how to disable start up sound in macbook air

As the chime is a part of the startup diagnostics routine don't hold your breath waiting for it to go away.

After all, the key factor that makes humans superior to other species is their ability to adapt, well, most humans at least.

BONNGGG!! Aren't designers human? Can they not adapt too? Why a chime, when it causes people the problems described above? Why not a warning light or a message on-screen, maybe with an optional key-press to enable the chime if things are too AFU'd to even display a message? Do they think it's OK for a $2k machine to simply go BONNGGG!! to indicate fault status? I'm going to start every post with "BONNGGG!!" - I'm sure it won't prove annoying or attention-seeking.

If you don't like it turn it down, mute it, or buy something else. This is an issue with 2 solutions already, good luck searching for a 3rd

Bong

Those 2 solutions seem to be more like workarounds than effective resolutions; disabling the chime prevents its intended function as a diagnostic signal, and the mute keypress is an intrusive imposition on the consumer. I already bought something else as I use MS, open source and Android as well as Mac. My preferred system would be Mac but with a better-designed diagnostic signal. I don't review every last tweak and twiddle before I buy stuff, and it's irritating to find such an inflexible approach to this particular aspect of their design in a product that meets many other needs well.

Other than wondering why you have to keep rebooting (I hear the chime about once a month) or find one key press so upsetting I have no further suggestions.

I am afraid that this is your teacup, not mine.

Hitting the mute button would be a satisfactory workaround (or maybe even solution) if two things were true: 1) it could be done AS you were booting up, instead of before shutting down. Hitting the mute button before shutting down requires you to know and remember in advance that you need it to be silent the next time you boot up, which is sometimes possible (albeit inconvenient) and sometimes just not possible. And 2) if it didn't side-step diagnostics. What if there actually is a problem with your macbook and you don't know because it's on mute? I admit, I've never actually had an issue during bootup, so it's possible there already is an alternative visual means of alerting the user. But if not, we need one.

So we know there is a practical reason the chime exists. It's not just to let everyone in the vicinity know that an Apple machine has just booted up, but it's to get the user's attention when something is wrong (or right?). But that does not change the fact that there are times and places when/where getting your attention audibly is anywhere from slightly annoying to extremely problematic. (Or even life threatening... What if you're hiding in your closet from a killer and you only have your macbook with you, and you need to message someone for help but the macbook is off and you forgot to mute it the last time you shut down?! Ahhhhh!!! ...could happen. =p )

As for how often this problem arises just depends on each user's routine and circumstances. For some people, it's rarely a problem. I for instance hardly ever reboot my macbook since it's almost always at home (where the chime volume doesn't really matter anyway). But it may be commonplace for others. For instance, a student will likely take their macbook to class, lab, study hall, library, home, dorm room (where maybe their roommate is sleeping), coffee shops, etc. Each time they leave one place, they have to turn it off (or should), and depending where they end up next they may or may not want it to boot up with a chime. On occasion I have unwittingly booted up my macbook in a quiet environment, and the loud chime is indeed embarrassing, similar to but not as bad as your child being obnoxious at a grocery store, or your cell phone ringing during a eulogy.

I'm sure mac designers use their macs extensively, both in their professional and personal lives, so they have to be aware that these kinds of situations arise. This leads me to believe they must have a reason for keeping it the way it is. What that reason is I'm VERY curious to find out.

oregonjoe wrote:

What if you're hiding in your closet from a killer and you only have your macbook with you, and you need to message someone for help but the macbook is off and you forgot to mute it the last time you shut down?! Ahhhhh!!! ...could happen. =p

Yes well, maybe lay down in a darkened room for an hour or so?

"... wondering why you have to keep rebooting (I hear the chime about once a month) ..."

Taking several business flights in a week, working in EMF-sensitive environments, being processed through security daily in custodial workplaces, not wanting to risk hard disk parking damage while moving about; these are among several reasons some people may have to shut down and reboot more frequently. With me it's about four times a week.

"... or find one key press so upsetting ..."

Not upsetting; though I did mention inconvenient, irritating and tedious.

$ sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=%80

It works to me on OS X 10.9.4. Please try.

www.apple.com/feedback

"What if there actually is a problem with your macbook and you don't know because it's on mute?"

Exactly. The chime has become a clunky, intrusive anacronism. I believe the POST beep was invented as a diagnostic signal that preceded loading of any volume settings and did a useful job in the early days of computing. Twiddling with the sound by turning it into a chime instead of coming up with a more appropriate means of signalling fault-status is an indication of designers who are dazzled by fripperies while blind to the real needs of end-users.

I enjoyed your hypothetical closet-killer scenario, and recognised that your use of the raspberry emoticon shows there is no need for a lie down in a darkened room. Some here have taken the stance that the chime 'is not a problem for me so why is it a problem for you?' - perhaps that's the mindset the Mac designers are stuck in.

jijijiijijijijijj wrote:

"... wondering why you have to keep rebooting (I hear the chime about once a month) ..."

Taking several business flights in a week, working in EMF-sensitive environments, being processed through security daily in custodial workplaces, not wanting to risk hard disk parking damage while moving about; these are among several reasons some people may have to shut down and reboot more frequently. With me it's about four times a week.

"... or find one key press so upsetting ..."

Not upsetting; though I did mention inconvenient, irritating and tedious.

Please: what nonsense.

I have an office in London and one in Chicago, I fly weekly. And I leave the Mac (s) asleep always. Going on 10 years now without chiming (except for an occasional OS X upgrade)

So many excuses.

You have set your preferred method the way you want it, now live with it or change.

"Hitting the mute button would be a satisfactory workaround (or maybe even solution) if two things were true: 1) it could be done AS you were booting up, instead of before shutting down ..."

It does actually silence the chime if you hold the mute button while booting up. It's something like this: instead of various warning lights that come on and off when you start your car you are given a two-second blast of the horn, which you can prevent if you remember to press a special button on the dashboard while starting up.

"... And 2) if it didn't side-step diagnostics. What if there actually is a problem with your macbook and you don't know because it's on mute?"

Yes, it all seems rather clunky. Presumably if a problem became apparent you could do a reset and restart with the default sound setting to hear what the chime did. Which makes it seem all the more unnecessary to have it on every startup.

jijijiijijijijijj wrote:

It does actually silence the chime if you hold the mute button while booting up.

Really? I've tried this before and it never worked for me. Do you press the mute button before pressing power, at the same time, or right after?

"Really? I've tried this before and it never worked for me. Do you press the mute button before pressing power, at the same time, or right after?"

Sorry, I haven't tried it as the Macbook I'm using has a damaged keyboard and the f-keys no longer work. Some replies above say press power and mute together (unfortunately replies are not numbered).