Solved Windows Live Mail won't play my .wav file for email notication

Window Live Mail won't play the wav file of my choice for email notification. I am talking about wav files that I have copied to the Windows/Media folder to use for my email notifications.

I have WLM set to play sounds and in fact it plays all of the wav files that came with the system. But when I copy my own .wav files to the same folder that holds the other wav files that are used for windows sounds and then try to use that file for email notification it won't play. The wav file does play in Windows Media Player if I click on just the file, but not in WLM as my email notification. I have set the option in the Control Panel under windows sounds for email notification. I have tried this with two different wav files and neither one will play as my email notification but play fine by themselves.

Does anyone know why my wav files will not play as my email notification in WLM? Once again I have set WLM to play sounds and the Control Panel/Change System Sounds options for email notification to my wav file and the native wav files do play.

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for describing you problem so completely and for filling out your system specs as well. It made me want to test it for myself. I my case it worked properly but I'm using the previous version of WLM (2009/2010). I did notice that the mail program only uses the notification sound when dowloaded into a pop3 account but not for IMAP accounts (unlike Vista's Windows Mail which did it for both).

Can't hurt to do a repair install. Go to Programs and Features, "Windows Live Essentials", and choose a repair. It will repair whatever components of Essentials you downloaded, including Mail.

I'll try that

Thank you. I will try that. It can't hurt. I have searched and searched for a solution but so far nothing.

Robin

No good

Well I tried the repair and it didn't change anything. This problem is really annoying. Not so much because I can't play the notification of my choice but more because I know it "should" work and it doesn't. I am like a dog with a bone wanting to solve this issue.

Does anyone else have any other ideas?

rjack22 said:

...I have set the option in the Control Panel under windows sounds for email notification...

Click to expand...

Does it play when you push "test"?
Is it the "Windows/New Mail Notification"?
If you use it to change a different sound, unrelated to mail, does it still not work? (Trying to see if it's a mail issue or a Windows Sound issue.)

No, the Test button doesn't play it. Plays all of the others though. Yes, it is the Windows Mail notification option.

I didn't try it with any other feature. I will try that.

Since I'm not using the 2011 version, I asked this question in a Windows Live Mail newsgroup and got a few responses:
1) It worked for me. WLM 2011 on Windows 7 Pro.
2) Mine works. Win7 Home Premium 64 bit. I've been using a .wav file of Radar from the MASH show saying "Uhhh mail call sir".
3) No issues here on 2009 or 2011. Here are the waves I use for email notification on WLM...

still no go

Thanks for asking in the forum on my behalf. Sounds like I have a very unique problem. I guess I will just have to forget it and use the wav files that come with the operating system.

Robin

Don't know if this will help, but if you look in Windows Explorer under c:/Windows/media, adjust the column headers to show "name" "type" and "size", and check to see the type is listed as "wave sound". Also, if you change the Control Panel/Folder Options/View Tab and uncheck "hide extensions for known file types" the Media folder should show the name of the file with ".wav" at the end.

file type

Thanks. That is actually one of the first things I did when I got this new computer. I hate not seeing the file type displayed. I am old school DOS (now that dates me) and I have to see the file type. Thanks for trying to help me, I do appreciate it.

Robin

If the test button doesn't work on the file, maybe the .wav file itself in not appropriate for that use. Have you tried another .wav file? See if you can attach your file to a post and I'll add it to my Win_7 media folder to test it.

testing my wav

I couldn't figure out how to attach it.

Robin

Hello Robin,

You can place the .wav file in a ZIP file, then upload and attach the ZIP file. The tutorial below can help show you how to.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

UPDATE: It has been almost two years since I posted my problem regarding playing my own .wav file as a system sound. Yesterday I went searching for a solution once again and this time I found it!

I had to convert the .wav file to a mp3 at 128 kbts and then reconvert the mp3 file to .wav at a value of 1411 kbts (or experiment), the same as used in Windows 7 sound. This worked for me.