I have noticed that I have not heard a start-up chime from my iMac for months if not years. Any suggestions as to why this might be? Not that I mind, I'm just puzzled.
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No Start-Up Chime
- Thread starter skunk
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Volume is set to middling, Soundstick speakers plugged in. And no, I do not have that extension thingy.
I read somewhere that resetting PRAM might help. Also, have you tried it without the speakers plugged in?
Actually, resetting the PRAM did work. I can't think why I didn't think of that myself, but I haven't done it for years. Thanks.
Of course, now I have it back I rather wish I'd left it silent...
Actually, resetting the PRAM did work. I can't think why I didn't think of that myself, but I haven't done it for years. Thanks.
Of course, now I have it back I rather wish I'd left it silent...
That's where "that extension thingy" comes in!
OS X has separate volumes for speakers/headphones and for the built in speakers. The start up sound goes off of the built in speaker volume, even with speakers/headphones plugged in. If you unplug your speakers and your sound is muted, that's why. Resetting PRAM maybe fixed that? I'm not sure, but I know that was my problem for a while. But that's also how you can turn the sound back off without any software hacking at your system.
Yes, I've noticed that feature as well. It's great that if I have the volume turned all the way up with the built-in speakers and then plug in the externals, the volume automatically switches to how I had it set for the externals. Very cool! But this doesn't solve the problem of wanting to mute the startup chime and leave the sound turned up for other things, like iTunes. The software is a program, not a "hack".
It does if you only ever use external speakers. Unplug, mute, plug in, turn up, problem solved. If you use a laptop and are constantly switching between external speakers and the internal ones, then yes, it wouldn't be a solution.
That still doesn't work. The OP wanted to have the sound for everything EXCEPT the startup chime. If you turn up the sound, whether on internal or external speakers, it's turned up for the chime and everything else. If you mute the sound, whether on internal or external speakers, it mutes the chime, but also mutes everything else. That's where the program comes in. It allows you to mute the chime only, but leave the sound on for everything else.
I don't think you understand the feature of independent volumes for internal and external speakers. When external speakers are plugged in, changing the system volume only applies to sound while the external speakers are plugged in. It doesn't effect any volume you set for when the external speakers are unplugged, which is the volume that effects the start up chime, not the external speaker volume level. Thus, if you unplug any external speakers, mute the sound, then plug in the external speakers, you can turn up the volume for music or anything else, but the volume setting for the internal speakers you just muted stays the same. And since the chime is only effected by the internal speaker volume, it's muted when starting up, but you still have all other sounds coming out of your external speakers.
Trust me, I had this problem before and even posted in the forum a while ago about it. If you don't believe me, just try it yourself.
If you do what you say, then reboot your system with the external speakers plugged in (which have the volume turned up) you will hear the system chime. To do what you say would require unplugging the external speakers each time you reboot, to take advantage of the muted internal speakers. With the program, you can use the internal or external speakers turned up for everything, and you still won't hear the chime. The goal was not to limit the use of internal or external speakers, or to have to plug and unplug speakers when you reboot. The goal was to permanently disable ONLY the startup chime, regardless of what speakers are used. That's what the program accomplishes.
I'm not sure if you think I'm just making this up or am an idiot, but you obviously did not try it. So there's really nothing more I can say other than repeating what I've already said twice now. I'm already aware that this option only works if you only use external speakers, as I already stated before. The program is useful if you use only the internal or switch between both.
Yes, I've already done exactly what you said. I know that if you mute the internal speakers and ONLY use external speakers, you'll hear iTunes on the externals and not hear the startup chime on the internals. That also means, however, that you won't hear any other system alerts that use the internal speakers, either. That's throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I'll say it one last time: the goal was to disable ONLY the startup chime... nothing else. Your method would mute ALL system sounds that use the internal speakers.
Are there any system alerts (besides the start up chime) that only use the internal speakers even when external speakers are plugged in? If so, that would be news to me.