Sound Problems

[nightmarewalkin]

I recently reformatted the hard drive on a compaq presario model 5BW251. The orginal o/s was Windows Millenium and I am now running windows 98se. After the install I loaded my video driver, directx 8.1 and my sound card driver which is an ESS Allegro PCI Audio WDM. I got the last updated driver from the Compaq website. After I d/l'd the driver and resarted the machine, the sound worked fine. I then d/l'd my anti-virus software and rebooted the machine. Guess what? No more sound.

My cd player works and the sound is great but I have no sound icon on the taskbar and I cannot adjust the audio properties in the multimedia properties via the control panel.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Star_Splitter87]

Very strange....

Ok, the simplist answer is often times the correct one. Make sure the speakers are hooked up in the back and to each other. Make sure they have power. Make sure inside your computer the sound card is properly placed, in the right place, secure, ect....

OK, if the above is not the problem:

I sujjest uninstalling your virus program and rebooting. Check on the box, or whatever you got your virus program with, if it is compatible with 98se and not just Millienum. Often times programs for other versions of Windows "throw a fit" and make "a mess". lol...

that is all i can think of right now.

[nightmarewalkin]

Hey! A sense of humor. I think I'm gonna like you! LOL

I had already uninstalled the anti-virus software before I wrote the last post as I figured "since the sound worked before it was installed then ....etc.'

Here's some info that may be helpful. My ISP is AOL. AOL offers an answering service, which I have elected to have, and this afternoon while on the net, someone tried calling. Everything came up as usual and after the message is left I have the option to listen to it via media player(aol's version). The player popped up and when it began to play I got an error message that said something to the effect that "the sound card is already operating"? or close to that. Maybe that information could help.

Oh....and as for the loose nut ..... yup, I'm between the seat and the keyboard. LOL I liked that saying :)

Any other help or suggestions would be appreciated. I thought about uninstalling the drivers and trying to install them again but I'm not quite sure on how that should be done or if it can.

Rob

[Star_Splitter87]

lol...i always try to have a sense of humor...though sometimes no one gets it. I guess i'd like to be the female Chandler from Friends...though he is WAY funnier.

ANYWAYS...sense it is giving you that sort of error i think deleting the drivers and removing the card should do it. (in that order). Then replace the card and MAYBE after reinstalling the drivers it MIGHT work. I'm not too experienced with sound cards, but starting fresh should do it. Worst case sennerio is that your computer has a heart attack and locks up, in which case just replace the card while it is shut down.

Personal Note: American Online is simply a fancy internet. Your paying way too much for something that sends you to the same thing i'm using. Also, AOL has ALOT of problems messing up computers. Microsoft and AOL don't like each other and in some case they get into software fights and leave a HUGE mess. Just use regular and you will NEVER have AOL problems again. Trust me...AOL is the BIGGEST rip off i have ever seen in my life and my mom is a systems analyst and agrees fully.

I've given you all i can about your problem. If still no sound...perhaps the sound card is SPECIFICLY for Millienum and cannot go down...which makes sense because alot of cards have hissy fits if their room is painted different. I'll look it up on the internet and find out and post back. You'll probably see both when you return online.

[Star_Splitter87]

OK....ESS Allegro PCI Audio WDM is compadible with Windows 98
That is correct. I went to the sound card compadible site and it did not say Millienum OR 98 Second Edition, simply 98. I don't know if it is compadiblity or perhaps it is conflicting. I read that 98 and 98se are the same, but instead of posting hole updates they simply fixed it and re-released it. Just try reinstalling the drivers and see where that gets you. WARNING: leave your anti-virus thingy. If we get this working i don't want your program screwing it up again. Better have it there first so that if it screws up we know who to blame :D.

Post back and i'll try to check it at least twice tomorrow, though me and my mom are clearing out the garuage and it is going to take FOREVER...

Goodluck

[Murf]

Your anti-virus software should not have anything to do with the sound. You say you are getting sound through the CD so the Sound Card is Working.

