Sound Troubleshooting in XP
Sound Troubleshooting in XP:
General:
Usually, people lose sound because of driver corruption (malware/viruses or user error) or after doing an operating system re-install. Of course, sound chip failure is also a possibility.
The following suggestions may help identify the problem area to aid in getting it back. Users should use a program like Everest or Aida32 or Belarc or even using the Windows System Information data.
The key thing is to clearly identify:
Make and model of computer (if a manufactured model)
Make and model of motherboard and/or chipsets installed
Add-on devices (has a sound card been added or is the onboard sound used or is there only an add-on card)
Sound devices/drivers/codecs listed in Device Manager and Add/Remove programs
Checks:
Check the motherboard bios to ensure sound is enabled.
Check Start, All Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, Volume Control to ensure no 'mute' box is ticked and volume sliders are at maximum.
Check Start, Control panel, Administrative Tools, Services for the Windows Audio entry and ensure it isa set to automatic and is started.
Check Start, Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices, Speaker Volume to ensure speakers volume is maximum and then check Advanced to ensure speaker setup is right.
Check Start, Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices, Audio - make sure a default device is entered for Sound Playback and for Midi Music Playback.
Check Start, Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices, Hardware - click on the cd/dvd and make sure it is enabled then look at properties - properties to make sure the cd/dvd isn't muted and the sound volume is at maximum.
Check Start, Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices, Hardware - there should be an Audio Codecs entry and an entry for the Audio Controller.
The audio codecs can be further explored by clicking properties - properties. A number of codecs may be displayed. It may be useful to select the Microsoft codecs
one at a time and click properties and re-number them 1-5 such that they are the default codes. Make a note of the original sequence of priority so you can return to the original later if you want to.
The audio controller can be further explored by clicking properties. Make sure the device is enabled.
If you have done and recorded ALL the above, prior to seeking help, it then becomes easier to provide information that can be used to fix your problem.
note: maybe I missed something - feel free to add to it.
Yellow Question Marks IN Device Manager, hardware
Quote:
Originally Posted by
xpuser357
Also Start,Control panel,system,hardware,Device manager. and check for
any yellow round exclamation marks.
I was reading up on sound card problems because I recently had a "BLUE SCREEN" hard fault and after sending report to windows got a solution screen that indicated I could be having sound card problems! And last on the list was disable Sound card which is working fine, I think!
I went throught windows checks and found your web site and read your entry after checking everything on "CHECK" list above your entry as last resort and sure enough I found 4 YELLOW question marks, all under the heading "other devices" which has a ? in front of it and 3 ???s under it with a wierd symbol the best I can describe looks like a backwards "z" attached to a lower case b?
can I just erase these?
I tried to update driver but there is nothing to update to.
How can I find out what they go to?
Thnaks in advance for your help!
Oh, I am using windows XP and my sound card is a
Creative Audio PCI ES1371,ES1373 (WDM)
Other Devices Yellow marks
Hi,
I recently reformatted my PC and have failed to solve the ''No Sound'' problem. My other devices in Device Manages has 2 yellow marks on the following:
Multimedia Audio Controller
Video Controller (VGA Compatible)
I don't know what driver or update to use.
I used EVEREST to get the following details:
Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 3
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4 515, 2933 MHz (22 x 133)
Motherboard Name Unknown
Motherboard Chipset Intel Grantsdale-G i915GV
System Memory 503 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type Award Modular (08/26/04)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Printer Port (LPT1)
Display:
Video Adapter Intel GMA 900
3D Accelerator Intel GMA 900
Multimedia:
Audio Adapter Intel 82801FB ICH6 - AC'97 Audio Controller [B-2]
Storage:
IDE Controller Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 266F
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive ST380011A (80 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive TSSTcorp CDW/DVD TS-H492A (DVD:16x, CD:52x/32x/52x DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK
Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 26003 MB (18087 MB free)
D: (NTFS) 25501 MB (22080 MB free)
E: (NTFS) 24811 MB (15605 MB free)
Total Size 74.5 GB (54.5 GB free)
Input:
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse PS/2 Compatible Mouse
Network:
Network Adapter Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC (192.168.254.4)
DMI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ BIOS ]
BIOS Properties:
Vendor Award Software International, Inc.
Version 6.00 PG
Release Date 08/26/2004
Size 512 KB
Boot Devices Floppy Disk, Hard Disk, CD-ROM, ATAPI ZIP, LS-120
Capabilities Flash BIOS, Shadow BIOS, Selectable Boot, EDD, BBS
Supported Standards DMI, APM, ACPI, PnP
Expansion Capabilities PCI, USB
[ System ]
System Properties:
Wake-Up Type Power Switch
[ Motherboard ]
Motherboard Properties:
Manufacturer Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
Product 8GDM
[ Chassis ]
Chassis Properties:
Chassis Type Desktop Case
Thanks Guys!
windows virtual memory is too low
Hi wonder, i if you could help me with this please?
'windows virtual memory is too low' keeps appearing on my computer. Do you have ideas what i could do to increase my computers memory if needed? It can also run a little slow, do you no how i could increase the speed?
thank you
vikki
:-)