How Can I Play a Sound in WinPE During Imaging?
Asked by
CuriousCat42
I'm wondering if there's a way to play a sound or tone while I'm using WinPE for imaging. I'm running a script that I want to alert me with an audible tone when it reaches a specific step. I suspect there might be something I need to load in WinPE to make this work, but I'm not quite sure what it is. Any advice would be appreciated!
Answers
You can give this a shot in WinPE:
```powershell
[audio]::Mute = $false
[audio]::Volume = 1
[console]::beep(500,300)
[console]::beep(500,300)
```
Just test it out since the support might vary!
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You might need the full PowerShell script if you're looking to do more than just basic beeps. Here's a more comprehensive version:
```powershell
Add-Type -TypeDefinition @'
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
[Guid("5CDF2C82-841E-4546-9722-0CF74078229A"), InterfaceType(ComInterfaceType.InterfaceIsIUnknown)]
interface IAudioEndpointVolume {
// Other COM methods, etc.
}
'@
[audio]::Mute = $false
[audio]::Volume = 1
[console]::beep(500,300)
```
Give it a shot, and see if that works!
ThanksForTheCode: Awesome, appreciate the complete code! Gonna try this out!
Reply to this answer
You can use the System.Console class and do something like this:
```powershell
[Console]::Beep(1000, 500)
```
Or to play WAV files, try using System.Media.SoundPlayer as an alternative.
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You really need .NET framework for PowerShell to work properly in WinPE, which isn’t included by default. Plus, you'll need to add some system files.
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If it's just to signal progress, consider using TTS to announce each step. Otherwise, you might want to set up notifications through Slack or Teams for a different approach. WinPE likely lacks audio support by default, so you'll need to add components to get it running.
Also, changing your background to a bright color during specific steps could grab attention instead of sound.
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Out of curiosity, what task are you trying to alert people about in WinPE? Is it to notify users when input is needed for a GUI? Maybe a bright background color could also signal when action is required, which might be visible enough for techs to notice.
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RandomReplyGuy: Haha, sounds like you might have some grounding issues there! Maybe check your headphones? Also, this only happens at work? That's odd, best to contact IT if it continues!
SoundsAlternative: I ran that code, but I got "unable to find type [audio]." Guess it must be a limitation of WinPE!