How to Stop Internet Explorer’s Annoying Clicking Sound

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 damn things.

I always used Firefox - until now - version 5.0 is totally freaking out - doesn't respond 1/2 the time. I mark to open links in new tabs - it opens in new window instead...

I sure hope they get a more stable version out soon!!

Thank you forever. I was losing my mind. What kind of idiot would think this kind of clicking/banging would be acceptable?

THANK YOU!!! God I hate IE, but I'm forced to use it on my office PC. That damn clicking sound was really driving me nuts. Can't believe MS still hasn't gotten rid of it. Oh well, that's one of the many reasons I use Firefox.

Thanks. You have made my day. Now, back to quiet time on my laptop.

Thank you God - That clicking was being broadcast everytime the dj spoke on the mic - thankyou thankyou thankyou (we can now sack our I.T. guy) lol

how do you disable microsoft from retrieving info off my system with windows 7?

Thank you and bless you forever.

Thanks ever so much. I was about to pull my hair out over that stupid clicking. But I am searching for the file mentioned above to make sure there is no trojan by that name.

Thanks Again

Thx again

Thank you for the suggestion. It worked perfectly.

I had checked out the sounds area of Control Panel before, but I had not seen a section for IE just Windows Explorer.

thankyou!

Hey there fried beef

I have no idea as to who what and where you are but just want to say a big thanks to you for this info. It worked a treat and now I am not sitting in front of my computer screaming at it to shut the eff up.
Yes I suppose I could switch off the speakers but then would have to on and off all the time to listen to the news braodcasts. Thanks again it has certainly made me a lot calmer.
Best regards
Peter Slade

Wow, surprised so many hate the sound! I actually like it in both IE and Windows Explorer. It's an audible confirmation of the navigation actions I've initiated. If I don't hear it, it throws me off and I question whether the last action completed. Not to mention it can helpful to those with not so stellar eye sight and who key up more on audible sounds! ;)

AAAAAHHH....FINALLY, YOU MADE MY DAY!! MANY THANKS

Just use a Mac. Problems solved.

If the clicking sound is random (without mouse input) then it's being caused by some trojan annoyance. don't look to the messenger for the answer though

To whoever it was that said "delete the file" -- thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have saved me from quite possibly YEARS of therapy after going MAD from listening to that BLOODY CLICKING NOISE!!!

Thankyou! I need to use this browser for my web design course, you've saved my mental health

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! EXTREMELY CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS! IT IS SO WONDERFUL TO HAVE THAT ANNOYING SOUND *GONE*! THANKS AGAIN!

Sometimes changing this setting WILL NOT TAKE, it keeps resetting itself, and the sound keeps clicking away. A reboot didn't help, and even after many times of changing and it reverting, it finally showed "NONE" as a sound choice but it STILL kept making the clicking sound!

HERE'S the CURE for the stubborn rare times it refuses to shut off. Choose a sound for the Start Navigation by highlighting it and clicking "Browse". Find the file "Windows XP Start.wav" in the "Browse For" box that comes up, right click it, and chose Rename. Put a ".bak" on the end of it so it now reads "Windows XP Start.wav.bak".

That way Windows cannot find the file to play it, and the phantom clicking will stop.

you, sir, are a lifesaver! Thank you!

Thanks so much! I have to use IE for work, and the drives me bonkers! I appreciate the help!

When Firefox loads within 3 minutes of me clicking it on first launch, I'll consider switching back. :/ I prefer Firefox once it's going, but good lord.

Thanks you! Such an easy fix, but may not have figured it out if you didn't post this little guide. Unfortunately I still have to use IE for some things. Besides that, IE 8's not all that bad. a little slower than the rest and it's kinda ugly but that's it. It's still not my first or second pick. Maybe third. Thanks again.

Oh Wise One, You are my GOD!

Peace at last!!!!!

It doesn't work with Windows XP SP 3. The OS simply restores the default sound... So... DELETE the stupid wav and live a long happy life :p

What the hell was in the "minds" of the Windows engineers or programmers when they defaulted 'on' that stupid, useless, annoying, user-distracting click sound? Are they sadists, masochists or just plain damned fools? Probably all of the above.

Hey friend.. Thanks a lot.. I mean it.. I use headphones and I was so much annoyed with that sound.. Now I am very happy. Thanks again and again..

Great instructions, thanks, I hated that sound, now its nice and silent.

I don't know if someone mentioned this before, but my computer won't stop doing it. I go to sounds and go down to Internet Explorer and all that, select Start Navigation and None for Sounds, but it WILL NOT APPLY IT. I hit OK and go back to the browser, but it's still making the clicking sound, and I go back into Sounds so see what's up and the sound is selected again. It's like I never changed it. I've checked to see what happens if I leave the window open and just hit apply, then while it's deselected and supposedly applied, I go to the browser and click a link. But it still makes the sound. I've also tried selecting None as the sound scheme, but same thing - it still makes sounds and when I open up the Sounds window again, it has gone back to the default, like I never changed it. Gah, I have a migraine.

Thank you so much for your help!

OKAY, I didnt want to get rid of the sound at all because it didnt bother me when I clicked on things, "BUT" I must either have a TROJAN HORSE that is making it click randomly "or" the Internet Explorer is downloading COOKIES and making that clicking noise.. What is annoying tho is that I hear it click randomly about 5 times every 20 seconds without touching the mouse...SO, whatever problem is going on, whatever problem is making it do the clicking noise, will still be there, I just wont be able to hear it....SO, either do a virus search or stop a cookies(this works, but cannot visit many sites without alowing cookies)

I actually enjoy the clicking sound. It feels empty and awkward without hearing. like I'm just barely hovering over the internet instead of actually being inmmersed in it. Maybe it's because I never listen to music or anything while I browse.

Thank you! You have no idea (or perhaps you do!) just how big and nasty a headache you have delivered me from. One can only take so much motrin, after all, without blowing a kidney.

Gratitude, dude. Gratitude.

Thanks! Why does IE do that anyway? It just goes to show how out of touch the company is.

thank you! i love fire fox but if i ever have to use ie i cannot stand that clicking sound. sometimes you wonder how hard microsoft works on this crap they put out. i am a windows guy but if we ever had a pc that used open source that worked as good as firefox, i would never use microsoft again.

Thanks, i hate all the sounds that windows makes. Man, i just turned them all of. Peace
alex

ok, just for keep it updated, I had the same problem with the "clicking" sound, even with the iexplorer closed. So I turned off the sound for that action, but ...there might be a reason for that. So, I tried hijack this, but it discovered nothing. Finally I tried the latest Malicious removal tool from MS (July 09) and it found a trojan downloader: win32/renos.FJ and then removed it. So, since that, the annoying clicking sound its gone.

Worked great, thanks.

Thank you so much! My life just got a little better!

For those interested in disabling the click sound in Windows 7, check out this post: http://bit.ly/KKYiX

Yes, thanks for the instructions, those are some really, really, really STUPID SOUNDS. And to answer your question about why I'm still using IE, Netflix requires it to watch their instant movies. How lame is that? Normally I use Firefox for everything else.

Very useful information. Thanks.

The sound played by navigating the web through IE is very annoying. I do not have choice to use it because my favorite online music station cannot play on FireFox.

Thanks again.

re: 'How to stop IE's annoying clicking sound'. WOW! Thank you sooo much for that solution! That sound was awful. It is gone - forever!!

Thanks!