Beginner Question: Create simple custom UI element?

[JDfromScrubs]

Hello all,

I'm new here and to learning about computers in general. Taking a Computer Science course, couple online classes, trying to self-educate, broaden my horizons, all that good stuff. Never had a computer of my own up until recently, so I'm pretty excited to learn anything and everything I can.

My question for you guys (and I apologize in advance if I posted this in the wrong place) is how would a novice such as myself go about creating a UI element attached to volume control?

For example, my laptop (or netbook, I should say--HP Mini 110-3030NR running Win7 Starter x32) has three built-in volume keys (which also function as F9-11 when the 'fn' key is held): one for decreasing the volume, another for increasing, and the third for toggling mute.

Now, these keys function well enough as they are, however, I was thinking how much more convenient it would be if I were able to make it so that the current volume appears on the screen briefly (at the bottom for a half-second or two, perhaps--something along the lines of how an iPhone's display behaves when the volume is adjusted or silent switch is toggled, just maybe not smack-dab in the middle of the screen, haha) whenever I decrease/increase volume (maybe also have some sort of 'cancel' symbol imposed over a 'speaker' symbol appear when I toggle the mute and have the speaker symbol appear by itself when mute is untoggled).

So, again, my question is, how would I begin going about creating a program or whatever you might call something like this to perform this function. I've seen other laptops with this functionality built in--mine doesn't have this obviously, but I'd like to do it myself.

Doesn't have to be anything fancy, either--I'm already running the OS at the 'ugliest' possible settings to compensate for the fact that my system doesn't exactly have a terrible amount of power/memory.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone might be able to offer!
--J.D.

[Celtboy]

Well, in whatever language you chose (.NET is a good start), you'd have need to either hook into the keybinding for that key, or hook into Windows Sound API and then display some type of HUD. Neither of which are exceptionally easy or appropriate for this forum (should be in programming).

Your other option would be to use something someone else has already created:
http://www.addictivetips.com/windows...r-for-windows/ for instance.