If you’re unable to hear the sounds from your computer—or if you simply don’t want to—you can set up a visual cue such as a flash where a sound would normally be played. You can also set captions to be displayed by programs that normally signal an event with a sound. However, not all programs support the caption alternatives, so you won’t always see the captions displayed.
"Using Alternative Ways of Working" for information about other methods of customizing the way Windows works.