In this article, we will learn how to change Windows system sounds. Just in case, it is recommended that you make a backup of the registry before you run our program that makes changes to the registry.
You may know that in Windows you can set your own accompaniment sounds for various events, such as Logging on to Windows, Establishing a connection, Receiving mail notification, and so on. We can set up our own sounds on the victim's computer to play a trick on a colleague. There are many resources where you can find a good collection of sounds, such as http://www.reelwavs.com/.
Setting up system sounds
If you have access to the victim's computer, you can change the system sounds in the Control Panel by opening the Sound category (Control Panel | Hardware and Sound | Sound | Changing System Sounds). You can go through all the events and assign your sounds by specifying the paths to the files.
Programmatically Configuring System Sounds
We can programmatically change the system sounds using our utility. In addition, the utility will save and restore sound settings and play sounds.
But first, we need to find out where the information about the system sound files is stored. Like many other things, this information is stored in the registry. You can find this information at a specific location:
Each folder under Schemes / Apps / .Default corresponds to a specific event. For example, if you unplugged the USB device, you should have heard the system sound associated with the event DeviceDisconnect... A given event, like DeviceDisconnect, has several folders: .current, .Default, and a folder for additional sound schemes.
The system event has the following structure:
- .current- contains an empty key with a value containing the path to the sound file that is used in this configuration. For DeviceDisconnect on Windows XP, the current file is "C: \ WINDOWS \ media \ Windows XP Hardware Remove.wav".
- .Default- Contains an empty value containing the default sound file. If you have not changed the sound file, then this value is the same as the .current key.
- Other folders - You may have other folders where sound schemes (user preferences) are stored.
Reading and writing sound files for events
Knowing where the required settings are stored, you can create a DataSet that will contain system events and the path to files for these events. Let's start a new Windows Forms project and select "Add New Item ..." from the Solution Explorer window, then select the DataSet template. Add a DataColumn element SoundName and SoundFile as shown below:
Reading data about system events from the registry
Let's declare two variables in the RegistryWrapper class to store the paths.
// these represent the location in the registry with the user sounds string hivePrefix = @ "AppEvents \ Schemes \ Apps \ .Default \"; string hiveSuffix = @ "\. current";
Next, add the method GetSystemSound () which returns RegSoundDataTable containing the SoundName and SoundFile values. The first thing we do is get a list of all subkeys for the path that we set when we call the GetSubKeyNames method. The method will return us a list of all system sounds for events. Then, we loop through each event, creating a new row for the DataTable, as long as the settings for the SoundName for the current event and SoundFile in the registry key contain the file path. Note that when we call the GetValue method to get the sound file, we must pass an empty string "" in the key name. We will also add a helper function to concatenate the two previously declared variables.
Public RegSound.RegSoundDataTable GetSystemSound () (// Get the subkey key string values = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey (hivePrefix) .GetSubKeyNames (); RegSound.RegSoundDataTable tb = new RegSound.RegSoundDataTable (string); foreach // Loop through rows RegSound.RegSoundRow newRow = tb.NewRegSoundRow (); newRow.SoundName = s; newRow.SoundFile = (string) Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey (getRegKeyPath (s)). GetValue (""); tb.Rows .Add (newRow);) return tb;) // adds the full registry key including prefix and suffix private string getRegKeyPath (string s) (return hivePrefix + s + hiveSuffix;)
Register entry
To set all sound events, we will create another method that takes the RegSound DataTable and the sound files that we are changing. Loop through each row in the DataTable and set the key value in the registry for the sound using the SetValue method. When calling the SetValue method, we need to know the name of the key (in our case it is an empty string ""), the value of the key (the path to the sound file), and RegistryKind, which describes the type of the value (we use the type string).
