In this article, we will continue our discussion of how to use Server 2008 R2 as a desktop OS. In this part, we will discuss the basics of sound and how to use it in your applications. We will also cover some tips on how to improve the sound quality in your applications. Sound is an important part of any desktop environment and should be used in a responsible way. You should always keep your audio files safe and secure, and you should not share audio files with other people without their permission. You should also be careful when using audio devices that can cause damage to your computer or data. Server 2008 R2 provides a number of features that make it a great choice for desktop users. One of these features is the ability to create custom sounds. This allows you to create sounds that are specific to your application or environment. You can also use Server 2008 R2’s built-in sounds to create new sounds for your applications. You can find many helpful resources online about creating custom sounds in Server 2008 R2. The best place to start is by looking at the Server 2008 R2 Administration Guide, which provides detailed instructions on how to create custom sounds in the operating system. You can also find helpful articles on the Microsoft website, such as “How To: Create Custom Sounds For Your Desktop Environment” or “Creating Custom Sounds For Windows 7.”
Continuing our series on using Windows Server 2008 as a desktop OS, today we’ll talk about how to re-enable the sound features, which normally aren’t needed on a server, but would be useful if you are using it as a desktop.
Before proceeding, make sure you’ve read parts one and two of this series for setting up Server 2008 and enabling themes.
RELATED: Using Server 2008 R2 as a Desktop OS: Themes (Part 2)
Enabling the Sound Service
All it takes to get sound functionality out of Server 2008 R2 is to set the Windows Audio service to start up automatically. To do this we need to open the Services MMC, the quickest way to do this is to press the Win + R key combination to bring up a run box, type services.msc and hit enter.
Once the Snap-In opens scroll down until you find the Windows Audio Service.
Double-click on it to open its properties.
Now you need to change the Startup drop-down box from Manual to Automatic.
Click ok when you are done, and restart your computer.
You should notice that your volume control icon went from looking like this
To this
You can now play music and movies through Windows Media Player which was installed in the first part of the series, or you could install a third-party media player.
In the fourth and final part of this series, we’ll be covering enabling search and fixing other annoyances.
RELATED: Using Server 2008 R2 as a Desktop OS: Enabling Search and Disabling the Shutdown Event Tracker (Part 4)
