How to Change the Windows Startup Sound

Contributor

By Alexia Petrakos
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating:

(7 Ratings)

Did you ever want to change your Windows startup sound to something a little more subdued or something that reflects your personality? Using the Control Panel in both Windows XP and Vista you can change the startup sound of your computer to just about anything you like. Dig up your favorite WAV file and follow these simple steps to personalizing your computer even more than just changing your desktop picture.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Computer running Windows XP or Vista
WAV file of the sound you want to use

Step 1

Make sure that the new sound you are going to use is formatted as a WAV file since mp3 files will not work. If you don't have a wav file of your own, there are many websites out there that have WAV files you can download. Search for "free wav files" on your favorite search engine.
Step 2

Copy the file somewhere where it won't be deleted and to ensure that you can find it easily. The directory "C:/Windows/media" is a good choice because that is where the current system sounds are stored.
Step 3

Go to "Start" > "Settings" > "Control Panel."
Step 4

Choose "Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices" and then "Sounds And Audio Devices" from the Windows Control Panel.

In Windows Vista, "Sounds And Audio Devices" has been replaced by "Sounds."
Step 5

Scroll through the sounds. In XP you're looking for "Start Windows." In Vista, they no longer have a system start sound, but you can choose "Windows Logon."
Step 6

Once you find the right item, click the sound and at the bottom it will have a play button where you can play the current sound or "Browse" where you can choose a different sound.
Step 7

Click "Browse" and navigate the the new sound WAV file you want to use. Then hit "Apply" and hit the Play button to try it out. Once you're done, hit "OK."
Step 8

Restart the computer and when you logon you should hear your new Windows startup sound!