Public void SetSystemSound (RegSound.RegSoundDataTable sounds, string soundPath) (// loop through all sounds foreach (RegSound.RegSoundRow row in sounds) (// Set key and value RegistryKey key = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey (getRegKeyPath (row.SoundName) , true); key.SetValue ("", soundPath, RegistryValueKind.String);))
Backing up current sound settings
When changing the sound schemes of the victim, we must provide an opportunity to restore the previous settings. To do this, add the SaveSystemSound method, which uses the DataTable to save and file paths. We can use the WriteXml method on the DataTable object to save the DataTable as an XML file.
Public void SaveSystemSound (RegSound.RegSoundDataTable sounds, string savePath) (// Save Sound DataSet sounds.WriteXml (savePath);)
Restoring Saved Settings
Now let's add a method to restore the settings from the previous step. We need to know where the DataTable was stored and call the ReadXml method to read the data. We now have the ability to loop through each sound event and call the setValue method to set a new value.
Public void RestoreSystemSound (string savePath) (// Restore Sound DataSet RegSound.RegSoundDataTable sounds = new RegSound.RegSoundDataTable (); sounds.ReadXml (savePath); foreach (RegSound.RegSoundRow row in sounds) (// Set Key RegistryKey key = Registry .CurrentUser.OpenSubKey (getRegKeyPath (row.SoundName), true); key.SetValue ("", row.SoundFile, RegistryValueKind.String);))
Play sound event
Finally, we'll add the ability to play sounds. The sound files are located in the media folder of the Windows system folder, we need to quickly check if the file path has a backslash ("\") to see if the file contains the path and the file name itself. If not, then we append the path to the filename and play it back.
Public void PlayRegistrySound (string soundFile) (// play sound if there is an associated file if (soundFile! = "") (SoundPlayer sp = new SoundPlayer (); // add default path if there isn "t one int a = soundFile .IndexOf ("\\"); if (a! = 0) (soundFile = "% SystemRoot% \\ media \\" + soundFile;) sp.SoundLocation = soundFile; sp.Play ();))
Creating a user interface
We'll start creating the user interface by adding controls to the form:
- ToolStrip element for the Backup, Restore, Select, and Apply Changes buttons.
- DataGridView, which we can drag by clicking "Data> Show Data Sources," and dragging the RegSound DataGridView.
- Two OpenFileDialog elements, one for choosing where to restore settings from, and one for choosing sound files to replace.
- SaveFileDialog element for choosing where to save the backup of the current system sounds.
Loading data
So, we have almost everything ready for the application. Let's add two more variables. One to represent the RegistryWrapper we described earlier and another to store the RegSoundDataTable data. To fill the DataTable, we will call the GetRegistrySounds method, which in turn will call the GetSystemSound method we created earlier. We call the GetRegistrySounds method during form load and during sound recovery or when we apply changes by populating the DataGridView with the current sound settings.
Private void frmMainMenu_Load (object sender, EventArgs e) (GetRegistrySounds ();) private void GetRegistrySounds () (// Call the RegistryWrapper Class sounds = myReg.GetSystemSound (); regSoundDataGridView.DataSource = sounds;)
Setting up the DataGridView
Let's take care of the data presentation in the DataGridView element, changing some properties, for example, setting the property AlternatingRowsDefaultCellStyle in different colors by changing the DefaultCellStyle font in Arial 10, and turning off the ability to add, edit and delete data. We'll also add a "play" image to listen to the currently associated sound. To do this, right-click on the DataGridView and select "Edit Columns" to bring up the Edit Column dialog box. Here we will add a new column "Play," set the DataGridViewImageColumn type, assign to the property Image our music image and set the property ImageLayout in "Zoom" so that the images fill the entire cell of the column.
Let's add the code to play the sound when we click on the picture. To do this, you need to use the DataGridView CellContentClick event. The sound will play if we click on the third column (the index starts from 0, so for the third column we use s # 2). To reproduce, we need to know the path to the file that we will get by creating DataGridViewTextBoxCell for the SoundFile column and reading its value.
