Sound "bzzz" problem (not hardware)

Hi,

I have Windows 8.1 on my new (april 2014) laptop.

After few weeks I noted some audio problems. When a video is on, the sound sometimes turns into a metallic "bzzz" sound (approx. half a second). It occurs whenever I open another tag in my browser, or when there is some Internet connection problem.

I am almost sure it is a software problem. Here's why.

I got rid of the "bzzzz" sound a first time after removing 3 trojans. After that, the sound was clean and perfect for a few weeks. Then it appeared again. I got rid of the problem a second time when I restored the previous Windows configuration (due to different problems). But after a couple of weeks the "bzzzz" appeared again. I got rid of it again when I reinstalled my antivirus software. But now it is here again. Not surprisingly, it got worse after the last periodical Windows update.

Any suggestions? I would prefer to avoid to restore the previous configuration again.

Thanks for any help.

Try turning off the AV. It's been known to interfere.

MilesAhead said:

Try turning off the AV. It's been known to interfere.

Click to expand...

It makes sense. But then? Who dares to use a computer without an AV? Moreover, mine cannot be turned "off".

EDIT: my mistake, my AV can be turned off. Nonetheless, the "bzzz" is still there.

There's more strategies to system protection/disaster recovery than just running with a prophylactic. Varying with the machine and the AV software the prevention can be more onerous than the disease.

The "fixes" you list seem so varied all I can suggest is delete the audio device in Safe Mode an reboot to normal mode. Often when Windows reinstalls a device it does it right for some reason. This is a standard support trick that seems to work at least half the time.

MilesAhead said:

There's more strategies to system protection/disaster recovery than just running with a prophylactic. Varying with the machine and the AV software the prevention can be more onerous than the disease.

Click to expand...

Any suggestion about that?

Windows 8.1, Toshiba Satellite L50, Avast Internet Security.

I rarely use AV except for scans. So I have no idea if this or that AV is better than another. This site is well respected for freeware lists:
The Best Free Security Software for PC

I just updated Windows 8.1. No "bzzz" sound. Will it last?

8.1 made some changes to sound. Not sure what it changed, from Win 8, but I've seen several posts of people with sound problems after 8.1 and having to reinstall the sound drivers, or get 8.1 sound drivers. I even had that on my Roland Octa-Capture recording interface unit I use in my recording studio- Roland has to issue an 8.1 driver update.

There again, as disturbing as ever. And no updates of anything since last post. Frustrating.