Windows keeps making these random "device connect" and "device disconnect" sounds

Throughout the day I notice that my computer makes apparently random device-connect and/or device-disconnect ("boink") sounds.

I suppose it is the same sound you hear when connecting or disconnecting a USB device such as a thumb drive. I've noticed that this happens on each of three computers I work with at home, my wife's computer, and my machine at work. It happens without any user action at all - i.e. I'll be just sitting there (hands off my mouse and keyboard), and the computer will make the sound. There is no visual queue or anything. Just the sound.

I have sometimes gone in pursuit of the sound - running virus scans, examining event logs and such, and observing task manager - but have never had any luck tracking this thing down, but have not had any luck.

I've been noticing this since Windows Vista and now the sounds have followed me through to Windows 7.

Surely someone else out there must be experiencing this and can explain what is happening.

Solution 1:

I just solved this on my desktop using Nirsoft's USBLogView. It's my mouse. I only hear the disconnect sound, but there's a reconnect happening immediately after. And the program isn't catching most of them either. (Hat-Tip to imaximchuk for this.)

Solution 2:

Make sure that any USB, Bluetooth, Network devices in Device Manager in the Power Management tab do not have the option Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power checked.

Solution 3:

Had this problem. It was the monitor going into 'sleep' mode then coming back up - Windows struggled to recognise that it was on after 'sleep' (even though it was displaying just fine). Turned it off & on again, problem went away. Can't say it will work for you, but if you have any peripheral that goes into 'sleep' or 'power saving mode', giving it the off-and-on-again is an easy trick to try before mucking about with settings.