Losing sound at Startup and Ingame

It's driving me nuts, mostly when I'm playing games, but It happens when I start-up too. When I log in, the little musical notes sometimes doesn't play all the way through and just sounds cut-off, then I have no sound. When I play games, and the sound quits on them, it's like it doesn't recognize that something is supposed to happen, there wont be any more text if someone is supposed to continue talking, or recognize a quest, stuff like that. In one game I have though Age of Wonders, I can go into the Sound menu and switch what kind of speakers I think it was, and the sound would come back, but I would have to do that tons of time because the sound would keep quitting.

I'm using Win98, not sure how to find out about sound cards and such...

Hello Tethryn; go through this checkout; http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000208.htm

None of it seems to have helped... T_T

Right click the little speaker icon in your Task bar, left click Adjust Audio properties, left click audio, under Sound playback left click advanced.

What is your selection for speakers there? Does it match what you have?

edit: I am using instructions here for XP - you may have to find similar routes for 98