffer from this misguided feature are the ones who type rapidly — i.e., the most experienced users. The most experienced users are in the least need of such features, and they are likely to be irritated the most by them
whoever designed this feature should be fired for not doing their jobs properly (i.e., not thinking before doing)
Just wanted to thank you. I do type fast and o-u-n was one of the combinations and of course, very common to type. The worst was having on earplugs and getting the beep in your ear. Class Action lawsuit for hearing loss anyone??? We just bought another Thinkpad so I will be disabling the beep immediately. Thanks again!
Who would imagine that such a device actually existed?! My ears have been popping out of my skull a lot lately when Im using my headphones.
Im not sure about all the combinations og keys pressed that triggers this, but mainly holding down shift+CD, and when holding down both shift-keys and pressing the key “C”.
Thanks alot for this article!!
Thanks!
This also helped me with a beeping server that no longer had a keyboard attached. I looked in the Bios and everywhere else to find the answer. Turns out it is in the Windows Control Panel.
thanx ….
THANK YOU VERY MUCH! This silly beep is one of those “ideas” that clearly nobody who USES a computer ever thought through. Imagine constantly beeping at the user as a “feature”? Obviously some IBM/Lenovo engineer has been having a laugh on millions of users on this one… I’m glad we’ll have the last laugh – and last BEEP – though!
Thanks again,
Matthew
Thanks! Have you also got a how-to about ear-curing? This freaking sound can be so loud! F**!
Seriously, what purpose does the function have?!?
Thank you all so much! I have been putting up with this for two years on my T60p. In my case I have my laptop hooked up to my office stereo all the time, and usually thevolume is pretty loud since I listen to music all day. When I hit these dreaded and previously mysterious key combinations the amplified beep through the speakers literally makes me jump, every time. Today I bothered to Google the problem and was elated to se that I am not alone and that there was a fix. I have spent time combing through the BIOS figuring this was a ThinkPad thing. You all rock. Thanks again.
Thx from me to! :)
I want to add am observation. I got a high DPC Latency everytime it beeped. You can check this with DPC Latency Checker.
I have a Lenovo R61i and this has plagued me from the day I received it. I’ve been trying everything I could think of and have to admit, after 18 years of doing desktop support, I’d lost sight of the Hidden Devices option It’s true what they say: Out of sight, out of mind. I do a great deal of keyboard work and train others via webinars so it’s frustrating and embarrassing when this thing goes off. This just saved me a ton of future aggravation. Excellent. Thanks.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I have always had lenovos and assumed it was just an annoyance that I had to deal with. Now I am happy. Thank you.
:(, I tried the instructions, but it doesn’t work with my Dell Vostro 1510…any other tip n trick…..
Hello, this worked at one point for me, and this time I actually uninstalled the driver. So as a result, the Beep is no longer showing up in my Device Manager, BUT it’s *still* beeping. Have you ever heard of this? I can’t figure out how to turn off the beep anymore!
Hi
Try another way. It may help. On my computer with Xp it have, so now i enjoy the peaceful silence. Open properties of computer volume, there’s a possibility to lower completelly the volume of the sound of the PC Beep, while other volumes of devices stay as you wish.
OMG your’re my hero!
My girlfriend used to kill me every time I produced that ugly sound.
Now I’m safe again =)
I’ve been yelping like a crazy person at work b/c of this. You are my hero too. My mind, soul, and ear drums thank you.
thanks a lot!! it worked and i certainly have been very irritated by that stupid beep.
Thanks for posting this… it certainly solved the problem on my T60p. It felt like needles in my brain every time it went off in my headphones. However, I suspect this is only a workaround which could have other side effects. The beep.sys driver is a generic device driver provided by Microsoft along with the Windows core. It has nothing to do with IBM. It works by direct manipulation of an IO port attached to the speaker. This is the way beeps worked in the old DOS days. Basically get an IO chip to flip an output bit at a certain frequency. The driver is a legacy backup kind of feature. Any program can use it as a very cheap (easy) way to make sound. Most don’t, but a few might. Rather than queuing up a WAV file to play they just ask this driver to make sound. So, disabling this driver will disable all sound from programs that make use of this. It is likely that IBMs keyboard driver (to enable their special ThinkVantage key and others) probably makes this call. It would make sense for a driver to make sound this way as they are generally written at a pretty low level and can’t rely on a lot of sophisticated software to be available. On the other hand, I have no idea why they would not give us the option of turning this off! The same beep is used when the power cable is disconnected, but that IBM software gives you a chance to disable the sound via the power management control panel.
Awesome! btw, ms paint can save beautiful compressed images. Select PNG as the file type.
Thank you SO much! What an annoying feature. I followed your instructions and now it is gone. Ah, peace at last.
THANK YOU!
1L Law School students have no patience. (Me included) My classmates did NOT appreciate my burping beeping thinkpad.
So embarassing in class, and especially during exams. I got evil looks as I was ferociously typing. Thank you for letting me not be hated at school.
Another law school student here!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was clueless and it was driving me and everyone around me bonkers! :)
Hi everyone
I just talked to someone at Lenovo Support, and he told me this is actually a hardware issue. He is offering to send me a new keyboard…
Sounds a lot easier to just turn off the sound, but as Russ mentioned, maybe this actually turns off the beep for software where you WANT to hear the beep? (I suppose there might be times when there is a good reason for these annoying beeps.. ?)
Thank you,
Emma