I recently upgraded from 10.10 to 11.10 and when I had 10.10 I would have a custom sound play before typing in my password then another custom sound played. I would also like to know if I can change the sound on Transmission when something finishes downloading.

I noticed in startup applications "Gnome login sound" is there, I assume that's the snappy, windy sound that played initially even when I first installed 10.10. I figure I can just change the name of the .ogg file I want to play to "desktop-login" or whatever it's called in usr/share/sounds. But the .ogg file that says "system-ready" (which is the one I had to rename in 10.10) doesn't seem to play at all when I start up the computer.

And I can't even find the ringing/bell/register like sound that plays when transmission finishes a download anywhere. Any ideas as to how I can manage to change these sounds?

Rumage around in /usr/share/sounds/freedesktop

What you are looking for may well be in there. That is where it is in most Debian based OS's anyway.

Found the sound when Transmission finishes a download. Thanks for that. But still, when I play "system-ready" it plays the standard Ubuntu drums but it doesn't play when I start up the computer. The login sound plays perfectly. All I need now is that first system-ready sound to work. Any suggestion?

Nope, afraid not. Turning off the sounds is one of the first things I do on any OS.

Also no longer run Ubuntu, do have one last install of Xubuntu 12.04-testing. Have no idea if it makes noises or not, assume it would but had my speakers turned off at first boot and then configured it for no sound and my Audigy card not to scream when I boot up (digital out put jack is enabled by default - needs corrected in the mixer).

Pulled up the file system for it and did a little peek here and there but didn't find anything useful. In that freedesktop directory had a file in it /index.theme that I thought might be good but it just directs every thing to the other folder there /stereo.

Didn't find anything in /etc/lightdm except a link to /etc/lightdm-gtk-someotherdamnedthing that was a broken link. The file or directory indidicated does not exist in my install.

Grub is done when the login comes up.

Didn't see anything in the line of plymouth either but that should be done when the login comes up too.

I checked /root for /.hidden files. They are there, of coarse but didn't see anything to do with sounds of the OS. Same with /etc/skel (hidden files again).

That kind of wore out my ideas of where it might be.

You could try a system wide search for .ogg and .oga files. Should fine them eventually that way.