Audio Driver needed: mobo=Epox EP-4G4A

Hi-

I need an audio driver. I've searched and after reading other posts here that said that Everest gave them incorrect audio driver info I'm more confused.

I got a used non-functioning W2K system and after hours of work I got the graphics functioning, but I can't get the sound working.

From Everest: Motherboard Name Epox EP-4G4A(+)/4G4AI/4G4AN/4G4AP/4G4AR
Motherboard Chipset Intel Brookdale-G i845G

Audio Adapter Intel 82801DB ICH4 - AC'97 Audio Controller [A-1]

I've tried about 8 times to get on the mobo's website. I've Googled the adapter specs, and then the mobo all I can seem to find are sites that want to sell me software that tells me what drivers I need.

Do you need more info?

Please, help...

Thanks in advance!!
Rock

 

You may have mis-read those posts.
Everest reports what the sound device is, if a driver is intalled, but it reports what the Audio Controller is, if there is no driver.

This adapter (Audio Adapter Intel 82801DB ICH4 - AC'97 Audio Controller [A-1]) uses several different drivers and people see the AC'97 and automatically think they have a Realtek driver.
That is not always the case.

Anyway, looking up your motherboard specs, you DO have Realtek audio.
First you should install your motherboard chipset driver:
INF Update Utility - Primarily for Intel® 800 Series Chipsets
Then, install this audio driver:
Realtek AC'97 Drivers

 

Success! Thank you! Thank you!! THANK YOU!!!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate the help! And, by the way, Beaker was always my favorite muppet!

If you want to take a look and see why I'm SO grateful to you check out the link below. Warning: it's a HUGE post...I think that's why I didn't get quite what I needed. Then again, it may be because I asked dumb questions...I don't know.

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/XP-System-Hardware-Failure-t208481.html

 

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/signs088.gif
That's great! Glad to have helped you out.

That is pretty unbelievable (your link)
I can't believe no one asked to see an Everest or similar report, no one asked what was going on in Device manager, and they all sounded reasonably computer literate.
There were some pretty good posts there, but no one really asked questions that would help diagnose what was going on. They were trying to solve problems that really weren't diagnosed yet.

Anyway, if you do some searching around here or just read through some old threads with topics you are interested in, you will pick up a lot of good info. (This is where my first real bits of PC knowledge came from)

 

Hmm? Hopefully I didn't just double-post this. I clicked submit but it didn't post the first time.
==============

Sorry, musksnipe! I didn't mean to just disappear on you. By the time I read your last post I was exhausted and just sort of crashed. Yes, I plan on checking out more stuff here to see if I can learn more. As you can probably see I'm not a complete idiot (more of an incomplete idiot ) but I'm not the brightest guy either. I'm a pretty decent (self-taught) mechanical engineer/designer but not so much with computers...yet.

My next step with this W2K machine is to get the USB ports working. I've tried to use thumb drives to back up the drivers, etc. but it's not seeing them. I've had SO much trouble with the XP system that I want to keep everything (reasonably speaking) local just in case I can't get online.

I also need to see if I can find a post on here that tells me a little more about CPU temps. This box has a temp gauge and rotary pot to adjust the rpms of the cpu fan. It flucuates from 31C to 33.5C with the fan maxed.

Something I didn't mention in the XP post...the Kicker was that just before bringing it in the 3rd time, I had spent several hours moving data, mp3's (about 500), pictures, etc. from my old computer to the "new" one because I couldn't back it up to anything but floppies. I was then planning to back it all up to CD's. I even had to borrow a smallish thumb drive to copy the files because the old machine couldn't read the 1GB drive.

Another thing I didn't mention is that I had to download the ISO's to my mom's computer, burn 'em(x4) there then bring 'em back here.

I'm really glad you mentioned, "...no one really asked questions that would help diagnose what was going on." That's exactly what I was thinking. But I felt like I was annoying them with my questions. I stopped asking after I had turned this up from another forum, "As far as troubleshooting goes, the motherboard is pretty much a black box. Either it works, or it doesn't. And if it doesn't work, the solution is to get a new one. Without an intimate knowledge of how that specific motherboard functions, it's hard to figure out exactly what is wrong with it. You can kind of guess. For example, in your case, it could be a bad memory slot, or something relating to them. That would be my guess."

I remember way back to my first computer the builder ran Burn In. It would stress the system and report errors of the cpu (I've forgotten now, but there were at least two types of errors, one having to do with a math co-processor). But it tested ram, monitor, etc. and gave a report.

Do you know of a bootable diagnostics software that would test the mobo?

Do you know of a a step by step guide to setting up a new computer? I mean, I didn't even know that the chipsets were programable. I thought they were ROM and not "flashable" if that's the right word. I thought those were factory set.

One last question, at least for now, how/where did you find info to match-up the mobo specs and the drivers?

I hope all that doesn't sound like whining. I really was trying to let you know what I went through just so I could say, !!!THANK YOU!!! again.

Best,
Rock

 

Those temps are fine, if they are the CPU temps. They are also good, if just the ambient temp inside the box. Normally, CPU temps above 50° C should start you looking for reasons why. (That is still within a safe temp)
My wife's CPU runs 55°-57° C under load, which appears normal for her quad-core, because it drops back into the mid 30's with normal usage.
PC Wizard will give you real-time temps and can also run some benchmark tests.
|MG| HWMonitor 1.1.0 will also give you high, low, and now temps.

|MG| Burn In 2008 1.0

Not really, I use the ones that came with my HP, but that might make a great thread in the Software Forum.

Any forum worth being a member of will answer any and as many questions needed to satisfy you. I have seen some very noobish questions answered here without any hesitation. (Some may have been mine.) LOL

I usually ask for an Everest report, which gives a lot of info. (PC Wizard is more detailed, but I have gotten used to reading Everest.)
The motherboard manufacturer home page usually will have the drivers for the board or if it is an OEM PC (Dell, HP, etc you can find the drivers listed for that model)
Everest Free Edition
In your case, I just searched for your PC and found the spec/download page.
http://www.epox.com/USA/search.asp

 

That's great to know it's running well within the limits. Right now it's actually higher than I've seen it before at 36C. Oh, how did you get the degree symbol in your post...ascii, html?

Cool. I start one over there.

I'm not sure what happened. I couldn't get epox.com to load on either machine (win98,w2k). I was thinking they may have gone out business.

Please correct me if I'm using the wrong word here, but do you need to "flash" the chipsets everytime you format a hard drive or build a new system? And/or what causes them to lose their programing...voltage spikes? In this case, what were the symptoms that indicated to you that they were in need of flashing?

 

LOL @ascii, HTML. I'm not that creative.
Character Map in Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools. I have mine pinned to the Start Menu.

I Googled Epox and they were at the top of the list:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Epox...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
I actually got your chipset driver from Intel. I just wanted to know what was in your PC.

You're not actually flashing the chips, it is a driver like any other.
Yes, you do need to load the chipset drivers on new builds, replaced HDD's, newly installed OS's.
The chipset driver allows the motherboard hardware to be identified and used.
The driver can corrupt just like any other. It can be from a bad spot on the HDD, voltage spike, malware, improper shutdown, etc.

There were no symptoms. It is just a good policy for those of us recommending drivers, to start with the chipset first as a "just in case".
Kind of like making sure you have gas and spark, before ripping a car engine apart because it won't start.