Hi M.J.,
In Word through 2003 check in Tools=>Options=>General
you can turn off the Office Sounds add-in if you disable the
[x] Provide Feedback with Sound
choice.
To tailor Office sounds in the Windows control panel, under Sounds and Audio Devices, select the 'Sounds' tab and scroll down to
look for a 'Microsoft Office' choice, however the sounds add-in for Office doesn't add a start/close Office choice. Still in the
Sounds tab, in the 'Windows' section see if there are choices under 'Close program' and
'Open program' if so, use the 'Sounds' choice at the bottom of the dialog to set the choice to (None) for those events.
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Under which icon in the control panel? I began my search there under
Sounds/Audio but did not see an option to turn off Welcome tones/chimes. >>
--
Bob Buckland ?

MS Office System Products MVP
*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*