Can't get either one. Any ideas? I've been messing with fonts, then decided to reinstall 10.6.3, but problems still exist.

Try resetting SMC. It's easy to do and worth a shot.

For the safe boot try booting from a cold (completely powered down) start. This article tells how to turn the chime off. The reverse should work as well assuming the problem isn't deeper than that.

Resetting SMC didn't work, nor did that article.

I reset the NVRAM and heard two chimes when I did it. But I still can't get a chime on startup or get into safe boot.

In an earlier thread, I gave you instructions on how to prevent the startup chime from sounding through the speakers when you had headphones connected.

If you haven't changed that setting, you'll continue not to hear the startup chime through the speakers even if the headphones have since been unplugged. (Rereading that thread, I see that you didn't specifically say you wanted to mute the chime, just that it was excessively loud.)

Are your headphones plugged in? If not, do you hear anything through the speakers?

I'm not sure what to tell you about the safe boot. What exact sequence are you following when you try it?

Yes, I remember that thread and was going to mention it. In fact, I copied and pasted into a text document on my computer because I've used it several times.

I did try that method again during the time of my previous posts above but was unsuccessful at getting a startup chime or a safe boot. My headphones are still plugged in. I went through the process again that you mentioned. I tried with and w/out headphones. They're plugged in now and I believe the Sound is set up correctly. I assume I should hear the startup chime through my headphones.

The safe boot still puzzles me. I haven't worked on it recently.

With the Safe Boot thing...are you by any chance using a Bluetooth keyboard?

No.

If straw grasping is allowed...

If you can boot to a different volume, do the problems persist? I suspect they will, but perhaps worth trying. Also while in a different volume, you may be able to run TTP, DiskWarrior, Apple hardware tests, etc.

It's fixed somehow.

I unplugged the headphones today while the computer was off. When I returned and started up, with headphones still unplugged, I got the chime out of the speakers. Did a safe boot and it worked. Haven't plugged phones in yet.

Must be some quirk related to switching between headphones and internal speakers. Other than that, not sure what else to offer.

Sometimes a preference list (.plist) gets damaged and changes refuse to stick. Sounds as if that may be what happened to you.