Soundcard

[david and julie]

I have lost all sound from my computer, I didn't do anything, it happened on it's own. A friend as had a look and thinks the sound card is faulty.

Is this something I could replace or should I take it to a computer repair shop.

The computer is a desk top and is giving no other problems apart from this.

I must add that I know nothing about the inside of a computer.

 

[Igorian]

Always possible. Is it a branded machine or a mongrel? If branded, can you supply the make & model, approximate age and your operating system. Can you determine if the soundcard is a separate module plugged into a slot or if it's integral to the motherboard?
At what point did you notice the absence of sound?

I know you said nothing has changed and these checks may seem dumb, but check

1) Speakers work?
2) All cables intact and correctly placed?
3) Has sound been muted? (possible speaker icon with a crossbar through it in the taskbar at the bottom right of screen)

 

[david and julie]

Hi Igorian

Yes it is a mongrel it was made for me by a neighbour who used to own a computer shop. I could ask him but I think he gets fed up with the neighbours always asking, so I only do it as a last resort.

The sound disappeared about a month ago for no apparent reason.

The speakers connect to the back via a jack plug. the unit will not play stored (downloaded) music, if I take out the jack plug and put it in the CD player on the front the speakers work OK.

If I burn stored music onto CD they play OK on other players.

All the connections seem OK I have removed them all, blown them and put them back.

I am using windows 98 with the upgrades (second edition?)I used to have XP but didn't like it.(Long before this problem)

I have looked in system properties I hope this will help you, it says...

AMD athlon 2400 71% free, it also says sound card installed and working OK (?) would this mean anything to you ... viaAC97 audio controller(wdm)

The icon you mention (near the clock?) is not even on the screen, to be honest I don't know if it ever was. Should it be there or can it be deleted by mistake?

The machine is about 4 or 5 years old now, but was upgraded for memory last year, it as had hardly any use all it's life. We use a newer laptop for day to day use, this machine is only really used for music so it would not really pay me to replace it.

I did look in the casing and the jack plug seems to go into a PCB.

Any help is really appreciated

Cheers, Dave

 

[breezer]

asuming you have windows try this

start>settings>control panel>sounds/audio devices>volume

make sure volume mute is not checked,


you could also check the other tabs for "mute" too

 

[kendor]

another thing check that the card is seated properly in it's slot inside

 

[Igorian]

Unusual not to see the volume controls in the taskbar on 98.
Try Click the start button, then programs, then accessories, then entertainment and then volume control. Check that none of the controls are muted. If there is no volume control, come back again.

When you say the jack was part of a PCB, is the PCB a separate card plugged into a (white) slot, or part of the main board (where the memory and CPU are connected)

 

[david and julie]

Thanks for all your suggestions

I have to go out today, but will try all the above later when I get back.

Igorian..... If need be I will remove the casing and have a look inside.

I will report back later and let you all know how I go on. There is definately no speaker icon on the sreen.

Once again thanks very much. Dave

 

[Igorian]

Cool. While your inside the box, look for a model number on the motherboard. It could be anywhere, but 'hidden' between the PCI slots (white) is a favourite.

 

[david and julie]

I have tried the above suggestions when I get to volume control it won't let me access anything, I click but nothing happens.

Igorian... there are 3 sockets together on the back they green, blue and pink. they connect to a brown plastic block inside the casing. it says fullcom there are no numbers on it. It appears to part of a PCB which is about 15"x18" with other parts on it.

Unfortunately I missed your last post and have put the casing back together, I will open it later and look for any ID.

I am on my lap top at the moment, would it be better if I left the casing off so you could ask me anything?

Cheers David

 

[Igorian]

No volume control means sound card/drivers are disabled/not installed/not working (Yes, very broadband!)

Has anything else changed, such as the date or time? I noted that you say the machine is 4/5 years old. This could mean that the battery CMOS battery is weak. This can show up as corrupt/default BIOS settings or the machine just playing dead.

From what you say, the sound module is integral to the motherboard, so the board number would be handy.

Re-start the machine and watch carefully for a message at the bottom of the screen that says something like 'Press <DEL> to enter setup'

Press the delete key when you see this message and wait for the menu.

Scan through the menus for a setting that says 'Onboard Audio' or similar. It might be under the advanced chipset menu or Peripherals and Feature setup. This should be set to enabled. If not, use the relevant keys listed to set it to enabled. Press escape to return to the top menu. If you have changed the setting, press F10 to save and exit, otherwise press escape to exit and not save.

Next, Restart machine to Windows. Right click on My Computer and click on properties. Click the device manager tab and expand the sound, video and game controllers folder. Anything look strange, like a question mark or cross against any of the listed values. Click on the properties for each to see if there any conflicts.

Finally, have you got a disk containing driver?

It's a bit long winded, but without actually seeing the machine...

 

[david and julie]

I have opened the casing the only numbers I can see are these.....

Codegen ATX 2.03 (P4) model 300xx

There is also a bar code with the following on it....

2B4039 07603

There are other very long numbers and bar codes but I think they are on and refer to individual parts.

I think I may have the wrong driver, I am trying to download one but the site is always busy.

I went into the set up utility as you said it says.......

AC97 Audio (auto) It also said disable but it is auto that is on.

I think it might be beyond me!!!!!!

 

[Igorian]

Codegen ATX 2.03 (P4) model 300xx

This is the model number of the case. Look on the BIG PCB for a number.

I think I may have the wrong driver, I am trying to download one but the site is always busy.

Have you changed the driver recently? Thought it just stopped working? If you can find the motherboard model number, you can get the driver from that site.

 

[david and julie]

The bar code and 2B4039 07603 are on the big PCB

No I haven't changed or done anything the problem came on its own.

When I went into the set up I found AC97auto enabled as you said. However when I went into the properties it said the driver fitted was for XP and not 98 as I said earlier I had XP originally,I had problems and went back to 98. That was last year and everything was OK until last month. I have not noticed any other problems, but I only use it for music so don't know really.

Am I looking at the wrong numbers on the PCB?

I have been trying the advance site for another driver but am having no luck, it seems to be busy.

Hope you guy's are patient coz I'm not the best with computers!

 

[david and julie]

The model is Gigabyte GA7DXE.

Whenever I try media player it says....

Cannot play back audio stream no audio hardware is available or the hardware is not responding.

I have also looked in the microsoft registration and it says no soundcard installed.

I have read that I need to install a VIA chipset driver first then a VIA AC97 PCI sound driver, thats all double dutch to me.

I am still trying to download the above without much luck.

Why do computers do odd things sometimes? I am the only person to use it and haven't touched anything!

 

[Igorian]

Ok, you can download the drivers from here and the motherboard manual from here

You will see both the chipset & audio drivers are listed. The chipset drivers apply patches to allow windows to correctly interpret the additional features particular to the VIA chipset on your board.

Let us know how it goes.