SYSTEM VOICES
Operating systems starting sounds
Operating systems often associate a sound or a short piece of music with system startup or desktop display. Some of these sounds have become very famous and strongly characterize the system they accompany, just hear them to immediately understand which system has just started. Some of these sounds are the work of famous artists, often they are the result of careful studies to find the best sound to hit the user and imprint it in his mind, other times they are simple chords.
Startup and then system sounds appeared around 1994 in the PC environment, that is when the custom of equipping computers with sound cards began to spread, first operating systems apart from Mac, were silent at startup.
I propose below a brief review of sounds, some famous, others unknown or almost, all very beautiful. Where possible I report a brief history and some curiosities.
The sounds have all been obtained from installations of original software coming from my private collection of ancient programs, installations performed on "VirtualBox" virtual machines. In the case of MAC the sounds are ambient recordings of the machines in my private collection of antique laptops and computers.
Linux family
There is no standard sound system, Linux is an open source distribution, with hundreds of different variations. But despite everything some distributions are much more widespread and it can be said that they are becoming a kind of standard. To complicate the situation, it is possible to have multiple graphical interfaces on the same distribution and the interfaces can have their own set of sounds.
FreeSpire
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Aperura desktop | HowAngelic.wav | Open source version of Lindows. This is probably the unique original sound of the system. |
| Opening desktop | KDE_Startup.wav | Login sound from KDE. |
| Logout | KDE_Logout.wav | Sound of KDE |
| Opening desktop 1 | KDE_Startup_1.wav | Sound of KDE |
| Logout 1 | KDE_Logout_1.wav | Sound of KDE |
| Opening desktop 2 | KDE_Startup_2.wav | Sound of KDE |
| Logout 2 | KDE_Logout_2.wav | Sound of KDE |
| Opening desktop 3 | KDE_Startup_3.wav | Sound of KDE |
| Logout 3 | KDE_Logout_3.wav | Sound of KDE |
Lindows
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening Desktop | LindowsOS_Startup_Ethereal.wav | Lindows was named Freespire, a commercial distribution. |
| Opening Desktop | LindowsOS_Startup_Fire.wav | |
| Opening Desktop | LindowsOS_Startup_Indian.wav | |
| Opening Desktop | LindowsOS_Startup_Musketeers.wav | |
| Opening Desktop | LindowsOS_Startup_Nature.wav | |
| Opening Desktop | LindowsOS_Startup_Whales.wav |
Puppy
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening Desktop | 2barks.wav | Puppy was a little dog, so it barks. |
GNOME
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Login | dialog-question.wav | A tambourine that calls attention. |
| Opening desktop GNOME | desktop-login.wav | Triumphal start with an African flavour. |
| End session | desktop-logout.wav |
KDE
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop lung version | KDE-Sys-Log-In.wav | A simple scale of notes, very pretty. Stereo |
| Opening desktop short version | KDE-Sys-Log-In-Short.wav | Short version of previous. |
| End session KDE | KDE-Sys-Log-Out.wav |
MINT
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | linuxmint-login.wav | suono molto forte e deciso |
MacOS family
It is a sound produced by the hardware and not by the software, so it is not the operating system which is characterized by a sound, but the motherboard which has its own particular Sound of Starting. In fact, a MAC always has the same sound regardless of the installed operating system. The sound is a C major chord, created by Jim Reekes and used for the first time in a Quadra 700 in 1991. The sound undergoes more or less strong variations depending on the type of MAC. However, already the Macintosh II in 1987 produced a sound at the Starting, which however was not a C major chord.
