Win. MX - No Sound Help.

[sociallyawkward]

I recenrly formatted my hard drive and reinstalled Windows XP. Now when it loads, it can't find the driver for the Multimedia Audio Controller.

I read a few forums, and they said my best bet was to look inside my PC for the manufacturer or my sound card device and then download a driver.

I've looked inside the PC, and copied down about 90 random number codes from different chip, but there's no sign of a soundcard manufacturer.

I've not a clue what to do next.

Any help appreciated,

Andrew.

[Garak]

what are the chips?

do you know what motherboard you have?
as much detail as possible please.

[confus-ed]

Try Belarc Advisor - Free Personal PC Audit (http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html) , I don't use it overly much as I usually recognise all the bits ;) (hopefully) but its very usefull for the non 'nerd' among us !! :) ... its a start in your 'quest' anyway .... it should give you a list of your hardware & installed software, run it & if you still aren't sure post the 'multimedia' section of its report up.

[artvandelay3]

I have the same problem as sociallyawkward. Recently I installed Windows XP and do not have any sound. I have tried many things, yet it detects no sound card. In Belarc, under the 'Multimedia' section, it lists 'audio device.'

[DocPC]

Belarc won't give any chipset unless they have been or are installed.

You need to look at the soundcard or motherboard for more hints.

[artvandelay3]

What information do you need? And where can I find these items? I'm not a computer expert, so bare with my ignorance.

[confus-ed]

Originally posted by DocPC
Belarc won't give any chipset unless they have been or are installed.

You need to look at the soundcard or motherboard for more hints.

Well you learn a new thing every day ... ta DOC for the 'correction' ;)

To identify the motherboard there's a big long number comes up in the (usually) bottom left corner like this
http://web.cuug.ab.ca/CUUGer/9909/PC_build/14_first_booted.jpg
(We want the 'long number' under where it says 'del to enter setup' - if either sociallyawkward or artvandelay3 post that- then that should help pin down the motherboard)

Any soundcard for both questioners might be either 'onboard' (part of the motherboard) or seperate (most likely PCI - that's the kind of 'slot' it attaches to), so we might need a visual inspection of what attaches to the motherboard - here's another piccy ...
http://www.ramelectronics.net/assets/images/slot-types.jpg
Brown slot is AGP - video connects to that, white slots are PCI, black slot ISA - like PCI but 'older'(a rubbish description but ok for here)

The location of any audio connectors also gives away whether the soundcard is onboard or seperate - if the connectors come from the 'purple bit' on the picture - most likely onboard, if from a card connected to either black or white slots seperate ...

We need to deduce what's connected, probably by elimination next for each questioner (this is one of those where a techie would just peer in the box & say you have blah, blah, blah connected) ... post up any associated 'numbers' (or names!) on any card with an audio 'type' connection (hopefully we don't need examples of them ?) & lets see if we can fathom whats plugged in ...

[sociallyawkward]

Hey, guys. Here's that information you asked for.

The number copied under 'Delete' on the screen when you first turn the PC on is:

06/13/2003-5i5651D6X686IXM4SC-00

I think. =s

And looking inside my PC, nothing is coming out of that purple box, although there is something in one of the green slots. The company name on that is Infineon.

[artvandelay3]

I could not find the motherboard info. I turned on and off my computer a few times, but could not locate the information. I did found out my sound card name. XpressAUDIO(TM) 16-bit Sound . I think that XpressAUDIO(TM) 16-bit Sound, since being a win 98 program, is compatible or upgradable with Win XP. Yet, I probably am wrong and do not an idea what to do next.

[confus-ed]

Originally posted by artvandelay3
I could not find the motherboard info. I turned on and off my computer a few times, but could not locate the information....

It comes up very quickly at boot (after the 'beep' that indicates sucessfull 'post', you need to press 'pause/break' on your keyboard at just the right time .... an alternative is to load CTbios (http://www.biosworld.com/ctbios.htm) .... (this gives more info too than a big fat 'stupid' number ! ;))

Your 'XpressAUDIO(TM) 16-bit Sound' is most probably a built in soundcard by 'cyrix' (these are in turn now owned by VIA both of whom are/were processor manufacturers but also design chipsets - however cyrix also made chipsets designed around another manufacturers chipsets SIS, before being bought out by VIA ) - so we still need to fathom who did it ! The only way I can see from here is to get the bios string & see if that helps ... (there are three different audio chips I think it could be) ...

This is only so much 'guesswork' though so far ... the bios ID will probably confirm it, I hope .... just confirm for me 'where' the audio connectors come out, from the 'purple bit' in my second piccy, or from another card ?

Can you also confirm just which O/S we are looking for drivers for ... ? 98 or xp ?

[confus-ed]

Originally posted by sociallyawkward
...And looking inside my PC, nothing is coming out of that purple box, although there is something in one of the green slots. The company name on that is Infineon.

