Home Forums Mac Software Mac Operating Systems Startup CHIME changes

Interesting new item for me.

Whenever I startup from cold (or a restart), the CHIME is very quiet.

Usually, it is so loud that you would think that one would welcome this change. However, what would be the cause for this change in volume. (I do not have any third-party apps to deliberately alter the startup chime.)

Note: When I reset the PRAM - option/command/r/p - the computer will restart at the regular loud level. But the next time I startup, it returns to the lower level again.

Any idea why this may be happening?

Go to System Preferences > Sound > Output (at least, that's the place in Yosemite) and play with Output Volume settings. The startup chime of my new iMac was very loud and I adjusted the slider to lower it. That worked to lower the startup chime volume as well as other outputs.

Thanks for the info although it does not really address the issue I am having.

I am not looking for a way to adjust the volume of the startup sound. My inquiry is about why the computer "seems" to reset itself to a lower, much lower, volume when starting up from cold or during a restart. It will return to its usual volume level when the PRAM is reset, but then back to the lower level the next time I turn on or restart the computer.

Hope this explanation is a little clearer than my first one.

What kind of computer is it? In my experience, an inability to 'remember' the startup chime setting often indicates a weak PRAM/NVRAM battery.

MacBookPro - early 2011 model. Yosemite 10.10.

Resetting the PRAM does bring the CHIME volume back to its usual LOUD state . . . until the next boot (from cold) OR restart (while in use) of the computer.

The chime is supposed to sound at the same volume as the computer's current volume setting. And that's something that any user should be able to adjust.

This command will print all variables stored in PRAM: nvram -p

Mine includes "SystemAudioVolume 7", though I ALSO am seeing "SystemAudioVolumeDB %dc"

That setting has NOTHING to do with the current volume of the computer. It's a setting that is only read at boot-up, it sets the volume before the chime, and remains in effect unit the default volume is read from the partition you boot from.

In theory, it should get updated anytime you change the volume of the computer, once you're logged in, but I find that it doesn't get changed immediately when I adjust my volume now.

I am assuming SystemAudioVolume is a number similar to the one used by the applescript to change volume, and that SystemAudioVolumeDB may be a percentage in base-16. That would track well if the max volume is 8. ($DC/$FF is very close to 7/8)

This should mute the computer on startup: sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=0 ; sudo nvram SystemAudioVolumeDB ="%00"

This would set volume to max: sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=8 ; sudo nvram SystemAudioVolumeDB ="%FF"

Note you can do this in single user mode right after startup, which should let you re-examine the variables before the OS has much of a chance to mess with them: nvram -p | grep Audio


This is a bit interesting to think about. There are some settings in OS X that don't have a clear source. For example, look at the screen saver that appears at the login window.... not the time when it turns on, you can set that part, I mean the saver itself... whose is it? try changing yours. I know the answer but I'm not tellin' just yet

To change the login window's screensaver you will need to login as ROOT and change it from his system preferences

In the absence of any other suggestions, I'll suggest that you run V1's max volume Terminal commands...two separate commands.


Maybe your NVRAM has gotten "stuck" and needs a jolt.

(In case you're not familiar with Terminal, "sudo" requires your password, but you will not see any indication that you've entered it, so just enter and hit "return".)

I believe sometime around (or before), the EARLY 2011 models (17") were released with a separate PRAM battery no longer part of the construction.

Thanks. I will give these Terminal commands a try . . . I have nothing to lose at this point (i.e. as I am seriously considering ditching this 2011 machine and buying the latest 15" MBP).




I have tried to enter the two MAX volume commands separately using Copy/Paste directly from this thread.

The first one seems to have registered, although I received no confirmation of any kind other than my password was accepted.

The second command produced the message : command not found.

What next?

Your confirmation was that after hitting return you got no error message and the $ entry prompt came up.

I'm a bit mystified by the necessity for second command, but since V1 posted it, it was worth trying.

To the best of my knowledge, "command not found" means what it says, literally, so the command didn't run.

Next is restart and see if the command that ran worked for your issue.

sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=8
sudo nvram SystemAudioVolumeDB=%FF"

I had some spaces in that 2nd command, you can't have them around the =
try it again

sudo only requires a password once every 5 minutes, so it will only ask once though it's effective both times.

Thanks for the clarifications about the command.

I gave Terminal a whirl, and there is no change of behaviour - either with COLD BOOT or RESTART. The chime will still only ring in at maximum volume if I reset the PRAM each time (i.e opt/com/r/p)

yeah something is setting it back down for some reason after it gets started up. you could verify that with this command after restarting it:

nvram -p

Okay. Here is what I got using nvram -p :


MY NAMEs-MacBook-Pro:~ MY NAME$nvram -p
bluetoothInternalControllerInfo %1a%82%ac%05%000%11%fa%e0%f8G!%bfE
fmm-computer-name MY NAME%e2%80%99s MacBook Pro
bluetoothActiveControllerInfo %1a%82%ac%05%00%00%000%11%fa%e0%f8G!%bfE
backlight-level %96%01
SystemAudioVolumeDB %ea
SystemAudioVolume F
LocationServicesEnabled %01
MY NAME-MacBook-Pro:~ MY NAME$


Does this message confirm anything?

"F"? that's weird. ok nevermind that's just the ascii.

I just tested setting volume here, adjusting the volume on my computer does NOT immediately change PRAM. My test just now showed a 35 second delay between my changing the volume with the vol keys and it being changed in PRAM.

so check pram, change volume, wait a minute, check pram again (should have changed) then reboot, and check PRAM again and let us know.

I figured it must be root (if it wasn't in firmware), and then I stumbled on the answer.

But... In OS X 10.6.8 I logged out and let the login window sit until my MBP went to sleep, but no screensaver ever came up. Did I misunderstand you?

there are other settings for when to dim the screen, if the screen goes to sleep before the screensaver timer, you'll never see the screensaver.

Hmmm... MY settings are 15 minutes for screensaver and 20 minutes for sleep display, so I dunno what happened.

Thanks, Guys, for all your input.

I discovered, however, that many of the inquiries I have posted in the last several weeks have been related to this article :

http://www.apple.com/ca/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

I phoned APPLE - who, BTW, were extremely approachable and helpful - and they referred me to one of their local authorized techies. The MBPro was returned to me a couple of days ago and there are NONE of the problems which I recently was experiencing. Works exactly as well as it did the day i took it out of the box in 2011. No troubles with transferring my folders, files and apps from the backup. Everyone seems to be playing nice now. Yippee!

Doesn't sound like anything you reported.

Oh, well, you've got a working Mac again, so who cares?

Actually, I had reported in January the problems I was having with booting and restarting i.e. display freezes and restarts, as well as frozen (i.e. white) screen before the login screen, following with the "chime" issues related to these boots/restarts.

The "auto" restarts and the white/display screen are what prompted me to phone Apple. The agent there referenced the MBPro Repair Extension Program.

That 'splains it; thanks.