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Accensione della macchina | macstartup.mp3 |
The classic C major chord of MAC, starting an IMAC. |
| Video roundup of various MAC startups. | Apple_Startup_sounds_and_Death_Sounds_2.flv | A small animated sequence of startup and error sounds from various MACs. |
| Staring PowerBook 170 | Starting-power-book-170.wav | Real recording of a PowerBook 170 from my private collection. |
| Starting Power Book 1400 | Starting-power-book-1400.wav | Real recording of a Powerbook 1400 from my private collection. |
| Starting PowerPC Performa 5260-120 | Starting-performa-5260.wav | Other part of my collection, very big and beautifull machine |
| Starting Macintosh Centris 650 | Macintosh-Centris-650.wav | Other part of my collection. |
Windows family
Perhaps together with the MAC C chord, one of the most widespread and famous sound groups in the history of computing. It appears with Windows 3.1, when the diffusion of sound cards reaches such a level as to make it almost certain that the operating system will be mounted on a PC capable of playing sounds.
WINDOWS CE 2.0
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Firts startup of the system. | file.wav | Issued by an HP 620LX from my personal collection, it is only issued when the system has been reset or it is the first boot of the life of the machine. |
Windows 3.1
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | chimes.wav | The first Sound of Microsoft known to the masses. However, not all computers running Windows 3.1 had a sound card. It is the first Microsoft GUI capable of playing sounds. |
| End of session | ding.wav |
Windows NT 4.0
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | WindowsNTLogonSound.wav | Sound of Starting very nice, the Microsoft Sound already exists but is'nt the startind sound, Is a sterea track. |
| End of session | WindowsNTLogoffSound.wav | The exit sound is the opposite of the starting sound. |
Windows 95
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | The Microsoft Sound.wav | The Metadata written in the file show the signature of Brian Eno. The file is still mono. |
| End of session | tada.wav | It is a simple sound that is very common in the various versions of Windows, but which has undergone changes over time, for example this is the TADA.WAV of Windows XP. |
| Starting Jungle | Jungle-StartingdiWindows.wav | Multimedia sound combinations are born. |
| Closing Jungle | Jungle-UscitadaWindows.wav | They will also be kept in Windows 98, identical. |
| Starting Musica | Musica-StartingdiWindows.wav | No metadata information in any file other than copyright: 1995-1998 Microsoft Corporation. |
| Closing Musica | Musica-UscitadaWindows.wav | |
| Starting Robotz | Robotz-StartingdiWindows.wav | |
| Closing Robotz | Robotz-UscitadaWindows.wav | |
| Starting Utopia | Utopia-StartingdiWindows.wav | |
| Closing Utopia | Utopia-UscitadaWindows.wav |
Windows 98
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | The Microsoft Sound.wav | The metadata carries no information other than the 1998 copyright. |
| End of session | Logoff.wav |
Windows ME
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | ||
Windows 2000
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | Windows Logon Sound.wav | |
| End of session | Windows Logoff Sound.wav |
Windows XP
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| First Start and activation | title.wma | More than 4 minutes of ambient song, very pleasant, accompanies the registration of the system and its first activation. Metadata says it's called "Windows Welcome Music", artist: Microsoft. |
| Opening desktop | Windows XP - Esecuzione Automatica.wav | |
| End of session | Windows XP - Closing.wav |
Windows Vista
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | ||
| End of session | Windows Shutdown.wav | A simple trill of two notes. |
Windows 7
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | Windows Logon Sound.wav | Very similar to that of MS Windows Vista, but more simplified and shorter, remaining in the style of Windows 7 to be less frilled than its unfortunate predecessor. |
| End of session | Windows Shutdown.wav | In this case is identical of Windows Vista Closing Sound. |
Windows 8.1
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Windows logon | Windows81-Logon.wav | |
| Starting sistema | Windows-81-Startup.wav | The sounds become increasingly short and insignificant, this is almost not heard. |
| Closing sistema | Windows-81-Shutdown.wav |
Windows 10
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Starting system | Windows-10-Startup.wav | The same sound of Windows 8.1 |
| Closing system | Windows-10-Shutdown.wav | The same sound of Windows 8.1 |
Windows 11
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Starting system | Windows-11-start.wav | |
| Closing system | Windows-11-Logoff.wav |
Reactos 0.3xx
| EVENT | FILE NAME | NOTES |
| Opening desktop | Reactos-Logon.wav |