Annoying beep on shutdown using "System -> Shut down..."

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please answer these questions:

 * Is this reproducible?
 * If so, what specific steps should we take to recreate this bug?

 This will help us to find and resolve the problem.

Yes, it is always reproducible.

Specific steps: Click on System -> Shut down... -> Shut down.

Directly after the click, the sound similar to the "alert sound" (which I have turned off in "sound preferences") is played by the system speaker. Is there any log I could provide?

changing to new, to send to bugzilla.gnome.org where the people writting the code will read it by somebody having the issue

Okay, in the case this might be hardware-related, here the output of 'lspci -vvnn'.

I confirm this bug on both of my machines. When shutting down, the system speaker (not the loudspeakers) beeps one time. This happens since the update to Intrepid.

Linux: 2.6.27-7-generic
Machines:
1) Desktop - AMD Athlon XP 1800 (mainboard is nearly 6 years old now)
2) Laptop Dell Inspiron 6400 with Centrino Duo (2 years old)

On a Dell Inspiron 530, I also noticed that the system speaker beeps now after the update from 7.10 to 8.10.

This is somewhat important, because on some systems (including my Dell laptop, for instance) it's really loud.

Sure it is easy to workaround by blacklisting pcspkr module, but I guess it's not what 'ordinary user' is expected to do.

Also experiencing this issue. It seems like most of these reports are coming from Dell laptop users; could it be hardware related? I'm experiencing it on a Dell Inspiron 8600.

To reiterate what der_vegi mentioned, this only happens when selecting System > Shutdown..., it doesn't happen if I select "Shutdown" from the FUSA applet.

It does not only affect Dell laptops, I experience it on a Thinkpad T42 too.

Same problem here on my Thinkpad R40. All systems sounds are disabled, but it still makes the annoying beep at shutdown.

A temporarily solution to this problem is to first log out, then shutdown the computer within GDM. No more beeps.

An upgrade to Intrepid has re-enabled the 'bell' or 'beep' when clicking 'Shutdown' or at the login screen. There is no way in the GUI or standard Gnome settings to reset this (none that work, anyway). The only way to disable it again is:

run gconf-editor from terminal and set
/desktop/gnome/peripherals/keyboard/bell_mode
to 'off' rather than 'on'

Not exactly easy to find for your experienced users, impossible for the average user. At the very least this should setting should be migrated during an upgrade, but should really be editable from the Sound properties tab.

This is an upgrade of Intrepid on an Asus EEE 701.

(re-posted from https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-control-center/+bug/282906 as advised)

Same problem with a fresh install of Intrepid on an x60s.

The gconf editing solution from w1zard (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-session/+bug/290204/comments/12) does not work for me, but the blacklisting solution of Vytas (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-session/+bug/290204/comments/7) does.

I didn't know how to blacklist, but there's an explanation at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=166624 which boils down to doing

sudo sh -c 'echo blacklist pcspkr > /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-custom'

As the original poster mentioned, the Fast User Switch Applet doesn't have the beeping problem, so just using that to shutdown, instead of System -> Shut Down, is probably the easiest solution.

I muted the PC speaker on my laptop for now in the volume applet, otherwise the horribly annoying beep plays for me too. What doesn't play is my logoff sound, which has been broken for everyone since GUTSY!!!

I have also this problem. I see it only in Intrepid,
shutdown was never beeping in Hardy, Gutsy, Feisty or Edgy

Default logoff sound was changed in Gutsy to disabled, I believe.

I managed to work around the very annoying shutdown beep by blacklisting the pcspkr kernel module

Just wanted to mention that I'm experiencing this too on my Dell Dimension 9200. I got all the symptoms described by everyone's comments, pretty much. :-D

Still there in Jaunty daily-live 20090306 with all updates applied until today.

could you see if there is something sane to suggest for Jaunty?

Lamest bug ever.

Made someone actually install ubuntu 8.10 and it was beeping annoyingly.

Beeps for me in jaunty as well when shutting down.

Don't recall if it was doing the same in kubuntu hmm

Is there any way to see which processes are calling the speaker on shutdown to triage this?

