I installed Dapper Drake on a new laptop (vista is still in its wrapper).

It does mostly what I want, but I can't figure out how sound works.
The laptop controls say that the sound is muted, but I still hear sound.

Some applications seem to have independent control over the built-in
speakers. When I play DVDs the sound is too soft. When I play games
the sound is too loud.

Is there a system tool that can override the individual programs'
control over my speakers?