Windows XP Critical Stop Tone Sounding on Hour-Top

Hey MajorGeeks,

An issue has recently developed on my computer at about the same time as a virtumonde/smitfraud-C infection (Tim W on the Malware Forums has determined they are unrelated), nonetheless I would like to rectify it.

The Windows XP Critical Stop Tone sounds on the top of the hour (ex.: 9:00 PM), but only does so during the first top of the hour that the computer is on.

For example: Computer gets turned on at 8:55PM, tone sounds once at 9PM, but will not sound at 10PM, 11PM, etc.

I do not know if this issue is related, but under "Windows Task Manager" in "running processes" there is an entry that has been in the top five, usually the first, called "rundll32.exe" in SYSTEM with a Mem Usage of 1208 K. This process apparently starts automatically as it is not present during the first few moments the computer is turned on. Tim W. reviewed a CMD.exe log, but no unusual entries were found. However, rundll32.exe never ran at such a high priority until this malware infection, and its subsequent removal.

I would like to cease the tone sounding on the hour-top and the rundll32.exe from running with such a high priority. Please provide any assistance that you can in helping me to ascertain that a larger issue is not present and to rectify this problematic situation. Thank you for your assistance.

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353

Try this and report back if it made any difference.

 

Hey Adrynalyne,
Thanks for the reply, but, I don't understand. If the computer is booted in a diagnostic mode, it might temporarily fix the problem, but when rebooted normally the problem returns. The diagnostic mode turns off many services, how can I determine which of these, if any, are malfunctioning?

 

Well, I didn't say leave it that way. I said report back with results.

If it helped, then you go through the method of elimintation, enable just a couple, reboot, test. Rinse, repeat until you find the one.

 

I have this same problem, but I'm sorry to see my prior post seems to have been eaten.

If I boot in Help mode, no problem. I've discontinued everything except htpatch and the stuff needed by Creative X-Fi abd I still get the critical sound at the top of the hour when I start full Windows.

I sent a HIJACKTHIS! log in my prior post, but I hadn't read your strictures about not including it in my post, so I guess it got deleted?

Any, any info would appreciate any info, and thanks!

 

I was not trying to hijack the thread. I have the EXACT same problem as the original poster, and I was trying to point out that the problem doesn't occur in Safe Mode, but it *does* occur with the very few routines I have left in my startup. I pointed this out because the original poster hadn't replied and I thought I might be giving more info.

I do *not* have Malware (that I can find) and please note that I already mentioned I had not read your strictures before posting my HIJACKTHIS! log. For that I am sorry.

Now, Plodr, if you have anything constructive to post, I would be thankful to hear it. Meanwhile, as I mentioned, I have the SAME problem the original poster complained of. With the exception of htpatch, and some X_FI stuff from Creative Labs, I have nothing in my startup routines.

You can continue to chide me, or you can post something constructive. Or not. I was just trying to be helpful.

 

I had a similar problem with my computer at work. I figured it was some remnant of the virtumonde infection trying to run a non-existent executable. It took me a few weeks to notice the "on the hour" part of the sound playing, and I was totally confused by the fact that all searches were coming up clean. But now I see why that would have been the case. Try this:

Start

Control Panel

Performance and Maintennance

Scheduled Tasks

Remove any item that shouldn't be there. (In my case, it was one of the randomly-named executables that is easily recognizable as a virtumonde file. And yes, the file had already been eliminated)

 

Thank you! That worked!