On a Windows XP-based computer, you may experience one or both of the following behaviors:

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The Volume icon is no longer displayed in the notification area at the far right of the taskbar.

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When you try to add the volume control icon to the notification area (in the Sounds and Audio Devices utility in Control Panel, click to select the Place volume icon in the taskbar check box on the Volume tab), you receive the following error message: Windows cannot display the volume control on the taskbar because the Volume Control program has not been installed. To install it use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.

As a result, you cannot start the Volume Control program and adjust the volume and sound level settings of your computer.

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This behavior can occur if the Sndvol32.exe file is damaged or missing.

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To resolve this issue, extract a new copy of Sndvol32.exe from the Windows XP compact disc to the system_root\System32 folder on your computer's hard disk. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. Press and hold down the SHIFT key as you insert the CD-ROM to prevent it from starting automatically.
2.	Click Start, and then click Run.
3.	In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
4.	Type the following lines at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line, where CD-ROM drive is the drive letter of the computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM, and system_root is the path and folder name where the Windows system files are located (generally C:\Windows): CD-ROM drive: cd i386 expand sndvol32.ex_ system_root\system32\sndvol32.exe Note that there is a space between "ex_" and "system_root" in this command. For example, if your computer's CD-ROM drive is drive E, and the folder that contains the Windows system files is C:\Windows, type the following lines at the command prompt (pressing ENTER after each line): e: cd i386 expand sndvol32.ex_ c:\windows\system32\sndvol32.exe
5.	Type exit to quit the command prompt.
6.	Verify that you can start Volume Control and that the Volume icon is displayed in the notification area (if you selected this option).

Note If you do not have access to the Windows XP CD-ROM that contains the installation files, contact Microsoft Support. To do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

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By default, the Volume icon is not displayed in the notification area in Windows XP.

For more information about how to display the volume control icon in the notification area, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about icons that are displayed in the notification area, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about how to troubleshoot sound problems, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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