As I see, there are 2 different problems involved:

1. Some alsa or driver bug recently made beeps very loud, without any controls provided to the user to make it softer.

2. On shutdown, some problem is reported as a beep.

If only problem 1 is solved, already fewer people will complain and Windows7 freaks will have to think harder to ridicule Ubuntu. But problem 2 is a different problem, and therefore I vote against making this bug a duplicate of bug #331589.

Also if the beeps do not make my trousers brown, I still would like to have the option of no soft beeps on shutdown, but having soft beeps in other cases.

Okay, so I am copying the outputs of 'lspci -vvv' of the three machines, where I see the beep on shutdown from the other bug:

Dell Inspiron 1501:
00:14.2 Audio device: ATI Technologies Inc SBx00 Azalia (Intel HDA)
 Subsystem: Dell Device 01f5
 Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
 Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=slow >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
 Latency: 64, Cache Line Size: 32 bytes
 Interrupt: pin ? routed to IRQ 16
 Region 0: Memory at c0000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
 Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
  Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=55mA PME(D0+,D1-,D2-,D3hot+,D3cold+)
  Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
 Capabilities: [60] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
  Address: 0000000000000000 Data: 0000
 Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel
 Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

Dell Inspiron 530 n:
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Dell Device 020d
 Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
 Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
 Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
 Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 22
 Region 0: Memory at fdff4000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
 Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
  Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=55mA PME(D0+,D1-,D2-,D3hot+,D3cold+)
  Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
 Capabilities: [60] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
  Address: 0000000000000000 Data: 0000
 Capabilities: [70] Express (v1) Root Complex Integrated Endpoint, MSI 00
  DevCap: MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <64ns, L1 <1us
   ExtTag- RBE- FLReset+
  DevCtl: Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
   RlxdOrd- ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop+
   MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 128 bytes
  DevSta: CorrErr- UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr+ TransPend-
  LnkCap: Port #0, Speed unknown, Width x0, ASPM unknown, Latency L0 <64ns, L1 <1us
   ClockPM- Suprise- LLActRep- BwNot-
  LnkCtl: ASPM Disabled; Disabled- Retrain- CommClk-
   ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
  LnkSta: Speed unknown, Width x0, TrErr- Train- SlotClk- DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
 Capabilities: [100] Virtual Channel <?>
 Capabilities: [130] Root Complex Link <?>
 Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel
 Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

IBM Thinkpad T42:
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)
 Subsystem: IBM Device 0537
 Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
 Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
 Latency: 0
 Interrupt: pin B routed to IRQ 11
 Region 0: I/O ports at 1c00 [size=256]
 Region 1: I/O ports at 18c0 [size=64]
 Region 2: Memory at c0000c00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512]
 Region 3: Memory at c0000800 (32-bit, n...

Also happens to me with Ubuntu 9.04, latest updates as of 6/5/09, on my Core2Duo, Gigabyte EP45-UD3 motherboard.

This is unlikely to be a gnome-session issue. gnome-session doesn't do anything to cause the speaker to beep. This bug report needs re-assigning, but I'm not sure where to yet.

Well, but it has something to do with Gnome, see my initial comment:
"When shutting down the system via "System -> Shut down...", there is now always an annoying speaker beep [...] Using the Fast User Switch Applet the sound is not played."
Unfortunately, in Jaunty there remains only one 'beepy' way to shut down.

shouldn't this bug be add to One Hundred Paper Cuts?
It seems to fulfill the criteria...

There is already a bug reported in 100 paper cuts for all beep noises!
bug #77010

"w1zard"s solution works perfect! It disables every annoying beep sound!

... except beeping on shutdown - i recognized it after posting my comment!

I haven't tried the solution of Vytas (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-session/+bug/290204/comments/7) yet:
sudo sh -c 'echo blacklist pcspkr > /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-custom'

But it should be able to make this setting (PC speaker beep on/off) in audio settings!

I also never heard the logout sound in ubuntu :(, as reported above.

