About your computer audio
If a factory-installed, high-performance audio adapter is installed in your computer, the system-board
audio connectors on the rear of the computer are typically disabled; use the connectors provided on the
audio adapter.
Each audio solution provides at least three audio connectors: audio line-in connector, audio line-out
connector, and Microphone connector. On some models, a fourth connector is provided for the attachment
of unpowered stereo speakers (speakers that do not require an ac power source). The audio adapter
provides you with the ability to record and play back sound and music, as well as to enjoy sound with
multimedia applications and work with speech-recognition software.
Optionally, you can connect a set of powered stereo speakers to the audio line-out connector to enjoy
better sound with multimedia applications.
Setting the volume from the desktop
The desktop volume control is accessible through the volume icon in the taskbar, which is located at the
bottom-right corner of the Windows desktop. Click the volume icon and move the slider up or down to
control the volume, or click the Mute icon to turn the audio off. If the volume icon is not in the taskbar, see
"Adding the volume icon to the taskbar" on page 22.
Adding the volume icon to the taskbar
To add the volume icon to the taskbar on the Windows 7 operating system, do the following:
1. From the Windows desktop, click Start ➙ Control Panel ➙ Appearance and Personalization.
2. In the Taskbar and Start Menu section, click Customize icons on the taskbar.
3. Click Turn system icons on or off and change the volume behaviors from Off to On.
4. Click OK to save the new settings.
To add the volume icon to the taskbar on the Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 operating system, do the following:
1. Open Control Panel, and click Appearance and Personalization.
Note: For detailed information on how to open Control Panel on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, see
"Accessing Control Panel on the Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 operating system" on page 20.
2. Do one of the following:
• For Windows 8:
In the Taskbar section, click Customize icons on the taskbar.
• For Windows 8.1:
In the Taskbar and Navigation section, click Customize icons on the taskbar.
3. Click Turn system icons on or off and change the volume behavior from Off to On.
4. Click OK to save the new settings.
Setting the volume from Control Panel
You can set the computer volume from Control Panel. To set the computer volume from Control Panel,
do the following:
1. On the Windows 7 operating system, click Start ➙ Control Panel ➙ Hardware and Sound. On the
Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 operating system, open Control Panel, and click Hardware and Sound.
Note: For detailed information on how to open Control Panel on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, see
"Accessing Control Panel on the Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 operating system" on page 20.
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ThinkCentre E73 User Guide