Has a long-winded caller ever caused you to wish your other phone would ring so you could say, "Sorry, I have to answer the other phone"? Well, your computer can produce just such a sound. One of the audio files that comes with Windows is called phone.wav and can be found by clicking Start>Search>Files & Folders and typing in phone.wav. Right-click the file and choose Send To>Desktop (Create Shortcut). Henceforth, any time you double-click this Desktop icon a very convincing phone ring will be heard.

If you are unfamiliar with "WAVs," many of the beeps, dings, and other PC sounds you hear (including the opening Windows glissando) are WAV files. Most of these files are in a folder named Media and include a couple of other ring tones named ringin.wav and ringout.wav.

With a microphone connected to your PC, you can also create your own WAV files using the built-in Windows "Sound Recorder." Go to Start>Programs>Accessories, and click on Entertainment or Multimedia. Next, click Sound Recorder, where you will find a Red Record button and a Black Stop button, along with Fast Forward and Rewind symbols on the Record/Playback panel.

To record your voice, click File>New. Then click the round red Record button and start talking, singing, or whatever. When finished, click the rectangular Stop button. To hear your recording click the left-pointing Rewind symbol and then click the right-pointing Play symbol. Finally, click File>Save As and give your audio file a name, which will automatically have a .wav extension.

The Sound Recorder has a built-in limitation of 60 seconds. However, you can record longer WAVs by clicking File>New, clicking the Record button and letting the device record 60 seconds of silence. Then do File>Save As, and name the silent file something like blank.wav.

To increase recording time, go to Edit>Insert File, and click on the newly created blank.wav. This will increase the maximum recording time by 60 seconds. You can repeat this step for each additional minute you want.

The above steps will create a soundless WAV with a length of your choice, which can be recorded over by launching Sound Recorder and going to File>Open>blank.wav. After you "re-record" this file, go to File>Save As and give it a different name. This will preserve your blank wav for future use. Easier Way to Record

If you record voice files frequently, it will be easier if you use a headset with a built-in microphone. You can also create a shortcut to Sound Recorder by right-clicking it and using Send To>Desktop (Create Shortcut).

You can attach voice files to any outgoing email, but Outlook Express users can include sound files without having them listed as an "attachment." After clicking Create Mail, click Format>Background>Sound, whereupon you can insert an audio file of your choice. The audio will begin when the recipient opens the email.

Many of the full-length vocal/orchestral songs on my site are also WAVs and can be downloaded to any PC.

As for downloading songs from this site, detailed instructions are included on the various music pages: Swing Era Popular Songs, Country Standards, Gospel & Patriotic Songs, and LatinAmerican Favorites, among many others.