Beeping on shutdown happens also with the fast-user-switch-applet. It was reported, that it wouldn't, but it does on my Thinkpad T400.

bugs #363532 and #363260 appear to be duplicates.

I agree with making this a hundredpapercuts thing. Annoying...

I've added bug #363532 to the hundredpapercuts project. It seems strictly related to this very bug, although it describes a different issue (_multiple_ system beeps on shutdown, affecting Ubuntu starting from the Jaunty release).

Would it be possible to replace the system speaker with a more ear-friendly noise? The first thing I do after installing Ubuntu is to blacklist the f... pcspkr kernel module. Does anyone really want to hear those annoying squeaks? They're especially annoying when trying to use auto-complete in a terminal.

Reproduced on Xfce 4.4 on Intrepid (I have absolutely no clue if this has been fixed in Jaunty). I have actually found out how to prevent Xfce from using the motherboard speaker, but it does not work.

I agree with Kimble85, each people of my family (which are not geeks) have the same reaction when they hear the mother board speaker. They are scared and think that what is happening is not "normal".

Speakers are not user friendly sounds, they should not be used when we are using our computer and all is fine.

I have also few speaker beeps when I shutdown the computors (two on ubuntu 9.04) with the fast user switch applet.

I've noticed that often there are two or even three beeps on shut down (so not always one). It's seems that this behaviour becomes more probable using the pc for long time (hours instead of minutes...)

I like the beeping, it tells me that I am shutting down successfully.

Are you serious Nicklas? When I have my speaker set at 100%, the beep is so loud that my neighbors once came to see who screamed!

Scott Ritchie reports that this may be fixed (https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts/+bug/77010/comments/23).

According to https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts/+bug/77010/comments/23 , it is now a softer but still audible beep. This bug is to turn that beep off completely. A softer beep does not do that, therefore this is not really fixed for those annoyed by the beep.

By "softer" beep I meant the Gnome Alert Sound. This is the sound you hear if you Go to system->preferences->sound, enable the alert sound, and click the play button next to it.

One part of the bug was that whenever this sound was supposed to be played, the PC Speaker internal beep would sound instead. I believe that's fixed - when I hit backspace too many times in Karmic I instead hear the Gnome sound.

The bug was sound driver dependent (not all drivers had the bug of giving the internal beep), so I can't verify if it's fixed everywhere.

As for the bug in this report, my laptop doesn't beep on shutdown any more, so it may be fixed as well.

The best IMHO would be during shutdown not to play "Alert" sound,
but some "Shutdown" sound - acording to current sound scheme...
and yeah - the "Shutdown" sound should be "none" by default..

No shutdown sound should be played at all Roman (or, rather, the sound themes shouldn't ship one). The reason is that they add no usability benefit (since the system is already indicating to you that you're shutting down) and that, more importantly, there's potential for serious annoyance (such as when shutting down in a lecture hall or late at night). Imagine if your mobile phone turned on its speaker phone and said "I'M TURNING OFF NOW!" whenever you turned it off at the movies.

Scott, Roman's point was that instead of this horrible beep, the system should be configured to play a "shutdown" sound, and that this shutdown sound should be set to none by default.
That way, the people that want it to make a sound can simply configure it to do so, and the rest of us just won't be bothered by any sound.

Is it know at all what makes this sound ? Which program or process ?

It happen everytime i bootup the system

How to turn it off

I try to do "sudo modprobe -r pcspkr"

but it still beep....................
so annoy

I get 3 beeps every time I shut down Jaunty on a Dell D400. I have not noticed, though, any connection between volume control and the volume of the beep. I have my volume down pretty low for the start-up chimes but the beeps are still pretty loud.

My laptop used to beep on shutdown in Intrepid and Jaunty and no longer does in Karmic without need for any blacklisting. I am marking this fixed -- please only comment if you are still experiencing the problem in Karmic.

Also, from what I understand of the kernel change that was required, it is not suitable for a backport.

