Change Windows 7 Startup Sound | How To

I was talking about Windows-7, not Vista or not XP. In XP and Vista it's very easy. Just right click on the desktop, choose "sounds" and "Start Windows" and set the appropriate wave-File. And this doesn't work in Windows 7. The startup sound is separate below that sound chart. It can't be changed unless you can modify the imageres.dll file In Windows-7 there is only the choice: play the windows startup sound - yes or no.

Has anyone found a foolproof way to change the Windows startup sound (imageres.dll)? I've tried a few methods and here is one solution that really worked for me.

Remember: This cracked method is not support by Microsoft. Please fully backup your computer before modifying it. An incorrect modification may cause computer crash.

Solution:

As in windows xp and vista, you cannot change the Sound from Control Panel, but there are ways one can use [Use it at your own risk]

1. For best results, boot out of Window 7 and into an alternative OS, such as XP. (This is assuming you dual boot.). if you dont have a dual boot option, try in safe mode.
2. Locate the file "imageres.dll" in Vista's System32 folder. For instance, C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll. Copy that file into a different location, i.e. your desktop.
3. Download ResHacker (it is better you download reshacker before booting into safe mode or to another OS).
4. Open ResHacker. (Open the imageres.dll file in ResHacker). Important: for safety, try to backup the file in another location in case you may need to revert back to original settings.
5. Find the folder that reads "WAVE" and expand everything below that.
6. Right click 1033 (this could have a different name depending on your locale), and click Replace Resource. Click "Open file with new resource", and find the wave file you want to replace it with. Once you're done, in Resource Type, type "WAVE", in Resource Name type "5051", and under Resource Language type "1033" (or whatever number you have). Once done, click Replace.
7. Click File, then click Save. Now you can copy this file to Windows 's System32 folder. Keep the imageres_original.dll file ResHack left behind in case you want to revert back to the original sound.
8. You might have some Permission issues while replacing the old file, if you have linux live cd handy, copy the new dll to a thumb drive and  boot off from it and replace the file.

Please note that hacking the registry, especially using 3rd party tools, is neither supported nor recommended by Microsoft.