Distorted sound not speaker related

I am running Windows XP, SP2. I am getting distorted sound from my computer when I play music or any sort of audio. I bought new speakers but the problem is still there. I have "Legacy Audio Drivers", and when I tried to update the driver .in device manager I then got no sound at all, so I rolled back the driver. I also have Intel Audio Contoller. I tried adjusting the volume control and that didn't work either. Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

Bad Sound controller. Try getting a PCI sound card if you are able to, and disable onboard sound, and see if the same happens with it. BTW, what are the system Specs, along with hardware model/manufacturer of the machine?

 

I have an ASUS P4 CPU 1700MHz, 1.72GHz, 512MB of RAM. An intel(r) 82801BA/BAM AC'97 Audio Controller. When I try to update the ndriver it says, "This device cannot start code 10." Is it hard to install a sound card or am I better off taking my machine in for service?

 

Is this a OEM machine, or a system you built yourself? Since the Intel AC'97 is mostly a OEM onboard sound controller, going with a PCI Sound Controller would work better.

 

I bought the computer from a shop that builds systems on site. So would I install a new sound card and disable the nIntel audio controller?

 

Yes. You would disable the onboard in the Bios. Also, check with Asus, and make sure that you have the proper drivers installed, and stay away from Microsoft's "Legacy" drivers. You can get to the Asus site at http://usa.asus.com/index.aspx Find out what is the specific model of the Asus motherboard (either look on the board itself, or may be on the sales slip from the builder).