Private void regSoundDataGridView_CellContentClick (object sender, DataGridViewCellEventArgs e) (// Represents col # 3 the "Play" column if (e.ColumnIndex == 2) (DataGridViewTextBoxCell cell = (DataGridViewTextBoxCell) regSoundDataGridView.RowSoundDataGridView.Round PlayRegistrySound (cell.Value.ToString ());))
Conclusion
Translation: Vasily Kotov
It's nice to deal with the self-centered, beloved (user-centered) Windows operating system. She not only does everything the user needs, but also accompanies it with various sound effects - short and figurative melodies that reflect the essence of what is happening.
Some people like it, some don't. Therefore, Windows Welcome sounds can be customized to suit your own preferences.
Windows Welcome Sounds are used to provide sounds for various events:
- Windows login
- exit Windows,
- completion of printing,
- shutting down Windows,
- notification of receipt of mail, etc.
In Windows, these sounds can be changed - let's see how to do it first for Windows 7, and then for Windows XP.
Welcome sounds in Windows 7
You can select a welcome sound in Windows 7 by selecting Hardware and Sound in Control Panel, then Sound (Figure 1 below):
Rice. 1 We are looking for a window where you can configure Windows 7 system sounds
Or the second option is how you can find the "Sound" window: in the Control Panel, select "Appearance and Personalization" - "Personalization", below "Sounds".
In the "Sound" window, go to the "Sounds" tab (Fig. 2 below):
Rice. 2 Welcome sounds in Windows 7
If you select “Silent” in the “Sound scheme” window (number 1 in Fig. 2), and then click on the “Apply” button, then the whole setting of sounds is over. The reason for this is that from now on, all Windows work on your computer will take place in complete silence. I don’t know how anyone, but I like this particular option - there are no Windows welcome sounds.
If you need sounds, then in the "Sound" window select any "Sound scheme" except "Silent", for example, in the screenshot (number 1 in Fig. 2) the "default" sound scheme is selected. In the list "Program events" (number 2 in Fig. 2) select the required event, for example, the item "Log in to Windows".
We select any sound from the proposed ones (number 3 in Fig. 2). If desired, press the "Check" button, after which you can hear the selected soundtrack. After the choice is made, it remains to click on "Apply".
Pay attention to the checkbox opposite “Play Windows startup melody” (number 5 in Fig. 2). If you uncheck the box, then such a melody will not be played when Windows starts.
From a text presentation on how to change the Windows 7 welcome sounds, let's move on to the video format:
Welcome sounds in Windows XP
The Windows welcome sounds are configured the same way. To do this, go to Start - Settings - Control Panel - Sounds and Audio Devices - Sounds tab:
Rice. 3 Sound greeting in Windows XP
- We select a sound scheme, for example, "Standard Windows" (number 1 in Fig. 3).
- We find the required "Software event", for example, "Windows startup" (number 2 in Fig. 3).
- We select the appropriate sound (number 3 in Fig. 3) for the program event selected in the 2nd step.
- Press the "Apply" button (number 4 in Fig. 3).
If the Windows XP welcome sounds are not needed, that is, you need silence, then it is enough to select the “No sounds” option in the “Sound scheme” drop-down window (number 1 in Fig. 3).
What do you like best - when the Windows welcome sounds are turned on or when they are turned off?
Respectfully yours and faith in your favor, Nadezhda
Sometimes the majority of users over the years have standard Windows system sounds become simply boring and probably everyone at least once wanted to change them for their own. As a rule, if this is a clean assembly of Windows, its system sounds are the same and it does not contain extraneous integrated sound schemes, and sometimes we would very much like to change the sound of the welcome or shutdown of Windows. And so in order to change the standard soundtrack when turning windows on or off, to open folders. It will be enough for us the Windows tools themselves, thanks to which we will just learn how to change these sound effects without tinkering with the registry and installing third-party programs.
Now I'll tell you a little how and what file format we need in order to set it as soundtracks both when starting Windows and when replacing any other system sounds, including sounds for opening folders, effects of emptying the trash can or soundtrack of a system error, and many others. To do this, we need any selection of sounds, cuttings from our favorite songs or games.
