Warning Sounds...within but not part of FS9

[kevin2003]

Dear fellow Simmers,
haven't posted in a while because everything seemed to be working fine.That was up to a few nights ago.

Flying VFR online with the SF260 when suddenly and without warning this loud,two tone warning attacks my ears.Similar to a old style ambulance sound I did all I could in the cockpit to disable this sound.No Joy.To my horror this sound continued after exiting the flight and continued into the "select a flight" page.Only exiting FS9 shuts it off.

For my part I've scanned FS9 with IS2005 and Spybot and Spy Doctor with no result.

I have reviewed my addons for the past two months and apart from 2 sets of skins for the Machetti the rest is payware scenery.

I discovered a nasty little program called NewDotNet on my system a week or so ago and it has taken me five days to get rid of it.But I cannot imagine why this might have any bearing on the problem.

I have checked three other aircraft all with similar results.

No warning or dialogue box comes up...... there is only the warning sound.

The warning sound is not an FS9 sound even though it only occurs within FS9.

I have googled the prob without result.

Only other new installs to date are Spy Doctor and the latest Microsoft updates.

Could this be a Graphics Card/Proccessor warning of some kind???

I know it is something we all go though with FS9. we seee a problem that we know is not serious but then we see something we get a bad feeling about.This is one of those times for me.

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas as to what this might be I would be most grateful to hear them.

My system specs are:
Windows XP.SP2
AMD Athlon 64 +3500
1 Gig RAM
Radeon X800 Pro

regards

kevin

[Formula_1]

Hi mate

I am not trying to scare you, but I have heard the very same thing before. It had nothing to do with the games I was playing, it was my system and my old epox 8rda+ died a few days later.

My board had a few leaking capacitors was the only visible sign of problems.

I read that the siren sound is a warning most often caused by too much overclocking, but can happen with improper power regulation and even memory issues. Sometimes it will happen as soon as the power button is pushed, other times it can start while gaming or doing other high demand programs. I believe over heating can set it off as well.

I'm not sure this is what you are experiencing, but it sounds very much like the system.

[kevin2003]

Thanks F1 but the system is less than 1 year old.It was buit to my specs by a trusted friend.I saw all the components come out of the box including the card which was not overclocked.

You are right about this though....this is not a FS9 warning sound and yes it only goes off when the PC is working hardest....during FS9.

If I press "ALT" during the sound it ceases but it returns within minutes of resuming the sim.

I have clocked up hundreds of hours without a hitch so far this year.......why would this problem begin now???

Are there any dignostic tests I could run to establish whether your theories might be correct.

I have a bad feeling about it.

Thanks again F1

regards

kevin

[Formula_1]

Hi again

Here is a link to a search I did at PCPerspective.
Key words;
Siren sound

http://forums.pcper.com/search.php?searchid=351592

I suspect heat, but if you read some of the post, it can be many things.

My epox board was 26 months old when it died. I think my problem was woltage regulation (due to the leaking caps). Bad thing was, it damaged my ram and killed my new Leadtek 6800GT

Anyway, I hope the post will help you track down exactly what is causing it. It can be tough, but maybe something there will stand out. I would certainly check the capacitors on your board and GFX card very closely, because they can damage other components if they fail.
Even though your system is only a year old, it is still possible some caps are swollen and/or leaking. It depends mostly on the brand used on your board. There are good ones and not so good ones. I'm sorry I don't remember which ones are known to be poor quality, but they were used a lot and many many boards have them.

It could be something as simple as dust build up in the fins of your CPU's heatsink, causing your temps to get a little too high. Maybe you can get your friend to take the heatsink off and clean it. Then replace it using Artic Silver or some other good quality compound. If you do, have him check all the capacitors while he is in there.

BTW, I am not an expert by no means, I just like building my own systems and have read up on things at a few of the tech forums.

[kevin2003]

Hi F1,I disconnected the PC and put the case on the kitchen table.It was filthy.Dust on the inboard fans of both the CPU and the Card.Dust in the Heatsink and in the exterior vents of the case.To avoid static electricity I put on some rubber gloves,got out my Q-Tips and went to work.25 minutes later.....good as new.

Connected everything back up and did a 25 minute flight without any problems.I noticed that the sound coming from the case was a lot quieter than had been the case previously.

Thank you for your advice F1. You were right about the overheat problem.I have kept the link you sent me for future reference.

Warmest regards

kevin

[Formula_1]

You're welcome. Really glad to hear it was nothing serious