"My cd player works and the sound is great but I have no sound icon on the taskbar and I cannot adjust the audio properties in the multimedia properties via the control panel"

So it is not the drivers or the card.


no sound icon on the taskbar

Open the Control panel

Open the "Multimedia" icon.

Check the checkbox for "Show volume control on the taskbar". If this section is grayed out attempt to change the Playback "Preferred device" by clicking the down arrow and changing to an alternate selection is also grayed out skip to the next section of this document.

If you were able to check this box click ok and close out of this window and the Control Panel.

Double-click the sound icon in the systray and verify that all the sound volumes are mid-way or higher.

Then open it up and make sure nothing is muted.

[nightmarewalkin]

Thanks for the advice. Actually I'm quite amused by the thought of two women cleaning out a garage. Ha ha j/k. I'll see what damage I can do by uninstalling everything and taking out the guts then tell ya whats up. I have only one concern. Being that it's a Compaq Presario I'm hoping the sound card isn't integrated. I'll look that info up just in case. If so perhaps I'll drink a few beers and cry like a baby or something constructive like that.

Again, thanks for your help

Rob

P.S. Thank Mom for me too :)

[Murf]

See My Post Above

[nightmarewalkin]

Murf....

When I open the multimedia properties in the control panel the lil box that sits there under the 'audio' tab is completely unnobtainable to a gerbil like me. In other words I cannot check the lil box that says "show icon on taskbar". As a matter of fact it's already checked. My point is that when I view the 'audio tab' everything is like blanked out or something.

Thanks for your help though. Any other suggestions would be appreciated

Rob

[nightmarewalkin]

Check the checkbox for "Show volume control on the taskbar". If this section is grayed out attempt to change the Playback "Preferred device" by clicking the down arrow and changing to an alternate selection is also grayed out skip to the next section of this document.

If you were able to check this box click ok and close out of this window and the Control Panel.

Double-click the sound icon in the systray and verify that all the sound volumes are mid-way or higher.

Then open it up and make sure nothing is muted.

__________________


Murf. Thanks for the info. I hope that you're referring to your link when y ou say "skip to the next section of this document" because I cannot change the preferred device either

Thanks Rob

[Murf]

OK,

Do this:

START | SETTINGS | CONTROL PANEL

Double click on ADD/REMOVE Programs

Click on Windows SETUP

Uncheck the box MULTIMEDIA

Now hit Next or remove (I forgot been awhile since I ran "98") you want to uninstall it.

When that is done reboot, now go back and check the box to reinstall. You will need the Windows 98 CD when you reinstall.

Let us know.

[Star_Splitter87]

lol Nightmarewalkin....my mom didn't suggest anything. That was just me thinkin'. She's more of the kind that she can't really explain HOW she fixes things, she just can. I'm more of, I can usually do both. However, listen to the senior members as I haven't really had any experience with sound cards. I just thought I could help because you had posted forever ago and no one had even viewed your problem. Hope I was some help.

Later,
Sathria

[nightmarewalkin]

Murf,

I did what you suggested and after the re-instal things were still the same. Is there anything else I can possibly do?

Rob

[nightmarewalkin]

Here's one little tad of info I got from reading someone else's post on sound problems.


I d/l'd "Sound card detector" and it detects my midi device but doesn't detect a sound card. is there anything else I can do?

Rob

[nightmarewalkin]

Errrrr correction. It detected the midi device but didn't detect a wav device.

Rob

[Star_Splitter87]

OK, lets work backwards:

1.) Not a problem with sound card compadibility
2.) Not a problem with driver compadibility
3.) Not a problem with Virus Protection Program
4.) All wires and connections correct.
5.) Speakers actually turned on.
6.) Speakers actually plugged in.

That is what we do know isn't the problem.

So...what is?

[nightmarewalkin]

Eureka!

Finally the sound works correctly. I reformatted once again and installed the sound drivers last .....even after all the critical windows os system updates. Seems to be working fine now. It seemed like I had to install and load everything in a specific order...eh, who knows right? :)

Thanks for ya'lls helpful suggestions and time looking at this problem.

Rob