Whenever you see the speaker icon
there is a short audio sample available. To listen to these samples you will need a computer with a sound card and the Realplayer software, which is available for free.
If you do not already have Realplayer installed, it may be downloaded for free. If you have a computer which is running Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98, 2000 or NT4 simply follow these instructions:
If you have any other operating system you might find the advice published by the BBC helpful. BBC step-by-step instructions for installing RealPlayer.
You must have a functioning sound card. If you are unsure then test it with another application to make sure that it is working properly.
If your computer runs Windows, look for the presence of a speaker icon in the system tray at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. It should look like one of these:
| Windows XP | ![]() |
| Other versions of Windows | ![]() |
If you do not see this then check your sound card is connected and the drivers have been installed.
On most desktop computers the speakers or headphones must be connected to a socket on the back of the computer. There may also be a headphone socket on the front, by the CD/DVD player, but this will generally not give audio output for anything other than CDs/DVDs.
For windows users, double click on the speaker icon in the system tray at the bottom right hand corner of the screen:
| Windows XP | ![]() |
| Other versions of Windows | ![]() |
A mixer screen should appear which will look similar to this:
Make sure that none of the boxes marked 'Mute' are ticked, and that the volume sliders under 'Volume Control' and 'Wave' are turned up.
If you have updated your web browser since you last installed RealPlayer or installed RealPlayer some time ago then follow the instructions above to reinstall RealPlayer. This will ensure that you have the latest version and that it will work with your web browser.