Startup Sound Plays Irregularly After Upgrade to Windows XP from Windows Me

After you upgrade your Sony computer from Windows Millennium Edition (Me) to Windows XP Home Edition, when the computer restarts, the startup sound plays irregularly.

This behavior can occur because direct memory access (DMA) is not the default setting for integrated device electronics (IDE) devices on Sony computers.

To resolve this behavior, specify DMA as the IDE transfer mode:

1. In Windows XP, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click System, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
3. Double-click to expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers folder, double-click Primary IDE Channel, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.
4. In the Transfer Mode box, click PIO only, and then click OK.
5. Double-click Primary IDE Channel, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.
6. In the Transfer Mode box, click DMA if available, and then click OK.
7. Restart the computer.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

For information about how to contact Sony Corporation, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: