problem with windows xp start up sound on start up

[susan aleck]

I recently had my computer tweaked by a tech and ever since then I have had a problem with the windows xp start up sound....it sounds like a record skipping. I have tried other cd's commercially purchased ones as that is all I use and the sound is fine. I like the sound at the beginning because it alerts me to come back and put in my password....I have asked the tech and he has no solutions and it is very annoying.......I hope that someone can help...respectfully O'Kelly

[mightyjimbo]

Huh, Tech's hey! Who'd have 'em?

The sound you hear at start up is a Wav file and so is not the same as the files played on your CD-Rom.
In fact, if you want, you can play any sound you like at start up. (I once had the Star Wars theme but it took over a minute to finish so gave it up in the end). However, this doesn't solve your problem. Do all other "Computer" sounds play OK? If that is the case then the "Start up" file is likely to have become damaged. To check this click on Start/Control Panel/Sounds & Audio devices/Sounds. This panel shows the sounds played at certain times by your computer. The ones with a little speaker Icon next to them will play a sound. Click on any one of them to highlight it then below that panel between a drop down box and the word "Browse" is a "play" button. Click on that. Does the sound play ok? Check the "start up" sound, does that play OK?
Let me know the results.

[susan aleck]

Hi...nice to hear from someone in the toshiba forum that seems to accept the same frustration that I have experienced with a tech....I do not mean to minimize their presence...but when you take a notebook in to tweak it and it comes home with a "sore throat".....the dr's bill gets bigger without resolution to the problem.
Yes...I did this....went to CP then sounds and audio ....beside the speakers was only the volume and advanced options so I went to sounds and high lighted start windows beside the browse as you indicated and got the clear sound of windows xp start up. Rebooted and again got the skipping sound....still don't understand this as I am a newbie but persist in trying to restore to what the computer was before the tweaking...and you seem to have a genuine knowledge base of what may have taken place....I tried the chime on windows and it did chime....but why does the windows xp sound not start up with the same clarity as it did before the tweak???? I genuinely hope that you can help...my tech simply bows out and says he seems to have heard of this before but is baffled... and I genuinely thank you for your interest and hope that you may have some further guidance.......Regards

[susan aleck]

Hello again...have done a much more thorough check and re read your mail....I did the CP to Sounds and checked out..I won't list all of them...but asterisk, critical batt. alarm, crit. stop, device connect,exit, low battery, new mail, START WINDOWS and all on an individual basis sounded OK....Windows at the top was set as the Default.......even though from 1 - 10 ...as a tech...i maybe 2 at the best I do seem to grasp what you are saying may have occurred and indeed I do hear that apprehensive sound in your typing when you reference "tech"....as I also believe they have pros and cons and believe me I would rather sometimes rely on a crystal ball when I make decisions to D/L or not...somehow I believe that the windows start up file that the tech faintly believes to have been troubled with before but does not have the time to pursue now ...is a haunt from his past....it really bugs me as my "tweak" now sounds like a "twuck"!!!! I genuinely believe that you are onto the WAV????????? not the hockey WAVE!!!!!! I really hope that you can enlighten me and really prove that in life simply talking to one another with common thread issues is what the whole world needs to do every day!!!!!!!! Regards B-)

[mightyjimbo]

If I understand you correctly when you play the sound as I suggest then it plays OK so it is only distorted when you start up your computer?
If that is the case then I suspect that as you are starting up your computer it is loading another program such as Anti virus or Firewall and this is taking up most of your processing power leaving little or no power to play the sound file. Can you tell me if you have many Icons next to your clock in the bottom left corner of your screen. These Icons show all the programs that start up when you start windows. Most, if not all, are not needed all the time and only hog your resources and I think at lesst one of them loads up at the same time as your windows start up sound plays causing it to distort.

[mightyjimbo]

Sorry, should have added that if you want to disable these programs at start up then you can. You can always start the programs up manually when you need them. I always have my Firewall and AntiVirus off until just before I connect to the internet then I switch them on.
Go to Start - Run. Type in "msconfig" (without the ")click OK then click on startup. This shows a list of all programs that start when windows starts. If you have a firewall or antivirus these will be shown here, untick their boxes and apply. Close and you will be asked to restart click to restart and cross your fingers. If that doesn't work do the smae again, retick the boxes that you unticked and try some of the other boxes. Remember that you can always go back to this and retick boxes at any time.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed... good luck.

[susan aleck]

Hi again....I did as you advised with the msconfig....the A/V program that I run was not listed there and so I went into the options of the program and disengaged......rebooted....to no avail. then I totally uninstalled the A/V program totally and rebooted...still no change. I must say that all the programs that are on the right side of my puter beside the date are the same icons that were there before the tweaking and there were no problems then.....I have not done your other suggestions of unticking individual boxes in the msconfig and tried rebooting after each one of these yet...I thought I would report to you the above first....and also let you know what is in the msconfig at start up....it might give you some ideas...these are the checked items...the bulk of which are M$..as follows group 1...HKLM M$...Tfncky,rwiz,RUNDLL.32,Ltmoh,Apoint,OOTHotkey, OOOStTHK,ccApp,ccRegVfy,TPWRTRAY,TFNS, Group 2 M$ HKCU...rundll.32,msmsgs, Group 3 ...Common Start up Microsoft Office, PC Health, and that is it ...and I again comment that all of these were present in the msconfig before the tweak and there was no start up sound problem......I will now go through and uncheck individual boxes and reboot and see if there is any change in the start up sound. Have you set aside the possibility of the WAV???? inasmuch as when I do the sound test in the CP it sounds normal....could it not sound normal there but sound skipping at start up if it is a
WAV that is a start up sound???? just wondering outloud....again many thanks for your interest and suggestions...I don't give up and it is 98 degrees here on the west coast so this extra push to resolve this brings out more persperation and I hope some success!!!!!!! Regards

[mightyjimbo]

Susan,

Sorry not been able to get on the internet last couple of days. Did you have any luck unticking the boxes in turn?
I'm still pretty certain that this is the problem but without knowing exactly what the Tech tweaked makes it difficult.
meanwhile I'll look into the programs that you are loading at startup and get back to you.

[susan aleck]

Thanks for getting back to me....I did a few things over the weekend....went to the sound section and checked the "windows on startup sound" and it was normal???? as were the other sounds...asterisk, log off etc. But when I did a reboot the start up of windows was still the same. I did go through the process of unchecking individual items in startup ....but still no luck...then I had the suggestion to "disable all" at start up and I did this and did a reboot after the msconfig and there was still no change. One item was mentioned to me ....but I do not really unerstand it is the term Wav??? that this has something to do with start up sound.....as I mentioned my regular CD's play fine....but I don't know anything about "wav"....does this make any sense???? ciao for now

[susan aleck]

Hi...still am hoping that some member browsing the site may have some ideas am still in search of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.....!!!! gracias