Missing that nostalgic Windows 95 boot sound? Add Brian Ino's classic creations to Windows 11 and enjoy this cheerful little song every time the operating system boots up. You can even change other system sounds.

Table of contents

• Turn off Quick Start
• Enable Windows 95 boot sound
• Download Windows 95 startup sound
• Replace Windows 11 startup sound
• Solve Windows startup sound problem

Turn off Quick Start

You may have noticed that when you turn off a Windows 11 computer, you can boot again by simply pressing any key on the keyboard instead of the power button on the machine. This is thanks to the Quick Start feature in Windows 11, which actually puts your computer into hibernation, and although it is turned off, it will keep your sessions, drivers, etc. in the hibernation file, ready to restart when you turn on the computer.

Quick Start speeds up startup time, although its effect is not significant, and some people even report that it slows down startup time. It also prevents Windows from playing ringtones at startup because Windows thinks your computer isn't really shut down.

Turning off Quick Start can restore your startup sound. Click Start , enter Control Panel, and then click Control Panel in the search results (or use either method to open Control Panel). Select the power option . If you don't see this option, change the viewing method in the upper right corner to a large icon .

In the Power Options window, click the Select Power button function and uncheck the Enable Quick Start box. If it is grayed out, click Change settings that are currently unavailable and uncheck the box.

Enable Windows 95 boot sound

Next, go to the sound options for Windows. Click Start and enter to change the system sound . Select the result. Or, in the notification area in the lower right corner of the desktop, right-click the speaker icon, and then click Sound Settings . In Windows 10, select Sound .

In the System Sound Settings window, scroll down to the bottom of the right panel and select More Sound Settings . In Windows 10, you should already be in the correct window.

In the Sound window, click the Sound tab, and then check the Play Windows startup sound box. Press Apply . Your computer should now play the ringtone when it starts. If you're happy with the startup sound of Windows 10, you can stop now. If you want to immerse yourself in nostalgia and replace it with Windows 95's boot sound (or any other sound), read on.

Download Windows 95 startup sound

If you want to add other startup sounds in Windows 11 than the default sound, you need to use a .wav file or convert an existing audio file to a .wav file. This is simple and you can do it using a free online converter such as online-convert or media.io. You can also use VLC Media Player.

If you want to use Windows 95's little song like I did, download it from here, right-click on the little WAV logo, and click on the Save As link . If you have trouble downloading here, try Orange Free Sounds.

Once you have your .wav file, it seems logical to change the startup sound from the sound settings window, but for some reason this option is missing.

Replace Windows 11 startup sound

Windows 11 makes it slightly more difficult to change the startup or login sound. If you open the Sound Enable Sound window to enable Sound, you will notice that there is no login or Sound option in the list of system events that can be changed.

For Windows 10 users, the process is almost the same, but you don't need to change the registry. However, make sure you are running the latest version of Windows 10. Earlier versions did not have the option to add sound directly from the Sound Settings window.

To add the login/start options to the list, you need to edit the registry. Press Win R and enter regedit. Press OK to open the Registry Editor.

Navigate to the following areas:

 <code>HKEY_CURRENT_USER/AppEvents/EventLabels/WindowsLogon</code>

Double-click ExcludeFromCPL and change its value to 0 (zero). This prevents Windows from hiding the setting.

Press OK and exit Registry Editor. Return to sound settings ( Start -> Enter "Change System Sound" -> Select Change System Sound ). Open the Sound tab.

In the list in the Windows section, scroll down until you see Windows login .

There are two ways to use your Windows 95 startup sound as an option in the Sound drop-down box. First, select Browse . Navigate to your sound file and select it.

Alternatively, open File Explorer and add your startup sound file to C:\Windows\Media . Replace "C" with the drive letters installed on Windows. Both methods can add your voice to the list.

Select your Windows 95 startup sound as the login sound and press Apply . Obviously, you need to restart the system to experience the nostalgia of the classic boot sound.

Use these same steps to change any Windows system sound you want, not just booting up sound. For example, use a more personalized notification sound.

Solve Windows startup sound problem

As you may have discovered, Windows 11 does not have a startup sound by default. That's why you have to enable it manually. But if you have problems adding Windows 95 startup sound or any other sound, please check the following:

• Make sure your sound file is in .wav format. Some websites only provide .mp3 or .midi files. You need to convert it.
• Make sure the sound file you downloaded is indeed playable. If the file is corrupted, Windows will not play it.
• Make sure your speakers work properly and turn on the sound when starting Windows. Otherwise, you won't hear anything. This sounds obvious, but it's easy to accidentally mute the speakers.
• Sometimes Bluetooth speakers don't play Windows boot sounds because they don't connect after Windows boots up.
• If your computer cannot play any sound, check the sound and speaker settings.

You don't have to be limited to Windows' default settings. Add Windows 95 startup sound, or try some other Windows sound schemes. Try these tips for customizing Windows Start Menu and Taskbar while you are busy customizing your sound.

Image source: Pixabay. All screenshots were taken by Crystal Crowder.

The above is the detailed content of How to Add Windows 95 (Or Any Other) Startup Sound to Windows - Make Tech Easier. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!