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# SoundScapes: Playing Sounds from Any Directory Using WSS 1.0x

Article ID: 106019

Article Last Modified on 10/10/2003

APPLIES TO

- Microsoft Windows Sound System 1.0
- Microsoft Windows Sound System 1.0a

This article was previously published under Q106019

## SUMMARY

Page 9 of the "Windows Sound System Software Specifications: SoundScapes" (Revision 1.04) states that SoundScapes should play waveform files from any directory by adding the following path in the [SndScape.<environment name>] section of the CONTROL.INI file

       Path=<Pathname>

where <Pathname> is the directory where the waveform files not located in the SoundScape default directory are found.
SoundScapes plays only waveform files in the SoundScapes default directory specified in the CONTROL.INI file. The workaround is described below.

## MORE INFORMATION

Windows Sound System uses the CONTROL.INI file in the Windows directory to store information about SoundScapes. The Path= statement in the [SoundScapes] section indicates the SoundScapes default directory. All the [SndScape.<soundscape name>] sections have SoundXX=" statements (where "X" stands for a single digit) to indicate the waveform files to use for that SoundScapes sound.
To play a waveform file for a SoundScapes sound, Windows Sound System concatenates the default SoundScapes path with the name of the waveform file. If this does not produce a valid path and waveform file combination, no sound is played. If the waveform files are in the default SoundScapes directory, this works because the waveform file has no other path attached to it.

## WORKAROUND

Do the following:

1. Open the CONTROL.INI file in the Windows directory.
2. Delete any entry in the Path= statement in the [SoundScapes] section. (That is, the statement should be "Path=". Nothing should be after the equal [=] sign on the Path= line).
3. Change all the Sound<sound number>= statements in the [SndScape.<soundscape name>] section to include the path to the appropriate file. For example, change "Sound00=tada.wav" to "Sound00=c:\windows\tada.wav".

## STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows Sound System versions 1.0 and 1.0a. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available. For more information about this topic, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

SoundScapes

Additional query words: 1.00 1.00a multi media multimedia multi-media system sound snd scape soundscape sound scape .wav wav wave

Keywords: KB106019