# My computer has...the sniffles?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 25, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545 "2011-02-25T05:10:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/1 "2011-02-25T05:10:10Z")
Something is seriously weird with my netbook.
For the past few days, it periodically makes a noise which I would classify as somewhere between a sniffle and a burst of static from a walkie-talkie. It doesn’t do it when sound is muted, as best I can tell. I thought it was a pop up ad, but it’s not. It does it once every few minutes without warning. Could this be a problem with my sound card, or something more sinister?
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/2 "2011-02-25T05:46:50Z")
I was gonna say it sounds like a speaker problem. First thing I’d do is get a pair of head phones and see if you hear the noise through the head phones. If you hear it both from the computer speakers and headphones, it’s probably going to be a sound card thing.
Then make sure you have the correct drivers to your sound card installed. In fact make sure all your drivers are up to date.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/3 "2011-02-25T15:12:24Z")
Sounds like that dog from Windows Search. Do you have a window open with a search? If you let it sit, the dog sniffs or pants or something.
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### Author:  [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/4 "2011-02-25T16:12:35Z")
Do you have a cellphone that you are keeping near the computer? The signal from my cell will produce a static burst over my speakers some times. The phone has to be on, but not necessarily in use, for this to happen.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/5 "2011-02-25T16:16:40Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#):
>
> Do you have a cellphone that you are keeping near the computer? The signal from my cell will produce a static burst over my speakers some times. The phone has to be on, but not necessarily in use, for this to happen.
This was my first guess, too. Unshielded or poorly-shielded speakers will emit periodic bursts of sound due to cell phone transmissions.
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### Author:  [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/6 "2011-02-25T17:31:24Z")
I don’t think it has to even be a cell. When I have my cordless base set up too close to the computer the speakers will hiss and crackle.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/7 "2011-02-25T17:39:02Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#):
>
> I don’t think it has to even be a cell. When I have my cordless base set up too close to the computer the speakers will hiss and crackle.
You’re correct. I should have used the broader term “radio interference.” 🙂
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### Author:  [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/8 "2011-02-25T20:59:36Z")
Thank you all for the replies. 🙂
This has gone from the standard weird to the “Holy shit, that’s freaky deaky” weird.
So, I begrudgingly accepted that something is awry with my computer, until my meeting with my thesis supervisor today. His computer has the monitor off, but the speakers on so he can respond to outlook.
The exact,
same,
SOUND.
I cut him off mid sentence to ask him what the hell was that. He responded that it was some sort of notification or something, then paused and realized he had no idea. Could it be, in fact, the windows search dog? I have been searching a lot of files lately…but I always close the explorer windows when I’m done…
It’s not my blackberry. The blackberry interference is a different sound, more akin to incoherent computerized morse code; I hear that one periodically on my computer…and my TV…and my digital piano…and my car stereo…etc. etc.
It always comes in twos. And it’s very metrical and even. But now I need to find out where that dog is hiding and see if he’s the culprit.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/9 "2011-02-25T21:11:45Z")
Keep it simple on yourself: just go to the Sound aplet in Control Panel and go through each sound until you find the one that is “it.” You’ll see what even the sound is linked to. Unless of course your version of has completely reworked how that aplet works.
This may not be 100% guaranteed to work, but if it’s a Microsoft thingy, I’d wager it’s got about an 80% chance of being there.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/10 "2011-02-25T21:18:50Z")
Is it the sound in [this forum post](http://superuser.com/questions/112928/what-program-is-making-this-sound-and-how-can-i-make-it-stop)?
The thread “winner” was for the search dog, but someone also suggested that it’s a sound from Live Messenger.
AFAIK, this dog is not a part of Vista or 7, so if you are using either of those, then it’s not the search dog.
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### Author:  [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-has-the-sniffles/572545/11 "2011-02-25T22:04:47Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> Is it the sound in [this forum post](http://superuser.com/questions/112928/what-program-is-making-this-sound-and-how-can-i-make-it-stop)?
>
> The thread “winner” was for the search dog, but someone also suggested that it’s a sound from Live Messenger.
>
> AFAIK, this dog is not a part of Vista or 7, so if you are using either of those, then it’s not the search dog.
That’s it!! Time to find that persnickety pooch and take care of him Old Yeller style behind the Internet Explorer…😉