Stop the beeping!!!

[MicahBurke]

Seems like if I have something selected and use the keyboard shortcut to zoom in, the hold space bar to get the Hand tool, Illustrator CS 5 beeps. There seems to be so much beeping in the app that I've turned my sound off.

Any way to stop the beeping aside from not using the tools Illustrator gave us!?

[Smorgasbord9]

To any who may still be experiencing this problem, there is an identical thread here: http://forums.adobe.com/message/3092204

If you don't want to read the entire thing, the fixes developed in that thread are now hosted here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/cs5altfix/

[snowbordnbum]

1. Hello. I am also being driven mad by the relentless beeping in photoshop 5. This never happened before in any other version and has pretty much rendered photoshop useless to me as I use only hotkeys to do speed photo editing. Unlike everyone here that is trying to zoom, I am using alt+shift hotkeys to access menus for photo image editing. Every time I use alt anything the menu bar is highlighted and I get a beep when trying to use the next hotkey. Disabling the beep sound does not help because then I will not know which hotkeys actually took effect as I am editing through pictures quickly. I tried downloading the disable alt key program but it also disabled some hotkeys and still didn’t work entirely when I used hotkeys that had shift+alt, for some reason this went back to highlighting the menu bar. Additionally my virus program said it was a virus when I downloaded, which was unnerving. I tried the hotkeys program too but I am not a programmer, couldn’t figure out how to use it. Is there any update from adobe on fixing this? It seems like an easy patch would eliminate this problem which has rendered a very expensive program practically useless, unless you don’t mind taking twice as long to do everything.

[EverythingUnavailable]

This drives me INSANE!!!!!!!  Usually I just hit alt everytime it beeps and then go about my business, but whenever I have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time-  EVERYTHING I TRY TO DO IS THWARTED!!!!  I use quick keys/ short cuts constantly, and every other one I hit beeps, and I imagine strangling some digital computer monkey to death.  If someone can fix this, PLEASE DO!

[AlfMoo]

Hello Everybody!

My English is not well, and it is seems some late, but I can help to somebody with this problem from now.

My point is change ALT keys scancodes, but change they simple.

You have to create text file in Notepad, and make its extension to .reg. Than, put into the file these strings:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]

"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,38,E0,38,00,38,00,38,E0,00,00,00,00

Save the file, close Notepad and dobleclick the file. It puts codes in your Registry, after this you have to reboot your computer.

Enjoy!

AlexMoo

[MicahBurke]

The problem with that is that it changes the default behavior in other applications. I don't want to change other applications, I want Illustrator to work the way it used to.

[MicahBurke]

Actually, a previous poster got this one... the "new" combo is Alt-LeftShift-Scroll.  Works great, no beeping. Now to retrain the fingers.

[AlfMoo]

Hi, Micah!

Well, you right bout "other applications". I find some... features in Photoshop: clone stamp tool can`t pick source with old Right-ALT key. Anyway still I prefer my workaround, than retrain the fingers)))

Thank you!

Bye!

Alex

[AlfMoo]

Disable changes:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]

"Scancode Map"=-

[Mellifluous-Irony]

(Requires Windows and Autohotkey)

My original script had an issue with alt+shift for resizing shapes.

This new script sends escape after you release alt, which resolves that;

and it only functions while illustrator is the active window.

You don't need to be a programmer to follow the first fives steps here:

http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/Tutorial.htm

and then copy and paste the script below.

If you can use illustrator, you can install a program and copy / paste some text into notepad.

#IfWinActive, ahk_class illustrator

~alt up::Send, {Esc}

#IfWinActive

[MicahBurke]

Is it working in 64bit?

[Mellifluous-Irony]

Yes I use Autohotkey_L (essentially a version that is updated by a community pro)

which allows you to choose "Unicode (64bit)" during installation.

The interpreter is incredibly fast, and lightweight,

so you don't have to worry about it affecting computer performance.

Making it work only while illustrator is active

allows you to just forget about the script instead of having to suspend it,

or close it, when you switch to another program.

[Mellifluous-Irony]

The whole thing will take you less than two minutes.

I made a video tutorial for the visual learners. :-]

http://youtu.be/3c8MKPiYFVw

(watch in 720p)

[subGlitch]

Thank you very mush!

It works!

[OctavianN.]

I've also experienced the same beeping and i got to this forum.

In InDesign CS5 if I use Alt+space to get the free hand it beeps like hell, if I simply use space outside text or image, or even on pasteboard i get the free hand and it doesn't sound at all.

[Guest]

Just started using the CS6 trial...

This problem has not been fixed at all, in any application. Just mind-boggling how they have missed this.

[MicahBurke]

Yes, the issue has been carried over into CS6.  During the beta I did post this as a bug, but it was set to deferred.  I believe this indicates that this is the way Adobe wants it now.  The fix is to use Alt-Left Shift-Scroll Wheel

😛

[lmaclanphere]

I would suggest holding "Z" plus left mouse n drag.  Get used to it pretty quick.  Zooms to mouse pointer, more or less.

OH SHAZ!! this only works in photoshop, NOT ILLUSTRATOR. now to go hang myself.

[Nivrot]

Deactivate "Default Beep" in Windows Sound settings.

Works well. Unless you are dependant on beeps in other contexts.

[Doug A Roberts]

why do people keep answering with this?

the problem for me, coming from CS3, was that i was unexpectedly selecting the menu bar all the time. if i tried to use a shortcut immediately after, it'd activate a menu item rather than doing what i expected. the problem is worse in indesign because you can't just click on your document to have the menu deselect - you have to press alt again.

[CarlosCanto]

people keep suggesting silly fixes because people don't read the whole thread to realize what the problem is.

[lmaclanphere]

^^^ yes, this (aborting!)

[MicahBurke]

Yep.  I just had to learn to live with it, but the real answer was to use alt-Shift-Scroll Wheel to zoom rather than just alt.

[kratznick]

I've noticed there isn't a real solution posted here.  . . After encountering the same issue myself I think I fixed it. You basically need to disable the sound itself at the source.

Control Panel>Sounds>change system sounds>default beep>change the sound from "windows ding"  to "none">apply changes and enjoy a beep free experience.

This allows you to hit alt and whatever other keys you like without hearing the unavoidable error beep. Does not change any functionality, everything works as it should.

Cheers.

[MicahBurke]

> You basically need to disable the sound itself at the source.

NO NO NO.   Kill this thread. 

The solution is to use alt-shift-scrollwheel rather than the old alt-scrollwheel.   Using alt activates the menus. Note that the original post (mine) was 3 years ago.

The problem was not the beeping, per-se, but the activation of the menus by hitting the alt-key, a function that started in CS5.  Telling folks to disable their sound is not a solution.  Thanks for trying.     

[kratznick]

Ha. I guess I should have put "solution" in quotes, you're right it's really a bandaid on the problem as you said. I think there are many users (myself included) who had been using only alt to zoom in various programs for years so I found this better than retraining my hand to hit alt+shift.

Thanks for the clarification.

Killing the sound does work though. . . Hitting  alt (activating the menu) then holding space to reposition creates the error of course, but immediately overrides to panning.  . . No harm done and now no beeping either.

Anyways you're right this thread should probably die.