Managing Sound
Managing Sound
Today, most computers include a sound card, either one that is built into the motherboard or one that is added as an expansion card. You can use Sound in the Control Panel to configure the speakers, microphones, and sound theme.
Device Drivers
As Figure 3.15 shows, a sound theme is a set of sounds applied to events in Windows and programs. For example, you can have one sound when you first log on to Windows and another sound when you shut down Windows. You can also modify the beep when an error occurs.
FIGURE 3.15 Sound properties.
When playing sound, there are several places that you might need to check when you want to control the volume. First, always check your speaker but- tons and knobs. If you are using a laptop computer, you should look for keys on the keyboard to control volume. Second, check the program that you are using. For example, the Windows Media Player has a slider to control volume. Lastly, you should double-click the speaker icon in the notification area to open a slider to modify the volume. You can also click Mixer to give you more volume control such as speaker volume, application volume, and Windows Media Player volume, as shown in Figure 3.16. Of course, if you are getting no sound, make sure that the cables between the speakers (if they are external speakers) and sound card are plugged in properly.
Device Drivers
FIGURE 3.16 Volume Mixer.
Cram Quiz
1. Different from Windows XP and Windows Vista, where do you manage your plug-in devices, including printers?
❍ A. Device Manager ❍ B. Administrative Tools ❍ C. Devices and Printers Folder ❍ D. Computer Management Console
2. Which driver cannot be installed on a 64-bit version of Windows 7? (Choose two answers.)
❍ A. An unsigned device driver ❍ B. A 32-bit driver ❍ C. AGP drivers ❍ D. Drivers that are not included on the Windows 7 Installation DVD
3. How do you have Windows 7 scan for new devices?
❍ A. Run the sigverif.exe command ❍ B. Run the scandisk.exe command ❍ C. Click Hardware and Sound in the Control Panel and select Add a
device under the Devices and Printers section ❍ D. Run the scanhw.exe command
Device Drivers
Cram Quiz Answers
1. C is correct. The Devices and Printers folder gives you a quick view of devices connected to your computer. These devices are typically external devices that you can connect or disconnect from your computer through a port or network connection. Answer A is incorrect because the Device Manager is a more advanced tool to manage all devices. The Devices and Printers folder enables you to control common settings for the plug-in devices. Answers B and D are incorrect because using the Computer Management Console, which is included in the Administrative Tools, enables you to access the Device Manager.
2. A and B are correct. A driver that lacks a valid digital signature, or that was altered after it was signed, cannot be installed on x64-based version of Windows Vista or 7. You also cannot load 32-bit drivers on a 64-bit system. Answer C is incorrect because AGP drivers can be loaded on a 64-bit version of Windows assuming they have been signed and are 64-bit drivers. Answer D is incorrect because you can also get device drivers from Microsoft and third-party websites. They just need to be signed by Microsoft.
3. C is correct. Often when you connect a device, it is automatically recognized and Windows 7 automatically tries to load the proper driver. If it doesn’t, you need to select Add a device under the Devices and Printers section in the Control Panel so that Windows scans for hardware changes. Answer A is incor- rect because sigverif.exe is used to verify the digital certificates for device drivers. Answer B is incorrect because scandisk.exe is the command to scan the disk in older versions of Windows. Answer D is incorrect because there is no scanhw.exe in Windows 7.
CHAPTER 3: System Management