I am getting the same behavior - when start++ is running, I get an audible ding when I run anything from the search (e.g. "notepad.exe", "www.google.com", "Microsoft Word"). When I disable start++, it stops dinging.
Setting the start++ application to run as administrator on the compatibility tab seems to fix this..can some of you others having this problem confirm?
Brandon, keep up the good work - just donated $20 to your cause to show my appreciation!