[steve-b]

Microsoft's marketing department has metastasized into a cancer on the entire company.

[scott7278]

This better be a joke.

[1rudeboy]

I cringe thinking this might be true. So much for ever starting a meeting or class on time. Blech.

[Petronski]

Ah, but Vista will not metasticize into a cancer on any of my computers.

[ShadowAce]

[ShadowAce]

There will be a hack to mute/change it pretty quick, I'd guess.

[TomGuy]

I bet a 12-year-old computer nerd will find a way to turn it off within 12 hour of the release.

[Marius3188]

Microsoft is now like our Fed. Gov't, big and ineffective. They keep going up with stupid ideas.

[BenLurkin]

What a pain that would be!

[KarlInOhio]

It will be as annoying as unskippable menus and advertising at the beginning of DVDs.

Time to buy a new computer with XP before Vista becomes required. Never, ever get the first edition of a Microsoft product.

[thoughtomator]

It is going to stop you from starting up with the speakers off, too?

[steveo]

I'd turn my speakers off.

[scott7278]

"The startup sound is designed to help you calibrate or fix something that got out of wack when you startup your machine."

That's a good advertisement for a new OS -- sheesh!

[daviddennis]

I wonder about the branding value of the startup sound.

The only time I reboot my computer is when it crashes or when its operation has disappointed me in some respect and I think a reboot would help.

This is, of course, not my favourite time to use my computer and so it would be the last time I'd want to have a "branding experience".

Apple has a startup sound when the computer is turned on and passes initial checks. It's reassuring when your computer fails and you're not sure if it will come back up or not. (*)

If my memory serves, last time I used Windows, the startup sound actually was heard before the computer was fully awake and ready for use. I hope for the sake of Windows users that Vista has changed this.

I haven't used a Windows computer extensively in some years, having completely switched over to Apple some years back, so all this talk about Windows is pretty theoretical.

I will say that Vista's upgrade prices look ridiculous. I can't see buying an upgrade to Vista for $200 plus when I could buy a whole new computer for $299, and that computer would certainly run Vista a lot better than even a top-end Windows computer more than, say, six or so months old.

D

(*) The only time I had a major failure on an Apple computer was when I put bad memory in it. Let's just say that was a bad idea, not Apple's fault, and leave it at that. Don't buy cheapo memory and get burned like I did!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

You can always turn off your speakers.

[sportutegrl]

The sound of a puking bird crashing into a blackboard.

[D-Chivas]

It will be hacked faster than it takes for me to type out this reply.

[Falcon4.0]

The one thing these,,, jack@$$es have forgotten is that,

It's MY PC!

[Zathras]

Same old Microsoft.
Delivering features NO ONE wants.

[Vision]

A friend working in Microsoft's B programming wing just emailed me the sound.

The Vista Startup Sound

[dubie]

yes, but I bet Microsoft will be able to change this sound at will remotely. In fact, it won't be long before we are targeted with advertising wia startup sound spam... bastards. grrrrr.