Microsoft KB Archive/259312

= Description of the Sounds and Multimedia Tool in Control Panel =

Article ID: 259312

Article Last Modified on 1/27/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

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This article was previously published under Q259312



If this article does not describe your hardware-related issue, please see the following Microsoft Web site to view more articles about hardware:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/w98?sid=460



SUMMARY
In previous versions of Windows, Control Panel contains a Multimedia tool and a Sounds too. These tools are now combined in a single Sounds and Multimedia tool.



MORE INFORMATION
The Sounds and Multimedia tool in Control Panel contains the following settings.

Sound Events
This area lists the events to which you can assign sounds. To assign a sound, click an event, and then click a sound in the Name box.

Name
This box lists the available sounds that you can associate with program events.

Scheme
This box lists the available schemes that you can use to simultaneously change the sounds associated with many system events. Each scheme consists of a set of events and the sounds associated with them.

Sound Volume Slider
This slider specifies the master volume level for sound events when they are played on your computer.

Show Volume Control on the Taskbar
This option, when enabled, displays the Sounds icon on the taskbar. You can use the Sounds icon to quickly change your audio hardware's playback volume. This setting is not available if you cannot change the volume with your software. With some devices, you can only change the volume on the hardware.

Sound Playback/Preferred Device
This box lists the audio hardware available on the computer.

Sound Recording/Preferred Device
This box also lists the audio hardware available on the computer.

MIDI Music Playback/Preferred Device
This box lists the instrument that plays MIDI output. This instrument is normally used by games.

Use Only Preferred Devices
This option, when enabled, limits your program to the selected sound cards. If you use programs that require a specific type of sound card, and that sound card is selected in the Preferred Device box, click to select this check box. If your programs can use any sound card in your computer, click to clear this check box.

Voice Playback/Preferred Device
This box lists the audio hardware available for voice playback on your computer. The Volume Control button opens a dialog box with the full range of volume controls provided by the device driver for the installed sound card. The Advanced button opens a dialog box in which you can choose the speakers and specify the advanced performance features for hardware acceleration and sample rate conversion quality.

Hardware Acceleration
Specifies the degree of acceleration you want for your sound mixing. Full acceleration supports all standard and third-party drivers and is recommended for most computers.

NOTE: If your computer is having problems and you suspect that sound acceleration is the cause, use the highest setting at which you do not have problems.

Voice Capture/Preferred Device
This box lists the audio hardware available for voice capture on your computer. The Volume button opens a dialog box in which you can configure the volume of the preferred device. The Advanced button opens a dialog box in which you can specify the hardware acceleration.

Voice Test
Clicking this button provides a test for voice capture using the preferred device.

Multimedia Devices
This is similar to the list previously provided in the Multimedia tool in Control Panel. This lists categories of multimedia device drivers. To view all the devices in a category, click the plus sign (+) next to the category name. To change the settings for a device driver, click the device driver, and then click Properties.

Additional query words: HWSNDHT

Keywords: kbenv kbinfo kbmm kbsound KB259312

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