Vista, the next version of Windows, will make a startup sound when it boots. You will not be able to turn it off. Microsoft has given this ponderous thought and has paternalistically determined you must always listen to the startup sound – even if you don’t want to or are in an environment, like a seminar, where Vista announcing itself would be annoying to everyone else.
Nope, Microsoft says you will listen to it, as they’ve presumed to know what’s best. Me, I think they’re running out of new ideas and getting weighted down by tedious minuteaԚ instead.