Green ?!?! pressumably you meant to type white ? When you say 'nothing' - I'm looking for audio 'type' connectors, wherever the hey you have speaker outs - you are referring to that ?

Infineon are a 're-manufacturer' in other words they make stuff for other folks using their designs, so any more clues on that board ? Perhaps some lettering on chips starting CMI or maybe's AC96/97 whatever ?

FYI the bios string you posted 'looks' like its for an SIS 651 chipset (deduced from the bit you 'thought' you'd copied correctly '5i5651')?? methinks ...

[artvandelay3]

I am using Windows XP, but I cannot find out specific audio card specs because I have a laptop (Compaq Presario 1230). Recently, I downloaded X Audio Express through Driversguide.com, but whenever I reboot the computer and whenever XP locates new hardware, I cannot install the program because it says it cannot find the software to upload. First, I click on the install automatically (recommend) and it says "cannot find software" then I click on the specific tab and in the browse folder I put in the direct address C:\WINDOWS\inf., yet it still cannot locate the software.

[Garak]

Compaq / HP only support Win9x / WinME with this particular notebook, the most you could hope for is to reinstall the diagnostics partition and hope that it picks up the chipset (I know it does on my compaq) and locate the drivers that way.
Compaq Download Page for 1230 (http://www29.compaq.com/falco/sp_result.asp?Model=1969&Os=8)

There is no support for 2k nor XP

[artvandelay3]

According to the site http://www2.driverguide.com/uploads/uploads17/30425.html you can install it using XP. Could you please look over and in detail directed me how to install it.

[NooNoo]

Download it
Unzip it to a directory such as c:\sound
go into device manager and find the sound device and click on the driver tab to update the driver, pick your own driver and browse to the c:\sound directory and point to the MGXSB16.inf - when you get the list up select the "Creative Labs Soundblaster Plug and Play" Device

Reading this - its an NT driver - it should work, but XP will complain all the way and you will have to force the install.

[artvandelay3]

Noo Noo
I did everything as directed. I installed the program and open it in c:\sound. Under Device Manager I right click on the ? mark and hit update driver. I click on the 'install from a list (advance)' and under search for the best driver in these locations and under 'location' I type in c:\sound and expand the folder and the 'x audio' folder is the only folder there. I try to expand , but it will not let me. I try to explore the folder but it will not let me open the MGXSB16.inf part of the folder. AFter i cannot install using the 'search for devices' i choose the "don't search. I will choose the driver to install. AFter choosing this tab I look throughout the hardware available and cannot find the c:\sound. It lists different manafacturer and there available drivers. Also, there is all hardware, which i click. After all drivers are listed, i still cannot find the driver. Please help of poor, irritated man.

[NooNoo]

Did you install winzip and unzip it?

Can you see the individual files using windows explorer?

[artvandelay3]

I extracted all using the Windows Compressed (Zipped) Folders Extraction Wizard. Is that the same thing? And no whenver I use Windows Explorer I cannot find the folders.

[artvandelay3]

Yes, i can see the individual files whenever I open the folder. But whenver i point to file there is no "Creative Labs Soundblaster Plug and Play" Device . Also which one is the MGXSB16.inf because I have two. One is system information and the other is unknown (to me).

[NooNoo]

You want the one that is the system information file. When you point to this file, you should then get a choice of hardware to install in the next window - do you? if not, what does happen?

[artvandelay3]

Everytime I click update driver, the Hardware Wizard comes up. There are two options; 1)install automatically and 2)install from a list or specific location. Afterwards is where I get lost.

[NooNoo]

You want number 2, install from a specific location. That location is the c:\sound directory and the file to browse to is the MGXSB16.inf file

[artvandelay3]

If I select 2) then there are 2 more options. 1)search for the best driver in these locations; under this option there are two sub options; a)search removable media and b)include this location in the search, which also includes a browse tab. The 2)Don't search I will choose the driver to install. If i select 2) a big box with common hardware types appear. Show aull devices and a list of all hardware makes up the list, however; there is not a c:\ or a browse tab. SHould I remove hardware wizard?

[artvandelay3]

My problem is that whenever i try to open the xaudio file under the sound file, i cannot input MGXSB16.inf in file form. Basically I don't how to make MGXSB16.inf a file. Whenever i expand the sound folder, i come to xaudio....folder, i expand that folder and nothing happens.

[artvandelay3]

another thing is whenver i right click on MGXSB16.inf it opens with notepad. Should I change this? And if so, to what?

[artvandelay3]

I installed the program and it finally works! Sometimes, it takes an old bastard a little longer to figure easy stuff out.

[confus-ed]

Originally posted by artvandelay3
I installed the program and it finally works! Sometimes, it takes an old bastard a little longer to figure easy stuff out.

:D ... :thumbs: ... ahhh so that's why it takes me so long ... glad its fixed