Attention: all sounds that you decide to set yourself as system sounds must have an audio format with WAV resolution, you can make them yourself with any free converter of audio files or download collections of such system sounds for free on the Internet. Sometimes, as a rule, only the soundtrack is changed to turn on or off windows.
Required to change Windows system sounds.
This method is suitable for almost all versions of Windows, in my case it is Windows 7. The only difference is the selection of tabs in the (Control Panel) for Windows XP - this is (Sounds and Audio Devices), the section (Sounds) for Windows 7 will be considered in more detail. The fastest way on any personal computer to get to the sounds tab is to click on the volume icon next to the clock and select sounds.
Now let's start, preparing our favorite sounds that we will change in the system. If you are interested, then the standard Windows sounds lie along this path in the folder (C: \ Windows \ Media), you can use them, but since we decided to install our own, we pump them from the Internet or cut and convert WAV sounds ourselves. Assuming you have already prepared the sounds, then it's time to start installing them. To do this, as shown in the picture below, follow the next path (Start), go to (Control Panel) and here select the (Sound) icon.
A window will open in which we select the (Sounds) tab and, as shown in the picture below, the upper part of the window of this section allows us to immediately change the sound scheme completely and completely. To do this, under the inscription (Sound schemes), click and in the drop-down window, select any scheme you like, then click (Save as) and at the bottom of the window, click OK, thus completely changing all Windows sounds. Well, since we are going to install our system sounds, let's move on.
In the same window below the section of sound schemes, we have access to the names of all sounds that can be changed. In my case, I change the sound to (Windows Logon), in simple terms, the Windows welcome sound. Select this section below, click (Browse) and in the window that opens, select the sound that has already been prepared in advance, and then click OK. If there is a desire, here we check it by clicking on the (Play) button, if everything is fine, unforgettable, check the box as shown in the picture in the mug (Play Windows startup melody), finally press the (OK) button and restart the computer.
Congratulations, you just installed your favorite Windows 7 system startup sound in a simple and very easy way. This way you can replace any sounds very quickly. If something is not clear, we write comments or in Lichka I will be happy to help you. Best regards to you!
In the old Windows XP, it was quite easy to change the sound of the operating system start. All system sounds, including the startup melody, in the WAV audio format were stored in the directory under the path C: \ Windows \ Media. It was necessary to open this path in the explorer and replace the original file "Windows XP - launch" with a .wav file with its own sound, but renamed as the source. Starting with Windows 7, the default system startup ringtone is no longer a separate .wav file, but is included in the imageres.dll DLL file located in the System32 folder. And, according to the official position of Microsoft, you cannot change the system startup sound to your liking. We must either listen to what is, or not listen to anything at all, as, in fact, is offered by default in the latest versions of Windows 8.1 and 10. In this article, we will look at how to get around the rigid Microsoft framework. And listen to your favorite ringtones when loading system versions 7, 8.1 and 10.
How to change the Windows 7 login ringtone
In the "Seven" it is not allowed to customize your system startup melody in a regular way, but this version at least provides for the ability to set your own sounds for entering the system, exiting it and shutting down. In versions 8.1 and 10, this is not the case. If the work on the "Seven" is carried out through a password-protected account, in principle, there is no difference between the sound of the system launch and the sound of entering it. In the latter case, the greeting sound will play after the step of entering the "account" password.
To change the sound of the login, in the task area, open the context menu on the volume icon and select "Sounds".
In the properties window that opens:
We click the program event "Windows Login";
Select your WAV sound file using the browse button;
Uncheck the box to play the launch melody;
We press "Apply".
That's all.
However, if the work on the "Seven" is carried out from a non-password-protected account, we will hear the sound configured in this way only when we intentionally log out and log in again.
When the computer boots normally, the login sound will not play. Without a password, the system will simply start silently. To work on a computer from non-password-protected "accounts", you only need to configure the Windows startup melody.
