Changing Default sounds on xbox extender

[jlange]

Hello, is there anyway to change the default sounds on xbox extender. There are options available for tweaking so much else and I frequently change things up visually but I'd really like to swap out different sounds for selecting files; I'm tired of the same old chime. Thanks

[duffman984]

+1 to this question. I'd actually like to get rid of the whole "trumpet sounds" startup of MC

[barnabas1969]

From what I've read, the sounds are actually .wav files that are embedded in the ehres.dll file that is located in the C:\Windows\ehome directory.

Using a resource editor such as Restorator ($$) or ResEdit (free), you can navigate to the RCData folder within the DLL file, and replace the .wav files of choice with a new .wav file. The new .wav file could be a recording of nothing if you want no sound at all.

I've read accounts of people who changed the sounds to a Star Trek theme... think about the sound of the doors on the Enterprise opening and closing when you navigate around the menu. As if people didn't already think you're a geek for having a PC connected to the TV in your living room!

[barnabas1969]

I just downloaded ResEdit. It doesn't have a function to replace a resource, but it does have the ability to delete one and add another (with the same name). I'll try it when I get home tonight.

[barnabas1969]

There's another one named Resource Hacker.

Also, in order to replace the ehres.dll file, you'll need to apply the registry patch mentioned on this page.

[barnabas1969]

I tried Resource Hacker, and I could not get it to work. I used ResEdit, and it worked... but the process is a little strange... ResEdit has some quirks. I replaced the intro sound on my desktop PC (not my main HTPC) with a WAV file that is included with Microsoft Office. It is a recording of applause (C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\MEDIA\APPLAUSE.WAV). It worked!

Here's how:

1) Login as a user with administrative rights and make sure Media Center is not running. Turn off all of your extenders too.
2) Download the attached file

own.zip

(374 Bytes) Downloaded 46 times

and unzip it. Then, double-click the own.reg file to load it with the Registry Editor.
3) Open Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\ehome, and right-click on ehres.dll. Choose "Take Ownership" (this option will only appear after you load the own.reg file in step 2).
4) Make a COPY (be careful not to MOVE it) of the ehres.dll file as a backup... just in case you mess things up! I would suggest a name like ehres_backup.dll, and place it in the C:\Windows\ehome directory.
5) Make another copy of the ehres.dll file. This time, place the copy in your My Documents folder. This will be the copy that you will edit with ResEdit in the following steps.
6) Download ResEdit (here). Make sure to get the correct version depending on whether you are running 32 or 64 bit Windows. I tested it on 64-bit.
7) Unzip all of the files from the ResEdit zip file to a new directory. You'll need 7-Zip (free), WinZip, or WinRar to unzip it.
8) Double-click the ResEdit.exe program in the directory you created in step 7. The program may prompt you, "No include paths are configured. Do you want to configure include paths now?" Click NO.
9) Click the "File" menu and choose "Open Project" (or click the folder icon on the toolbar), and choose the file you created in step 5 above.
10) In the search box shown in the "Resources" child window (it looks like the picture below)

Capture2.JPG (10.17 KiB) Viewed 976 times

type "WAV" (without the quotes) in the box. The result should look like this:

Capture1.JPG (37.84 KiB) Viewed 976 times

The files you care about are ERROR_A.WAV (played when an error occurs), FOCUS_A.WAV (when an item gets focus... the sound played when you move around in the main menu), INTRO_A.WAV (the Media Center startup sound), MINISELECT_A.WAV (when you select a button, like Yes, No, Cancel, etc), PAGETRANSITION.WAV (when you transition from one page to another), RECORDING_STARTED_A.WAV (when a recording starts), and SELECT_A.WAV (when you select an item in the menu). The two files shown in the picture that begin with NOWPLAYING and end with .PNG should NOT be replaced with new WAV files... these are pictures that just happen to have "WAV" in the filename. I'm going to use INTRO_A.WAV as an example below... make sure you use the correct filename in the steps below. You'll notice that they are all located under a folder named "10". This is the "ordinal".
11) Right-click on the file (listed above in step 10) that you would like to replace. Choose "Rename." In the dialog box that appears, enter a new name. For example, INTRO_OLD_A.WAV. Click OK.
12) Delete the search term you entered in step 10 above. THIS IS IMPORTANT!
13) Now, right-click the "10" folder, and choose "Add Resource" -> "User Defined".
14) Choose the "Ordinal Identifier" radio button, and enter the number 10 in the box.
15) Now, browse to find a .WAV file (it MUST be a WAV file, nothing else will work). Click OK. It will create a new name under the "10" ordinal. The new name will be something like "IDR_10_1[Neutral]". The "1" in the example to the left will increment for each new file added, and will be represented as "x" below.
16) Right-click on the new node (IDR_10_x[Neutral]) that was created in step 15 above, and choose "Rename".
17) In the dialog box that appears, choose the "Name identifier" radio button, and enter "INTRO_A.WAV" (no quotes). Also, choose the language "English (United States)".
18) Repeat steps 10-17 above for each of the WAV files you want to replace.
19) Click "File" -> "Save" (or click the floppy disk on the toolbar). Then, close the ResEdit program.
20) Open the "Services" applet from the Control Panel, and stop the following services:
Windows Media Center Receiver Service
Windows Media Center Scheduler Service
21) Close Media Center, and turn off all of your extenders.
22) Copy the newly-edited ehres.dll file from your My Documents folder to c:\Windows\ehome. Windows Explorer will prompt you to confirm that you want to use administrative rights to replace the ehres.dll file. Allow it to continue.
23) Start the services that you stopped in step 20 above.
24) Start Media Center (or your extender).

Please note: I don't know if there are any limitations on how long the new WAV files can be. I suspect that they shouldn't be much longer than the original files.... so, if the original intro sound plays for 5 seconds, the new file should probably not play for longer than 5 seconds either. This is just a guess... you'll have to experiment to see if longer sounds work OK. The new WAV files could be recordings of nothing (silence) if you want to eliminate the sound altogether. These changes will work on the extenders AND on the PC.

Also note: Use these instructions at your own risk. Make sure to backup any files you change. If you mess it up... you're on your own.

EDIT: Added missing step #21

[duffman984]

I'm definitely trying this when I get home tonight. I think I'm gonna nerd out on my tv and put some star trek and star wars sounds in. Maybe some Picard saying "Make it so number 1". I can see my wife rolling her eyes already. It's going to be glorious!!