Sound Not Working

I have checked all the connections, I have made sure that the mute button is not checked, but to no avail. The sound is not working at all. Even when my computer cranks up it does not make the usual sounds. Please help.

 

More info please PC make/model, sound card make/model, is it on board sound or a seperate PCI sound card, etc.... post more info and we'll do our best

hopperdave2000

 

Compaq, Windows 2000.

The other questions are over my head. Please let me know where to go find the info and I will do so.

 

Go into the device manager and click on the plus sign next to Sound, Video, and Game Controllers. If there's no plus sign and some exclamation points or questions marks are there, then the driver is not loaded correctly. To get to device manager: Right click My Computer > Properties > Hardware or Device Manager. Or you can go into the control panel and click on System, then click on the Hardware tab or the Device Manger tab.

 

Went to Device Manager and clicked on the + sign and 6 other options dropped down
Audio Codecs
Legacy Audio Drivers
Legacy Video Capture Devices
Media Control Devices
SoundMax Integrated Digital Audio
Video Codecs

I don't know if this is the answer, but it is what I found when I clicked on the + sign.

 

OK- you have on board SoundMax audio and it looks like the drivers are installed correctly. BUT- SoundMax can be real pain. If it doesn't load right the first time, there's a chance it may NEVER work. I might be wrong but I've run into the same problem 3 or 4 times on different PC's. I worked on a Gateway awhile ago and I had to install a PCI sound card and disable the built-in SoundMax audio because SoundMax just would NOT work even though everything said it was OK. Try removing the driver (either thru Add/Remove programs in control panel or right click on SoundMax in the device manager and choose uninstall), and rebooting the PC and see if Windows re-installs it. Visit www.hp.com and go to the drivers page and download the current driver for your particular model of PC. Compaq and HP merged so hp.com is the place to get Compaq drivers. If you have a system driver CD, the sound drivers would be on there also. Download the sound drivers BEFORE uninstalling in the device manager!

hopperdave2000

 

I have seen quite a few occasions where the sound has stopped working and the fault lay in the speakers, not the pc. You can check this by substitution.
Even a an old earphone or pair of headphones will do, and an ipod cassette player to check the speakers.


Studio T

 

I do not have external speakers. Only have the built in factory ones. Hooper, if I do as you have suggested and it does not work will i be further in trouble? I do not want to seem an ingrate, but I also do not want to try and dig my self out of a hole.

My computer had sound yesterday. From Hooper's post, it seemed he thought I just installed the software. Just thought this might help the cause

 

If you had sound yesterday, and now you don't, something is probably muted or turned off, or the sound scheme has been changed. You mentioned built in factory speakers; built into what? The monitor? Go to Control Panel > Sounds or Multimedia and go thru every tab in there and make sure nothing is turned off or muted or turned down. I believe there's a hardware test you can run in there that will (hopefully) tell you what's going on. If you uninstall the driver as I mentioned above, you won't really be in a depper hole: you don't have sound now, so nothing would really change. If you download the driver from www.hp.com you'll at least have the driver to re-install if needed; and that's what you should do after after checking the Sound options in the Control Panel. Download and reinstall the driver. Your current driver may have become corrupt somehow- it happens....

hopperdave2000

 

Is your pc a laptop?
Or are the speakers built into the monitor, as Dave suggested?
If not why do you need connectons to built in speakers?

A recent case I was referring to had speakers built into the monitor. These had failed.
Dave's advice is sound (no pun intended), but only worth following if the hardware is actually working.

Try the test.

Studio T

 

Could y'all explain exactly what driver I need to install. I look to see if anything was muted as instructed and didn't find anything to be so.

Thanks.

 

Visit this link:
http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html?pageDisplay=drivers
Type your model number into the box, and click the little grey arrow right next to the box. You'll be asked which version of Windows you're using. Select the appropriate version. You'll then be shown a list of available drivers. You're looking for the SoundMAX driver. Download it and install it. The HP web site will provide instructions on how to install it. Usually, all you do is double click the file (usually named 'sp12345.exe').

hopperdave2000

 

There's also an Automatic Detection option, but I don't like using it: it's slow and prone to problems....

 

Start>search>typein

smwdm.sys

you should have several instances listed. The file size should be 489k

If the one in c:\winnt\system32\drivers is different in size from your backup ones, rename it smwdm.old and then copy in from the backup location.

You still havent told us about the speaker tests.

Studio T

 

Hi, I have had this problem and found when I went to control panel and checked Sound and audio devices my default settings were not soundMax. changed them all and no more problem. Why does this happen?

 

Beezneez, you may have installed a scanner or digital camera and found that your normal graphics file associations have been moved to some program that came with the scanner/camera.

