words

Problem

Running the retail/release version of Windows 10, every time I got a UAC prompt or ‘toast’ notification, the notification sound would be at full volume. I’d go into the Volume Mixer, run it down to around 5%, and sure enough, the next notification ding would be ear-piercing again.

I’ve found one other person reporting the same bug on a pre-release version.

Workaround

I’ve found that leaving the Volume Mixer window open prevents the issue from occurring. Then again, after a few test cycles, I stopped getting ANY System Sounds at all…

Other Details

I use a Creative USB Sound Blaster HD and have all other audio output devices disabled. I don’t know if this affects the issue.

My Kinesis Classic doesn’t have a Windows key (well, technically it does, but it’s embedded in the ‘keypad’ map Print Screen). I like to remap the Insert key to the Windows key. Here’s how to do it:

1. Press the Keypad key
2. Press Program + F12
3. Press Print Screen
4. Press the Keypad key
5. Press the Insert key
6. Press Program + F12

If you omit step 4, then the Insert key will only be mapped to the Windows key when they Keypad map is active (where “Keypad map” means the alternative keymap that becomes active when you hit ‘Keypad’. By default it turns the right half of the keyboard into a numeric keypad).

Apparently you now have to run the Windows App Certification Kit (WACK) on the software executables you publish in order to avoid a moderately scary warning from Windows SmartScreen.

Upon running WACK, you’re presented with four options:

• Validate Windows Store App

• Validate Windows Phone App

• Validate Desktop App

• Validate Desktop Device App

All of them seem pretty self-explanatory, except for the last one, “Validate Desktop Device App”. It’s described as “Test a desktop device app for compliance with value-added software requirements”. Huh?

Searching Microsoft and MSDN for the phrase “value-added software requirements” turns up zero results. Searching for just “value-added software” (isn’t all software value-added?) led me to this post on Raymond Chen’s The Old New Thing blog which indicates that “value-added software” is the crapware/shovelware that’s pre-installed on computers bought at, say, Best Buy.

I really wish Microsoft would focus less on consistent branding and more on actually explaining things. Incidentally, I gagged a little bit when I read the phrase “Validate Desktop App“.

Here are the minimum steps required to self-sign an executable for development and testing:

makecert -sv mykey.pvk -n "CN=MyCompany" -len 2048 mycert.cer -r
pvk2pfx -pvk mykey.pvk -spc mycert.cer -pfx mycert.pfx -po mypassword

Note: You’ll be prompted to create a certificate password and it must match whatever you supply to pvk2pfx with the -po switch.

To sign an executable, use:

signtool sign /f mycert.pfx /t http://timestamp.comodoca.com/authenticode /v executable.exe

Note: once you have a real code signing certificate, you’ll use whatever timestamp server your provider gives you. Comodo works fine for self-signing testing purposes.

To automatically sign a binary at build-time in Visual Studio, add go to your Project Settings | Build Events | Post-Build Event, and add something like this to the Command Line setting:

signtool sign /f MyCertificatePath\mycert.pfx /p mypassword /t http://timestamp.comodoca.com/authenticode /v $(TargetPath)

Explanation of makecert command:

-sv Specifies the private key file.

-n Specifies the certificate name.

-len Generated key length, in bits. This StackOverflow answer indicates that Microsoft released an update blocking certificates with keys under 1024 bits long.

-r Specifies self-signed, i.e. not a root certificate.