I read over on Robert Scoble’s blog about the new startup sound in Vista and how you cannot change or disable it.  Why shouldn’t Microsoft have their own signature startup sound?  It’s all about branding.  As an Apple user I’ve had a startup sound that happens before the operating system even starts.  So why is this a big deal?  Because the current Microsoft implementation does not let you turn off or change it.

I’m willing to bet that before Vista ships you will be able to mute the startup sound just like I can on my PowerBook, and I’m sure they’ll expose a way to change or control it via the registry or group policy.