They told me this was where i should comment as im having annoying beeps on shutdown. I have read above and tried everything, are they going to bring out an update/fix.
My problem i have put on youtube as shows how and when and noise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDlEXNG1iwg
I am running gnome OS. v2.26

Marking this as round 5 to take the place of its dupe, bug 363532. The beep no longer uses the pc speaker and instead the proper sound system so it should work as expected; if you have this muted or disabled it shouldn't play.

Hello,

  The beep sounds very awkward using this method, also I tried to modprobe pcspkr to get the normal beep sound, but instead that resulted in no beeps at all ! I have attached a recording of the awkward beep

This is a fix:

jl@CQ60:~$ sudo modprobe -r pcspkr

jl@CQ60:~$ echo "blacklist pcspkr" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

The loud beep is definitely a big paper cut.

This too is a fix (used on Jaunty):

In the terminal, perform the following:

      gksudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

Then add the following at the bottom of the file:

      blacklist pcspkr

Now restart your machine. Note that the beep will still sound when shutting down. However, once restarted, try shutdown again. The beep(ing) should now not occur.

Nice, but I want to use my PC speaker to beep (like from scripts, to make some alarm even without soundcard), so blacklisting the kernel module about pc speaker is not so nice idea for me. I only want not to have beep on shutdown, because it's a useless idea: if I want to shut the machine down, of course I know it will happen, completly pointless to generate beeps. Also note, that sometimes not even one beep but multiple ones are generated on shutdown (maybe this is not a problem anymore, I haven't noticed it since a while, I have to admit ...).

I agree, LGB. I do still have the multiple beeps when using fast-user-switch-applet.

You also might want to check out bug #363532 <https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/363532>, which is marked as a duplicate of this bug, a decision I disagree with.

I am using Karmic Beta on a Dell Vostro 1400, and I have the same problem. everything was ok until a recent update on tha last days.

#52, this is not a fix, it's a workaround. One should not have to blacklist any modules in order to get rid of a problem like this, but it is definitely a way around it.

On my clean install of 9.10 the pc speaker is blacklisted by default. To me this appears to be the 'fix' that the developers put it. The shutdown beeps were very annoying on 9.04 but blacklisting the pc speaker is NOT the right solution, or a solution at all. This 'solution' breaks some of the accessibility features. For example, I rarely use the caps-lock key so under System > Preferences > Keyboard I go to the Accessibility tab and click on the Audio Feedback... button. Under the General section I place a checkmark in "Beep when a toggle key is pressed". This is but one feature that uses the pc speaker. Until the Accessibility features are given the capability to play sounds through the sound system (which I feel it should do anyway) blacklisting the pc speaker is not a solution.

It is not a fix, but launchpad has no status 'worked around'.
Yes, it's a shame that such trivial thing stayed for a year or so and after that we only got a workaround which most users were applying anyway. So there is a lack of workforce in Ubuntu and open source in general, but YOU can help.
Roll up your sleeves and start working!

I would love to help but, alas, I have no idea where to begin. Though I may be an intermediate C/C++ programmer, without some expert guidance I'm afraid I am lost. Best I can do is point out that this 'workaround' does break an accessibility feature. And I know that Canonical is proud of the accessibility features of their distribution.

If this is a kernel module problem, does it happen on other distros too?
Could the kernel guys help?

NO shutdnn beep

i have this problem on dell vostro 1720 with ubuntu karmic/x86_64:

i have blacklisted my pcspeaker in /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf:
"blacklist snd_pcsp
 blacklist pcspkr"

but i still hear this annoying beep on shutdown.

@Tommy: please open a new bug report against linux if you think the blacklist is not working in your case. It is working in the vast majority of cases.

I have installed lucid 64bit on Dell latitude 1440 and blacklisting of blacklist snd_pcsp and blacklist pcspkr doesn't helps me.
When I shutdown my computer or when I press backspace in a terminal window, I hear a very annoying and loud sound.

@Arkashkin: please open a new bug report against linux ("ubuntu-bug linux") if you think the blacklist is not working in your case. It is working in the vast majority of cases.

I was also getting a beep on shutdown even though pckspkr was already blacklisted. I found a solution at http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=75825. The problem went away by muting the Beep with alsamixer.