And you can replace it from the standard one with something from your collection of ringtones in any version of the operating system using third-party software tools.
How to change startup ringtone in Windows 7, 8.1, 10
In order for the system start to be accompanied by an audio greeting, you must first configure it, because, let me remind you, it is disabled by default in versions 8.1 and 10. To turn on the greeting, go to the system sound settings.
We activate the checkbox for the activity of the melody.
Thus, we have activated the standard Windows startup sound. Now we need to change it to our ringtone. This can be done in two ways:
Difficult - with granting access with TrustInstaller rights to the System32 system folder and with the participation of a program for repacking file resources. The latter will replace the original WAV sound included in imageres.dll with a third-party one and repackage the library file. But this will need to be done every time we get tired of the ringtone, and we want to change it to another;
Simple - using the StartupSoundChanger tweaker program.
A simple way and I propose to consider in detail.
You can download the StartupSoundChanger program from my cloud using this link:
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/B5R9/kYQKB2J7J
In the archive with the program, I also packed a WAV file of the famous "Hello" melody. This is one of the most popular alternatives to the standard audio greeting. Those who have not yet decided on the ringtone they want to play can temporarily diversify the system load with this spectacular sound.
StartupSoundChanger is a portable freeware program with a very narrow spectrum of action. She can:
Change the default Windows download melody to any other WAV sound;
Return original, i.e. the standard melody of loading the operating system into place.
We launch the program. When you press Play, it will play the current Windows startup ringtone. And when you click "Replace"
will open a browse window for specifying any .wav file.
After selecting the latter, the program will play it, and it will now continue to be played at the start of the "Seven", "Eight" or "Tens". And if suddenly, you never know, you want to return the standard system boot sound, reopen StartupSoundChanger and click "Restore".
Where to get Windows startup ringtones
Needless to say, many Windows users don't like the default melody that plays at system startup. They try to change it, but sometimes it turns out to be impossible to do it using the standard method of changing the sound scheme. Let's take a look at how to change the Windows 7 welcome sound. As it turns out, this is a fairly simple process, although it will take a little digging into the system.
How to change the Windows 7 welcome sound: what you need to know?
Before proceeding to change the music played when the system starts, you should pay attention to the most basic condition.
It is not clear why, but the developers of Windows systems did not take care of supporting the use of different formats in sound schemes. Unfortunately, when setting custom settings, you will have to be content with only the standard type of WAV audio files (even MP3 is not accepted, not to mention formats like OGG or FLAC).
Therefore, when solving the problem of how to change the Windows 7 welcome sound, make sure that the file you intend to use is in the correct format. You can change it in any audio processing program or using an appropriate converter.
How to change the Windows 7 welcome sound: basic technique
The simplest method to change the sound is to use the event list, which is presented on the corresponding tab.
Here you need to find an event called "Logging into Windows", and then use the browse button below and assign your file. But sometimes such an item may not be on the list.
Then first in the standard "Explorer" we find the file imageres.dll, which is located in the System32 directory of the root directory of the system (Windows). Next, you should make sure that you are the owner of the file (in the properties menu, this parameter can be changed on the appropriate tab). This object must be copied to any place convenient for you, then opened for editing in some resource editor (Restorator, PE Explorer) and replace the original WAV component with your own. Next, we just save the changed file, and then copy it to its original location with replacement (all operations must be performed exclusively with Administrator rights).
If this option seems too complicated to someone, you can install some specialized utility like Startup Sound Changer. When you select your melody, the program will change the Windows 7 welcome sound automatically and without any editing of the dynamic library. However, the inconvenience is that the application will constantly load at system startup and run in the background. But resource consumption is low.
Instead of a total
As you can see, when deciding how to change the Windows 7 welcome sound, it is better to give preference to the installation of an additional software product. This option is also useful if the sound scheme does not include melody playback at the system entrance. If there is a corresponding item in the list, then you will not have to install additional utilities (you just need to select the desired file).
