sound not working

k. to start out im using xp.
i watched a movie and the sound worked perfect. then after i closed it i tried playing music. and it appeared to be playing but there was no sound. i tried a couple different music files and movie files on multiple media players and the sound didnt work at all. all my sound option are correct (as in nothing is muted and sound is all the way up). and i know my speakers work. im to the point that the only thing i can think of being wrong is the sound card itself. so basicly what i was wondering is if there is some kind of program or something that can tellme if it really is my sound card. or if its something else.

by the way.. sorry if this is the wrong section.

 

First, check that Windows Audio Service is started.
Go to Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services
Scroll down the list of services until you find the Windows Audio service.
Right click on it and choose Properties.
Make sure it is set to Automatic and Start is checked.

Then check in Device Manager to see if your audio driver is still OK.
Go to Start>Control Panel> System. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager, then click the plus sign in front of Sound, Video, Game Controllers.
In Device Manager, if there is a ? in front of your audio device, that means no audio driver is installed.
A ! means driver installation attempted but with problems.

If the driver is not kosher and your Windows Audio didn't need starting, attach a report from Everest
Post a make and model # if your PC is manufactured (Dell, Gateway, HP, etc.) or your motherboard ID, if it is a build. Or even better:
Use Everest to get a report of your system’s hardware, OS, and drivers. Upload the report as an attachment
Everest: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181
When Everest is done scanning, click "Report" at the top of the Everest window, click next to get to "Report Profile", select "Hardware related pages", click next, select "Plain Text", click "Finish". Then when it is done processing, click "Save To File". Save it where you want to. (I would use Desktop.)
Click "Go Advanced" in the MG reply box, scroll down a little way until you see "Manage Attachments", click it, browse to your file, click "Upload", and close the window.

Post what you saw in Device Manager along with th attachment.