How do I turn off the startup sound?

[Stinger123]

You know that little sound it plays when you turn it on. I really want to turn it off since it can be really loud if my speakers were maxed when I turned it off. I can aviod it by muting my mac before each shutdown - but I don't want to do that every time.

Thanks

 

[scotty588]

I actually just tried this today and I found 2 apps that are suppose to fix this problem. Both did not work on my MBP CD. Maybe it will work for you. Here are the 2 I tried.

http://www.silvermac.com/2006/mac-os-x-start-up-sound-volume-control/
Installed fine but then even in system pref when I click the icon it install it said it could not be run on this computer. So I restarted and tried again and got the same thing. I uninstalled it after that.

http://www.mistatree.org/Freeware/Psst/
Tried this also and lowered the volume all the way. Clicked the green check mark, restarted, start up sound still played. So uninstalled.

 

[swiftaw]

You know that little sound it plays when you turn it on. I really want to turn it off since it can be really loud if my speakers were maxed when I turned it off. I can aviod it by muting my mac before each shutdown - but I don't want to do that every time.

Thanks

The problem is that the sound is created even before the OS is loaded, so it's hard for the OS to turn it off. It would be nice if you could hold down a key during startup and have it not play the sound.

I avoid the problem by rarely turning off my Mac, but rather just sleeping it.

 

[Father Jack]

You know that little sound it plays when you turn it on. I really want to turn it off since it can be really loud if my speakers were maxed when I turned it off. I can aviod it by muting my mac before each shutdown - but I don't want to do that every time.

Thanks

I just keep a pair of iPod ear buds plugged in my G5.


FJ

 

[Stinger123]

Thanks alot. Will try that. But I take it that it's something you can't just turn off without an app? Thats kind of weird.

 

[scotty588]

I was reading somewhere else (I think digg) that if you hold down f3 the mute button the startup sound will not play. Once again I tried this like the 2 other apps I posted above and it didn't work.

 

[TheAnswer]

The problem is the sound is in the firmware that loads up first before the software. It actually forms a useful purpose, as hardware problems can be detected if the chime sounds out differently. I just keep a pair of headphone plugged in also, so I can detach them if there is ever a problem.

 

[gauchogolfer]

The startup chime is called a POST (Power On Self Test), and it indeed has functionality.

Read more about it here.

 

[hopejr]

I was reading somewhere else (I think digg) that if you hold down f3 the mute button the startup sound will not play. Once again I tried this like the 2 other apps I posted above and it didn't work.

This worked on my iBook G4, but not my iMac G5 or MacBook. Very annoying.

The startup chime is called a POST (Power On Self Test), and it indeed has functionality.

Read more about it here.

It's not part of the POST at all. The beeps mentioned in that document are high pitched single tone beeps. I've heard them before on a rev A MacBook Pro when new RAM was first installed. The startup chime just was a way to say it's turned on, though on older macs there was also a death chime which said something was seriously wrong with the machine.

 

[Agurri]

I've been using Pssst for 6 months and I never had a problem ... i have a macbook CD

 

[Stinger123]

I was reading somewhere else (I think digg) that if you hold down f3 the mute button the startup sound will not play. Once again I tried this like the 2 other apps I posted above and it didn't work.

Well, if you just press f3 before you turn off the mac - then the machine is muted and it will not make the noice on startup.

 

[gauchogolfer]

It's not part of the POST at all. The beeps mentioned in that document are high pitched single tone beeps. I've heard them before on a rev A MacBook Pro when new RAM was first installed. The startup chime just was a way to say it's turned on, though on older macs there was also a death chime which said something was seriously wrong with the machine.

You're right, I oversimplified the case. As you know, once the machine successfully passes POST, then you hear the chime. If there are problems, you get the beeps.

 

[e12a]

Make sure you mute the computer without headphones while in OSX..

restart/shut down and it'll be gone!

 

[Avanteman]

You can use Marcel Bresink's Tinker Tool System (http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerToolSys.html) to turn off the startup chime in firmware, but be aware that this is a powerful system modification tool. You can mess things up if you don't know exactly what you're doing! You can use the tool's evaluation mode just for turning of the chime without paying for it, if you're not going to use the app regularly.

 

[SpookTheHamster]

I use this on my Intel iMac and PBG4 with no problems.