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Why Am I Getting the âUSB Insertedâ Sound When I Havenât Inserted Anything?
This is a system sound that could even be indicating an internal event. We'll try to track down its source.
I have a Lenovo T-430 running Windows 7, 64-bit. Every time I start this machine I get the âUSB insertedâ sound, not once but twice. This is when thereâs nothing connected to the laptop. Do you have any idea why this is happening and how I can track down what hardware is causing this and how do I fix it? Itâs really no big deal but it is kind of annoying.
The good news here is aside from the annoyance of the sound, this probably isnât anything to worry about. I have a couple of ideas.
It turns out that USB isnât only an external interface. We think of a USB interface as something that you see and plug in to; the sockets that are on the outside of your laptop or desktop computer. But as it turns out, thatâs not its only use.
For example, some manufacturers actually use USB interfaces internally. You wonât find connectors, but what you may find are the moral equivalent of devices that are connected via the USB interface, inside of your computer. USB is a nice standard interface for attaching random hardware, and it probably saves the manufacturer some money to use it internally, making your computer somewhat less expensive.
So my first theory is that those internal devices are being âdiscoveredâ by the USB interface when you start your machine, as if they had been plugged in.
Not all computers with internal USB-connected devices produce the âUSB insertedâ sound at startup. I believe my desktop, for example, has an internal wireless interface that is USB. I do not get an âinserted soundâ, although it does show up in the âSafely Remove Hardwareâ list.
Same sound, different event
My other idea is that the âUSB attachedâ sound is actually assigned to some other system event. Ie., what youâre hearing isnât really the âUSB insertedâ notification, but some other notification that just happens to use the same sound.
To change or at least look into how sounds are assigned to events on your PC: Go into Control Panel and into the sound applet, and in there you will find the Sounds tab. In Program Events, youâll see a long list of items underneath the assorted heading. In Windows, youâll find something called Device Connect. Click on that, and in the sounds box below the list, youâll see which sound has been associated with the device connect event.
You can now check all the other events to see if that same sound is being used elsewhere. If it is, well then you know whatâs up. If youâd prefer to have that sound go away completely, you can select ânoneâ or âno soundâ in the sounds box.
I kind of like having USB inserted sounds when I actually insert a USB device, but if itâs too annoying and we canât really make it go away some other way, then assigning âno soundâ to this event might be the way to go.
6 comments on âWhy Am I Getting the âUSB Insertedâ Sound When I Havenât Inserted Anything?â
If I have my external keyboard or mouse plugged in when I put the laptop to sleep (or possibly even hibernate), then unplug them, when I turn the laptop back on I get the USB disconnected because the laptop is only now realizing that they are no longer connected.
I use a USB internet device. Sometimes, as seems to be the case with a lot of âsmartâ USB devices, it crashes and/or resets itself.
When it does this, I get the disconnect and reconnect ânoisesâ twice.
Once when it cycles itâs internal power, and again once the PC figures out what it is.
As Leo says, it could just be something âconnectingâ internally. I have noticed recently that my touchscreen also comes up as a âusb mouseâ in my hardware list.
Try a different USB port. Try the device in another computer. Do other USB devices work on that computer? Itâs very possible that this is a hardware failure and the trick is to determine whether itâs the device, or a specific port on the computer or the USB circuitry on the computer itself.
My Lenovo shows power surge and remove usb wine no usb is inserted..I tried trouble shooting,reinstalling usb in device manage still no improvement and i cant take any data on the ideapad because itâs not detecting any usb too
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If I have my external keyboard or mouse plugged in when I put the laptop to sleep (or possibly even hibernate), then unplug them, when I turn the laptop back on I get the USB disconnected because the laptop is only now realizing that they are no longer connected.
I use a USB internet device. Sometimes, as seems to be the case with a lot of âsmartâ USB devices, it crashes and/or resets itself.
When it does this, I get the disconnect and reconnect ânoisesâ twice.
Once when it cycles itâs internal power, and again once the PC figures out what it is.
As Leo says, it could just be something âconnectingâ internally. I have noticed recently that my touchscreen also comes up as a âusb mouseâ in my hardware list.
Try a different USB port. Try the device in another computer. Do other USB devices work on that computer? Itâs very possible that this is a hardware failure and the trick is to determine whether itâs the device, or a specific port on the computer or the USB circuitry on the computer itself.
Iâve had that sound when I had a faulty external drive which would disconnect and reconnect at random times.
My Lenovo shows power surge and remove usb wine no usb is inserted..I tried trouble shooting,reinstalling usb in device manage still no improvement and i cant take any data on the ideapad because itâs not detecting any usb too
Sounds like a hardware issue. Iâd have a technician diagnose the machine hands-on.