No freakin sound!!! Help please

Ok, here's what I know....

Win XP Pro
AC'97 Audio
AC'97 Audio enabled in BIOS
Asus P4R800 VM Motherboard
Audio integrated on-board
SoundMax set as default
SoundMax drivers NOT digitally signed
With drivers NOT installed no drivers detected necessary following scan w/Win Update site
EVERY single setting is correct on PC for using on-board audio
SoundMax drivers, when loaded, are most current available yet still nada



I have tried any and every fix/repair/re-install/settings check possible (well, as far as my knowledge will take me) and I STILL have no sound.

(For you wise-guys, yes the speakers are on AND connected to the PC using the proper port/jack so please don't go there )

Quick background info on prior use of this PC:
This comp was used in a music recording studio and therefore was using a specific soundcard for just that purpose. When we upgraded to a different machine and removed said soundcard from this PC no sound using the on-board audio can be had. I have checked everything possible and I have failed!

Please help someone, for the love of God can someone please help! :cry

Thanks

 

have you tried removing the software from add/remove programs? have you tried removing the drivers in device manger, rebooting and going from there? i'd at least start there, as well as d/l new software from either the m/b site, and/or the comp manufacturer site?

edit - did you uninstall the old software when you removed the audio card (you mentioned that the card was removed, you didn't mention the software)? - sos

 

sosaman...

Those suggestions were among the first things I did yet each yeilded zero in the way of results.

I currently have a generic Microsoft driver that's signed yet STILL have no sound.

 

By nada, do you mean the drivers do not show in device manager?

I would start with uninstalling SoundMax through Add/Remove Programs (if it shows there), then run CCleaner's Registry tool, then install your chipset drivers, and finally your audio driver.
After reboot, your PC may indicate that it has found new hardware and is looking for a driver. If you intend to do a complete reinstall of SoundMAX, Cancel out of this dialog, then double-click on setup.exe in the SoundMAX install package.

You can get your chipset and audio drivers here:
http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

And CCleaner here:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/CCleaner_Slim_No_Yahoo_Toolbar_English_d4191.html

 

musksnipe....

Been there, done that to no avail...

The way I figure it is that either I'm missing something completly obscure OR the sound on this board is kaput for whatever reason....

I have the CD the board came with and have not only reloaded the chipset but the sound drivers/software numerous times and still nothing....

I am completly unaware of the make of the prior sound card so I'm not sure where the software to unistall it is located if it indeed was never uninstalled. That and all the recording software plus additional software related to using with the main recording program/s (Sonar 3 - Producers Edition + there is a version of Pro Tools (Pro Tools LE) installed. I'm not sure if any of the software loaded takes priority control of the output of sound.

 

If there is another driver taking priority over your sound, It seems like it would be showing up as your default audio device in Control Panel>Sounds and Audio Devices. If you do not plan on using the studio software, I would go through your program files and uninstall anything that you don't want, need, or don't know what it is. (The last you could always start to see what it is)
You could also do a thorough reg cleaning to remove any possible left over entries that may be conflicting with this driver install.
I like RegSeeker for that kind of cleaning. Set a Restore Point before cleaning.
Run RegSeeker, click Clean the Registry, uncheck the box in front of ActiveX/COM(CLSID) and click OK. Wait for it to run through the registry.
Then click Select>Select All Green Items, click Action>Delete Selected Items, say Yes to Backup.
Then try a clean install of your driver.
You could also try to update the driver and point it towards the driver folder.
If none of that works it is possible that the sound chip may be trashed.

A last and desperate thing to try, would be to reinstall your OS.

 

musksnipe,

I'm already thinking along the lines that the sound chip is n.g. I just have no way to test or verify that thought.

The LAST thing I'm planning on doing is re-loading the OS. I'll just go purchase a sound card before I think of doing that as I have no intention of reformatting nor do I believe in re-loading over the OS as it is now.

All the research I've done over the last few days is pointing to a bad sound chip considering the current settings couldn't be more spot-on.

If anyone has any other suggestions I'm all ears....

 

Good for you. That's how a geek should think. That really wasn't a suggestion, that's why I worded it that way.
I haven't done much looking around for audio diagnostic software (it's on my to-do list) I don't even know if there is any out there that would tell you that your chip is bad.
Sound cards aren't that expensive, unless you go for one with all the bells and whistles.
Good luck.