How to unmute windows sound master volume and then increase the volume to max, using VBA

Thanks

using sendkeys does the job:
 
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.SendKeys (Chr(173))
 
How can the volume can be set to max using this method? Additionally, chr(173) just switches the mute/unmute. What I need to do is always set it to unmute. Is there a way to check what the current status is and only send chr(173) if it is currently on mute?
 

I'm afraid that with me not being a VB or C++ Programmer, I don't really know how to test the status of the Mute box other than to query the registry for the value holding that setting.  Coincidentally I was just looking at what I believed to be the registry keys and values holding the current states of the Volume Control elements in this question:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Q_24501347.html
See comment ID: 25290174

I will have to look again at the various values to see if one of them reflects the status of the Mute box, but incorporating that into a *.vbs code will be a problem for me because I'm not very advanced with that aspect.

The little script that toggles the mute box on and off is ideal if that's all you needed to do.  The *.vbs code I posted in the Code Snippet field uses the same idea, except it just sends an "Alt + M" keystroke combination to the single volume control (because the M is the underscored character in the Menu) instead of a Key Code 173 - hex AD.  Essentially they do the same thing, but the code I posted is really the only way that my limited knowledge allows me to push the volume slider up to maximum.

I will try to find some other method, but I think it might attract other experts more experienced with coding if you were to click the "Request Attention" button.

I know that the following isn't directly what you need, because you seem to be looking for some VBA code to use within Excel, but here are my findings anyway.  Maybe you can translate these findings to your own needs.

In furtherance of detecting the current state of the master volume's

"Mute" checkbox, this is the ONLY relevant change noted in the

registry of my Windows XP SP3 system.

Relevant Registry Key in which changed value was detected:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceClasses\{69

94AD04-93EF-11D0-A3CC-00A0C9223196}\##?

#PCI#VEN_1102&DEV_0002&SUBSYS_80281102&REV_08#4&122329E2&0&60F0#

{6994ad04-93ef-11d0-a3cc-00a0c9223196}\#WaveCyc\Device

Parameters\Mixer\       0\Controls\       4]

Relevant Value When Unmuted:
"Channel       0"=dword:00000000

Relevant Value When Muted:
"Channel       0"=dword:00000001

Of course, this registry key may well be absolutely unique to my

system and/or my Creative SoundBlaster Live! Value (CT4870) card.

There is an easy enough way to check what value changes in your

registry when checking and unchecking the Mute box, and then we will

know whether each system has a completely different registry key, or

whether that key is the standard for the Windows Volume Control.

While the Mute box is UNchecked, run the following command:

regedit /e "%TEMP%\Unmuted.txt"

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceClasses"

Without messing around with the computer, immediately pull up the

volume control from the system tray with a single click and Mute it.

Run this command:

regedit /e "%TEMP%\Muted.txt"

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceClasses"

Download the following free standalone utility to compare the two

registry export files side by side for differences:

http://www.prestosoft.com/edp_examdiff.asp#download

Standalone Program:
http://www.prestosoft.com/download/ed18.zip

There is an installable version too:
http://www.prestosoft.com/download/ed18_setup.exe

Run the following command (or open the program and set the user

options to suit and load the files):

examdiff "%TEMP%\Unmuted.txt" "%TEMP%\Muted.txt" /i /w /b /l /e /t /n

I am pretty sure that it will only show one difference if you didn't

mess around too much in between exporting your two files from Regedit.

The program shows files from the XP registry in the double-spaced

"unicode" style like this when copied out, but it should be enough to

allow you to find the Key containing the changed value and examine it

in Regedit to see if it is the same one that is changed in my

registry.

[ H K E Y _ L O C A L _ M A C H I N E \ S Y S T E M \ C u r r e n t C

o n t r o l S e t \ C o n t r o l \ D e v i c e C l a s s e s \ { 6 9

9 4 A D 0 4 - 9 3 E F - 1 1 D 0 - A 3 C C - 0 0 A 0 C 9 2 2 3 1 9 6 }

\ # # ? # P C I # V E N _ 1 1 0 2 & D E V _ 0 0 0 2 & S U B S Y S _ 8

0 2 8 1 1 0 2 & R E V _ 0 8 # 4 & 1 2 2 3 2 9 E 2 & 0 & 6 0 F 0 # { 6

9 9 4 a d 0 4 - 9 3 e f - 1 1 d 0 - a 3 c c - 0 0 a 0 c 9 2 2 3 1 9 6

} \ # W a v e C y c \ D e v i c e   P a r a m e t e r s \ M i x e r \  

             0 \ C o n t r o l s \               4 ]

If it is the same Key and value name ie. "Channel       0" in the key

I gave earlier, then it would be possible to test this in a *.vbs

script in a similar way to using the REG QUERY command in a batch

file:

reg query "HKLM\System\KeyPath" /v "Channel       0"
 
For a full example of a batch file that would call different *.vbs files dependent on the current "Mute State" value in MY registry, see the attached "Check_Mute_State.cmd" which is attached as a *.txt file because of upload restrictions here.

I am sure that a competent *.vbs coder could condense that check into just a couple of lines and include it with the code to toggle the settings you need, but my basic knowledge of VBS coding would make this risky when messing with the registry.

Damn, why does this break up long lines into paragraphs.  Here is the broken registry key:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceClasses\{6994AD04-93EF-11D0-A3CC-00A0C9223196}\##?#PCI#VEN_1102&DEV_0002&SUBSYS_80281102&REV_08#4&122329E2&0&60F0#{6994ad04-93ef-11d0-a3cc-00a0c9223196}\#WaveCyc\Device Parameters\Mixer\       0\Controls\       4]

                                              

1:

Sorry about the double-spaced lines in my comment.  Windows Notepad in XP has a bad habit of messing with the word wrapping.  I usually turn off word wrap after making up my notes, save the file, copy and paste it here, then turn on word wrap again and save it for my own later uses.

Thanks a lot, i've passed this onto a colleague and will feedback any news.

Meanwhile, anyone with any quicker/ neater solutions please fire away...

My colleague played around a bit with the sendkeys method and found out that sending "-" when the focus is on the mute box always unmutes the volume. So no need to check the registry value. Final code below

Thanks a lot for your valuable help!

#################################################################
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
 
'open volume control
 
WshShell.Run "%SystemRoot%\System32\sndvol32.exe /t"
Sleep 200
 
'make active
WshShell.AppActivate ("Volume")
 
'mute (to avoid the beep)
WshShell.SendKeys "%{M}"
WshShell.SendKeys "{+}"
Sleep 200
 
'switch back to volume control
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
Sleep 200
 
'increase volume to max
 
For i = 1 To 5
    WshShell.SendKeys "{PGUP}"
Next i
Sleep 200
 
'unmute
WshShell.SendKeys "%{M}"
WshShell.SendKeys "{-}"
Sleep 200
 
'close
WshShell.SendKeys "%{F4}"
#################################################################

                                              

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Thank you xenium.
That was a pretty good discovery about the Minus keystroke always removing the check from the Mute box, and I like the idea of first muting the sound before bumping up the volume slider in 5 steps that would otherwise have beeped at each increment.  Hope you don't mind if  copy the revised code for future use ;-)
Bill