It's the same for audio. If you have recently installed a joystick/gamer/mp3/dvd player................. Some extended browsers (e.g.ACDsee) also play sound and do this.

The price of control is eternal vigilance

Studio T

 

too true studio

 

I can not find my model number of my computer. The monitor says Dell, but the box(for lack of a better term) says Compaq Deskpro EN. I looked at the back, front, and both sides of the box and can not find where the model number is located.

To answer an earlier question my speaker is built in to the box.
Thanks

 

Then your model is a Compaq Deskpro EN. There may be a model in the PC BIOS. Enter the BIOS by pressing either F1, F2, F10, or Del repeatedly upon booting. PC's are all different and I'm not sure which key will get you into the BIOS. Alot of older compaqs used F10. I think if you press Tab right at the first screen (the big red COMPAQ) it should show what's going on 'behind' there and may show which key to press to enter BIOS (or Setup on some PC's).

hopperdave2000

 

I think we have been working at cross purposes here.


Hartsville is talking about the internal speaker for the motherboard, which produces, amongst other things boot beeps and windows sounds.

Hoperdave is talking about the integrated soundcard on the motherboard, feeding a 1/8th inch or 3.5 mm jack on the rear of the case.

Hartsville if you plug in a speaker or headphone to this socket you will get sound. If you open the case and make sure the internal speaker is still connected. I'm not sure if yours is mounted on the motherboard or connected via a two pin lead, which may have fallen off.

Studio T

 

I know that some older IBM Aptiva's had an internal speaker that did both the POST beeps and the Windows sounds. Of course, there was also an integrated sound card for external speakers, microphone, etc.... Maybe the Deskpro has the same setup? I'm gonna research this a bit and I'll post back what I find out....
Hartsville: is your PC a small desktop PC (horizontal position versus a tall tower) maybe black in color or is it a beige tower? This info will help me determine what we've been dealing with here. Also: if you could post what the main CPU is, that would also help. You'll find the processor info here- Right click on My Computer and click Properties; or Control Panel > System. The info should be right there, near the amount af memory in the PC. Or you can check the Device Manager under Processors, or better yet, download, install, and run Everest. Here's the link: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

hopperdave2000

 

Excerpt from the Compaq Deskpro EN Service Manual:

Resolving Audio Hardware Conflicts
Hardware conflicts occur when two or more peripheral devices contend for the same signal lines
or channels. Conflicts between the audio interface and another peripheral device may be due to
the settings of the base I/O addresses, interrupts, or DMA channels. The audio interface typically
has the following settings:
Item Setting
Base I/O address 220H
FM Synthesizer I/O address 388-38Bh
Interrupt IRQ 5
8-bit DMA Channel 1
To resolve hardware conflicts:
1. Change the hardware settings of your audio card or the peripheral card in your system if the
peripheral card is using the audio interface setting. You can change settings for integrated
audio using Computer Setup.
2. If you are unsure of the settings of the peripheral cards, you can isolate the source of the
problem by temporarily removing all cards and other essential cards such as the disk controller.
After that, add the cards back one at a time until the card that is causing the conflict is found.
Problem Possible Solution
Sound does not come out of
the speaker.
Software volume control is turned down in Microsoft Sound System
Control Panel, or CD-ROM volume control on the front or back of
the computer is turned down.
1. Click Start, then select Programs, Accessories, Multimedia,
Volume Control.
2. Turn the CD-ROM volume control knob on the front or back of the
computer to increase the volume.

Studio T

 

I still can not find out specifically what kind of computer I have. I downloaded Everest and it knows a bunch about my computer, but i do not know if it is exactly what y'all need to know or not. I plugged in earphones and still did not hear a sound.

Hooper my P.C. is a beige tower.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

OK- it's a beige tower. Run Everest and post what it tells you about the CPU: Penitum II? Pentium III? Celeron? Speed- 700mhz? 733mhz? Post the info 'cuz the HP web site classifies DeskPro's by CPU make and speed.

 

I have attatched the info you asked for.

 

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...riesId=96266&swLang=8&taskId=135&swEnvOID=181
This is the link to your PC's drivers. The ADI driver listed under Sound or Audio drivers is what you need. You should probably download and install the chipset software first. It's called Intel Chipset Support for Windows. It's wierd. There's a second chipset driver listed way down on the list under System Management, along with some diagnostic tools which may be of use to you also. You can download troubleshooting guides and manuals from this link: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...askId=135&prodTypeId=12454&prodSeriesId=96266
The stuff you need is the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth from the bottom. Three manuals (1st, 2nd, 3rd edition) and a trouble shooting guide. Check this stuff out, it may be very helpful!

hopperdave2000

BTW- The model number of your PC is Compaq DeskPro EN P733

 

I installed the drivers as instructed above. I can now hear the "beeps" as I double click on something or when the computer asks if you want to save a file named the same as one you have already saved.

