Windows 8 In Depth

Assigning Sounds to Events

As you work with Windows 8, you hear various sounds emanating from your speakers. These sounds always correspond to particular events. There’s the odd two-note beat when you connect a device; there’s the short, sharp shock of a sound when a warning dialog box pops up; and there’s the nice and perhaps all-too-familiar chime when a new email message arrives.

If you’re getting tired of the same old sounds, however, Windows 8 lets you customize what you hear by assigning different WAV files to these events. You can also assign sounds to a couple of dozen other events. This section shows you how it’s done.

The sounds assigned to various Windows 8 events comprise a sound scheme. To view the current scheme, press Windows ...