Is there really anyone here who isn't tired of the sounds in either XP or Vista? The sounds in Windows Vista seem much better than in XP, but even with that, hearing them everyday just gets so old.
In comes SoundPackager. I always relate SoundPackager to IconPackager simply because both use "packages" to change their respective items. One of the best things about SoundPackager is that not only does it change a bunch of system sounds at once, it also allows you fine tune the sounds and easily add or delete specific sounds if you wish.
Now that you have heard all that good stuff, let's go through actually using SoundPackager.
Interface
SoundPackager has a very clean and easy to use interface. On the left side of the window you have the navigation for SoundPackager. The Welcome screen gives you a brief introduction and gives info such as the current version number.
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Welcome screen |
The Packages screen shows you which icon packs you have installed. More Packages window gives you links to where you can download more sound packages, and the Advanced screen for more options.
Installing and Changing Sounds
Selecting "Packages" in the navigation is going to take you to the screen you will probably spend most of your time in.
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Packages screen |
SoundPackager includes a few sound packages to start out, and I will show you how to get more a little bit later in the article. As you see in the screenshot above, the Packages section is also easy to use, and makes it simple for anyone to use.
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Package screen details |
If you want to install a new sound pack, you can either double-click the .soundpack file, or select "Import package" and browse to the desired file. In the main Packages screen you see the list of installed sound packs. When you select an individual sound pack you have a few details you can use such as the package/author url, package detail, and author e-mail link.
You will also notice two buttons that allows you to hear a sample of the pack, and the edit button which will take you to the package editor where you can add, remove, and change individual sounds along with various other package options.
To change your system sounds, just select the sound package and hit the "Apply Package" button (or just double-click the package), and you will see a dialog come up. This dialog will give you a choice to apply an "enhanced" package, or the "normal" package. The enhanced package selection will apply sounds to all the assigned events, and the normal selection will not apply sounds to frequent events like the min/max/close functions.
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Applying a sound pack |
Once you choose, your selection will be loaded and you should have a new set of sounds! If you want to change packages, just choose another selection and repeat, or if you want to return to the default Windows sounds just click the "Restore Default" button.
More Sounds
You know how to change your sounds, but what's the point if you can't find more sound packs, right? Well no problem there, as WinCustomize has an entire library dedicated to sound packs for SoundPackager. You can quickly get to the gallery by clicking the "Get More Packages" button in the "More Packages" section in SoundPackager.
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Getting more sound packs |
Advanced Options
The Advanced section will give you a couple of more advanced options, but most people shouldn't need to change these. Here you can set the package directory, and chose whether to apply the sound package after editing.
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Advanced options |
So there you go! A simply way to change your Windows sounds with creative and cool sound packs that will add another level to your desktop customization experience.
**Screencast coming soon**