Computer Repair - Sounds and Audio Devices Properties

Computers 101

Q:
AOL plays the "You've got mail!" thing every time new mail arrives. Is there a way to do something similar with Outlook Express?

A:
Yes! Go to the Start button, Settings, Control Panel (XP users, hit the Start button, Control Panel). Open the Sounds icon (XP users, you'll open the "Sounds and Audio Devices" icon, then click the "Sounds" tab).

Find the "New Mail Notification" item. Click the "Browse" button and locate a sound file you would like to use instead.

You can use any wave file you locate in your Windows sound scheme or otherwise. Once you've settled on that perfect sound, hit OK and you're all set.

If you aren't happy with the Windows sounds that are available head to your favorite search engine and look for "wav" files.

What do you do when you locate wave files on the web? Most of the time, you can click a link to the file to hear the sound. If you like it, right-click the link and select "Save target as" from the resulting menu. Save the file to a location you'll remember then head back to the "Sounds" screen (under the control panel), select the sound item you want the new sound for ("New Mail Notification" in this case), then browse to the file you just downloaded.
 

Tip of the Day

Title Bar Paths

Have you ever gotten a little lost while using "My Computer"? Before you get buried in another deep directory, tell Windows to show the full path in the title bar. I know, it doesn't sound all that profound, but it really comes in helpful. Here' how:

Open My Computer (or any folder) and click the Tools menu, Folder options.

Click the View tab and check the "Display full path in title bar" checkbox.

That's it, you're only a glance away from knowing where you're at in any directory structure. Here's a sample of what your title bar (now new and improved) should look like when your hunting around in your computer:

Cool Site of the Day

The Reflex Test

Yup, it's test time again. This time test your reflexes. It's really simple and doesn't involve a doctor visit. How do you do it? Easy, you click.

Click the start button and when the background pops up bubbles click them as fast as you can. After it tells you your reaction time. My average was 8. Now go test those reflexes.

http://www.quicktwitch.com/