Windows XP in a Nutshell

Name

Volume Control — \windows\system32\sndvol32.exe

Synopsis

Control the master volume, volume level, and the balance of the system’s sound devices.

To Open

Start → Programs → Accessories → Entertainment → Volume Control

Tray → Double-click yellow speaker icon (if it’s there)

Command Prompt → sndvol32

Description

Volume Control displays volume and balance adjustments for all of the different sound devices, such as the audio CD volume, microphone volume, and line-in volume. To choose the controls that are shown, or to hide those you never use, go to Options → Properties and select any of the following (note that different sound drivers may omit some of these, or add additional entries):

Volume Control

This is the master volume control — the same control that pops up when you single-click the volume icon in the System Tray (see Figure 4-102).

Figure 4-102. Configure your Volume Control to show only the sliders your use

Wave

Sound generated by Windows, including MP3 players, Windows Media Player, most games, Sound Recorder, and many other applications.

MIDI

Synthesized music generated by your sound card’s MIDI synthesizer or wavetable feature.

CD Audio

Control the volume of audio CDs played with CD player applications. Note that your CD drive must be connected directly to your sound card with a special three-conductor audio cable.

Line In

Control the volume of the Line-In or Aux input ...