However, I can not hear media files and the volume bar is gone from my desktop and I can not for the life of figure out my next step.

 

Go into the Control Panel and under Sounds and Multimedia you'll have the option of showing the little speaker down by the clock for adjusting volume. If the box is checked, uncheck it and click Apply, then re-check it and hit Apply. Now, look at Sound Schemes; if anything other than Windows Default is listed, or nothing is listed, click the downward pointing arrow and select Windows Default and again click Apply. Now, look at the little white window that shows a list of different sounds, select one (make sure the volume is up about half way or a bit more) and then click the arrow pointing left and you should hear some sound.

hopperdave2000

 

When i go to Control Panel-Sounds Multimedia I can not click on the box for showing the speaker. I clicked on all the availabe tabs on that screen and none of them allowed me to click on the box that would let me uncheck the volume bar option.

 

I'm about out of ideas here: uninstall the current sound driver by using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, reboot, and install the driver downloaded from the link I provided above. If the sound driver is not listed in the Control Panel, go to the Device Manager, right click the sound driver, and choose uninstall, reboot, and reload the driver from the link above. If none of this works, there's something deeper going on. Try a PCI sound card; you can get a used one at a computer shop for about $10-$15. Be sure it comes with a driver for your version of Windows! And be sure to disable your current sound controller before installing the card.

hopperdave2000

 

Hooper,

I forgot to mention that the Intel Chipset Driver did not seem to install correctly. I originally did not mention it because I thought my sound was working. I have gone through the Install Wizard and it gets to a point where it wants a CD to complete the installation process. Potentialy my lack of computer knowledge is hamstringing me.

Thanks.

 

In explorer or my computer
right click on the cd drive
choose properties>hardware tab
highlight the Cd
choose properties
choose properties tab
make sure that the use digital audio box is ticked
click OK

You can also try the troubleshooter tab here.


Studio T

 

Studiot,

What Cd are you asking me to highlight?

Please help I am really frustrated at this point.

 

what ever Cd drive you have in your system and is listed in the centre box. there may be more than one.

Studio T

 

Up above you said that an Install Wizard is asking for a CD. What are you trying to install that asks for a CD? None of the drivers or chipset software should ask for a CD unless there's some missing (or misplaced) Windows system files. Another thought I had was to go into BIOS or Setup, and look for a setting that says something similar to 'PnP OS' or 'Plug and Play Operating System' or something similar. If it's enabled or set to Yes, disable it or switch it to No. This may the source of a hardware IRQ or resource conflict.

hopperdave2000

 

Studiot,
I may have messed up Hooper's instructions, but i have no CD.

Hooper,
I am only trying to Install the drivers as your earlier post suggests.

Please elaborate on how exactly to achieve your latest instructions.

Thanks.

 

In Device Manager I clicked on Other Devices-Multimedia Audio Controller. It says that this device is not working correctly and to re-install the driver. When I go to do so it asks me for a CD. I do not know if this is important but i figured it can not hurt to mention it.

 

OK- we're kind of back to step one here. When you power up the PC, press either F1, F2, Del, or F10 repeatedly. I think the older Compaq's are F10. This will get you into the BIOS (aka Setup). Sometimes Compaq BIOS are very limited; you're going to poke around looking for PnP OS or Plug and Play Operating System or something similar, and you want it set for No or Disabled. This will avoid a possible IRQ resource conflict. Be sure to save the changes to BIOS, exit and reboot to Windows. Using the link to the ADI sound driver I posted above, download the driver (if you haven't already). Now, install the driver by double-clicking on the file 'sp21180' and following the prompts. You should probably install the chipset software before the sound driver. If you have problems with the chipset software, post the errors. Now reboot after each driver install and you should have sound.

hopperdave2000

 

Oh yeah- your BIOS may not have the PnP option- if it does, disable it like I explained above. If double-clicking on sp21180 and following all the prompts and rebooting doesn't give you any sound, we'll try another different route.

 

Where it asks for a CD it also gives you a 'browse button' Use this as your files will be stored on your hard drive after download.

Studio T

 

Sound. I finally got the driver to install correctly and I automatically had sound. Thanks for y'alls patience and dilligence in helping me fix this problem.

Sincerely,

Wade P. O'Kelley

 

Yippee!!! (sound of applause and crowd going crazy)
I'm glad we could help! That's why we're here!
Happy computing

hopperdave2000 (sigh of relief )