HP Envy - chirping Sound

[jvmz]

Hello, I recently bought an HP Envy and I'm using it with a Logitech wireless mouse.  This morning I started to notice that the laptop chirped twice over a period of two hours (not a bleep, it was more of a chirping sound and the speakers were turned off). I do not know if this is BIOS related.  Any help would be much appreciated. 

[Great-Deku-Tree]

Hello @jvmz ,

Welcome to the HP Forums!

I understand your ENVY notebook has made a chirping sound.

Typically the BIOS does not beep while Windows is loaded as it's able to throw out an error. BIOS beeps typically occur when attempting to startup and indicate a specific error.

It's most likely what you're hearing is the hard drive revving up to write information. I would run a test on the HDD to check for errors and make sure your information is backed up:

Testing for Hardware Failures (Windows 😎

Testing for Hardware Failures (Windows 7, Vista)

Some drives are louder than others and usually this sound goes unnoticed but they all make sound to some degree. Chances are your HDD is fine and the test won't find anything. You can free up disk usage by disabling the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS):

1. Press Windows Key + R
2. Type services.msc and click OK
3. In the list of services right click on Background Intelligent Transfer Service and select Stop.
4. Once the service is stopped right click on it again and choose Properties.
5. In the Properties window change the Startup type dropdown to Disabled.

If you notice it becomes a grinding or very frequent I would suggest contacting HP Phone Support for service options while still under warranty. You can contact HP Technical Support at 1-800-474-6836 in North America. For all other regions click here.

Hopefully this helps!

[Autho]

Hi - My new (2016) Envy laptop is doing exactly the same thing and I also use a wireless mouse. Could you please advise on whether this noise is significant in terms of the hard disk and whether the computer needs to be returned. What happened with yours? It's running Windows 10 - do you know if there's a way to check this?

[cgarnes]

I have this same exact issue. This laptop is three days old, and I am only reading web pages (no audio is playing at all). I can hear this little "pop" sound, and other times it sounds like a click, or even a chirp. I have uinstalled the sound drivers, reinstalled them, rebooted, etc, ad nauseum for HOURS. I have read up on this, and I cannot find a definitive answer anywhere, and Iamthisclose to wiping it clean and returning it to the store. With as many posts as I have read about this recurring issue amongst several HP computers, I think it speaks very poorly of HP to have not disclosed a proper solution once and for all. I REALLY want to love this computer. It has nearly every feature I have ever wanted, but this annoying and persistent noise is a dealbreaker.

Does anyone have a clue as to what this otherwise very nice computer's problem is?

Windows 10 running latest updates of everything. I have even tested each of the components through the power down and ESC sequence. Everything passes with flying colors... and then it beeps again. So frustrating!

[cgarnes]

For the record, I was using a LogiTech Anywhere Mouse, when I was having those issues. I removed it, and the issues still persist. 

[iomare]

Hi,

The chirping sound is the hard drive making noise and is normal. Some hard drives make more noise than others and usually it happens when idle or in heavy use (anti-virus scanning). This is the same on many laptops I have tried and certain hard drives such as Toshiba seem to chirp more. It is usually not really noticeable unless using in quiet room.

Hope it helps,

David

[cgarnes]

Thank you for your reply, David. I have had many laptops over many years: Toshiba (my favorite), Lenovo, MacBook Pro, HP, Dell, even Gateway, and I've never experienced anything like this. Not even a hard drive failure.

It's an intermittent issue, sometimes a pop, a chirp, beep. I've read of many such instances with HP and other brands, too.

I didn't expect this. Especially right out of the box. It makes me wonder if there are other worse issues coming. I'll contact HP support in the bright light of day, but given there number of complaints on this same issue, Im not optimistic.

[iomare]

I have a couple of computers which chirp along quite happily, mostly when idle (one HP, one Lenovo) 

They have been doing this for more than two years and have not had any problem with them. At first I thought it was a sign of imminent hard drive failure, however all is well. 

A solution would be to exchange the hard drive with an SSD which would also greatly increase everyday performance of the PC.

If you choose that path let me know and I can help with the upgrade.

David

[cgarnes]

Thank you so much, David, but my Envy is brand new and just unboxed. I had been setting up Windows 10 and installing the countless updates all afternoon yesterday. Finally, afte several hours later in the evening, I was able to do some light reading and enjoy my new laptop (or so I thought).

It seems the HP Envy 17, u177-cl is not easily accessible to end users. I've seen the YouTube videos on opening it up, and the comments have been unpleasant. I'd not want try/risk it. The laptop is aluminum, but the bottom is plastic. The design is beautiful, but the rubber base runners need to be removed, and I'm not sure they'd go back -- and stay.

I do have special tools that I've used to repair other laptops (Torx, etc), but from what I've read about this particular model, it would be more bother than it's worth. Especially since Sam's Club has such a generous return policy. I've had the PC three days and just unboxed it yesterday. 86 days to go on the return policy.

I chose this system for its tech specs and beautiful design. The aluminum case and chassis reminds me so much of my beloved 2006 MacBook Pro (that still operates flawlessly and silently). It's just that my Samsung S7 has more ram, lol. I've updated my Mac as far as it can go, and I thought this amazing 17-inch Envy would be a worthy replacement.

The $849 discounted pricing was the just too tempting to resist.

I see that there are other HP Envy laptop builds (quad core, even!) that include SSD drives, or offer the SSD with a traditional SATA. Maybe that's the way for me to go.

I appreciate your thoghts and comments!

Hmm. It's nearly 7 am. Maybe it's time for some coffee and more testing/observation. I really want that PC to work out. I'm on my S7 now.

After a good long rest, maybe my Envy and I will become better office mates, lol. I had plans for that PC. I'd like to brush up on my coding skills with it and get some work done.

Have a great weekend!

[cgarnes]

I have completed this process, as directed, but I still here that popping or clicking sound. It's just one pop/click, but it's noticeable, distracting, and right out of the box, I just do not expect this sort of distraction. My three year old Lenovo runs distraction-free. 

This bothers me. I will call your support line. I am not playing any sounds. I was just checking email, and the sound is almost like a single clock tick, which (as far as I can tell, is coming from the front left of my Envy. This is a freshly unboxed HP Envy 17, running the latest Windows 10 updates (all options, too), as well as all updates from the HP Support Assistant. 

If this really is just "normal hard drive noises", it's unacceptable. I haven't even begun to transfer any of my data to this PC. Also, there is noticeable light bleed on the bottom, left, and right sides of the screen.

I'd appreciate any advice, otherwise, I will return this to the store. I have a 90-day return policy, but Day Two of use is no more impressive than yesterday's. 

I will reboot and see if that makes any difference at all. I have researched and researched this issue, and it seems to be a common problem with no real solution. 

Thanks in advance.

Again, this sound seems to originate from under the touchpad or in the CD-drive (which I am not using). It's a single pop or click. Last night it did chirp once or twice.