How to change Vista Premium Startup sound

[Guest]

How do you go about changing the startup sound in windows vista? It's
blocked by default and I can't change it to a different wav file like I could
with windows xp. I want to use a different startup sound and am logged in as
administrator but I don't even have the option to browse to find a wav file
to use. Can anyone help? Thanks.

 

[Robert Firth]

You need a resource editor like resource hacker:
http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/

I think the sound is in c:\windows\system32\imageres.dll, but I might have
forgotten exactly which one it is in. I don't know if it can be replaced,
but it can be extracted...

Robert Firth
http://www.winvistainfo.org

 

[Tiberius]

yeah thats another stupid thing about vista

You need a resource editor like resource hacker:
http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/

I think the sound is in c:\windows\system32\imageres.dll, but I might have
forgotten exactly which one it is in. I don't know if it can be replaced,
but it can be extracted...

Robert Firth
http://www.winvistainfo.org

 

[Fats]

I just changed the sound and didn't seem to have any problems (although I
usually keep it off). One thing, I think the event for the startup sound is
call "Windows
Login". I went to CP.....Hardware and Sound....Change System
Sounds...Selected Windows Logon (which enabled the Test and Browse
features), and selected a wav.

 

[Tiberius]

That is the windows login sound.. not the startup sound

in vista the startup sound is hardcoded inside a dll

Why did they decide to hardcode a sound is a mystery to me...

there was a whole outcry from people when MS had the sound
so it could not be turned off.. after protest they added a checkbox so you
can disable it

 

[Fats]

Thanks for the info...wonder why they did that? (hardcoded in a dll)
Were they trying to come up with an MS theme song or something?
So many weird things in Vista.....

 

[Rick Rogers]

Why?

It's called branding, a sound trademark. Like many other device startup
sounds and visuals, its not meant to be changed, it's meant to develop an
association between the consumer and the product.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[Tiberius]

CRAP!!!!

That's exactly why people like computers! because they are ultimatily
customizable!!!

If we wanted a toaster with a bell ringer to signify when the toast is done,
we would buy it!

Gesh....

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

There are usually limits to customization with any software.
"ultimatily customizable" if you mean anything and everything can be
customized is not correct.

If you dislike this so much, have you expressed your opinion to
Microsoft?

 

[Guest]

So it looks like I'm stuck with the startup sound unless microsoft releases
some sort of patch to allow an end user the ability to change it. The
branding makes sense but I still should be able to change it if I want to, no
fair!! Thanks everyone for the information.

 

[Tiberius]

you can hack the dll.. thats what people are forced to do now becuase
of some idiots in MS..

hacking vista & IE7 just to get them to work properly...

 

[Frank]

CRAP!!!!

That's exactly why people like computers! because they are ultimatily
customizable!!!

Yeah, it's called don't play the sound you moron.
Idiot!
Frank