Tips & Tricks

Changing Windows Sounds

If you don't like the dull, boring, simple little sounds that Windows typically produces, you can change them. Here's how:

First, click your Start button, Settings, Control panel (XP users, hit the Start button, Control Panel). You should see an icon for either Sounds or Sounds & Audio Devices. Double-click it.

(XP screen shot - older versions of Windows will just say Sounds:)

A screen should pop up that lets you change your sound scheme or create one of your own. With XP, you'll need to hit the Sounds tab in order to get to this section.

Any of the items (events) you see that have a little speaker by them currently have a sound assigned.

Click (select) one of them and click the "preview" or "play" button to hear it.

If an event has a sound and you wish it didn't, just click the event and select "none" from the "Name" or (if you're using XP) the "Sounds" drop down box (you'll find "none" is at the top of the drop box).

What if you have an event you want a sound for, but the current sound is really, really annoying? Ahh, not to worry!

You can change individual sounds by selecting the event you want and clicking the Browse button. XP users can choose sounds from the Sounds drop box too.

Of course, you can choose a completely new set of sounds from the Sound scheme drop down box if you like. That's always fun too.

One more thing. Windows uses WAV files for its sounds, so you can easily customize Window's sounds to your liking, assuming you have extra WAV files laying around.

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