Question:
Hey VistaClues.
I am looking for some way to make a keyboard shortcut for the volume control (Volume Mixer) so I can have fewer taskbar icons, but still have easy acces to the various things.
I’m also looking for a volume control tool, for the side bar menu.
In other words, a gadget that can control the master volume on the speakers (and microphone if possible).
Can you help me with the one, the other or both problems?
Thanks for all the help from your site.
Answer:
On any Windows Vista computer that you might sit at, you can quickly launch the Volume Mixer by clicking Start, typing sndvol, and then pressing Enter.
For me, it’s easier to remember “Sndvol” than a special keyboard shortcut, and it works on any Windows Vista computer, so that’s my preference. You can, however, launch any shortcut with a single key. The Volume Mixer doesn’t have a shortcut by default, however, so you first need to add one. Follow these steps:
1. Click Start and type sndvol. Right-click sndvol on the Start menu, and then click Copy.
2. On the taskbar, right-click the clock and then click Show the Desktop. Alternatively, you can press Windows+D.
3. Right-click the desktop, and then click Paste Shortcut. This adds a SndVol shortcut to your desktop. You can always double-click this to launch the Volume Mixer now, but that’s not the real point–we want to use this to add a keyboard shortcut.
4. On the desktop, right-click the Sndvol -Shortcut and then click Properties.
5. On the Shortcut tab, click the Shortcut key field. Now, press the keyboard shortcut you want to use, such as Ctrl+Shift+Alt+V.
6. Click OK.
Now, just press the keyboard shortcut you chose to launch the volume mixer. You can do this for any program or batch file. Also, let me recommend getting a keyboard