Soundcard exists; cannot set as default

I'm having a sound card issue that has not been covered in previous posts.

I replaced my old ECS board (which had IDT onboard audio) with an Intel DG35EC which has Realtek HD onboard audio. All the drivers on the Intel CD installed except for the Realtek which generated error messages during the InstallShield process.

The registry edit post (changing the CSD value to 200 and installing kb888111) didn't solve the problem. In order to get the Realtek driver to finally install, I had to do the following:

• 
  Disable the onboard audio in BIOS.

• Search and delete all keys, folders and strings listing the old IDT audio in the registry.

• Install the latest Realtek audio driver from Intel's website.

• Re-enable the onboard audio in BIOS.

At this point, the Realtek audio loads at startup and - if I run the audio test in the Realtek control panel only - I have sound. Hardware Profiles states Realtek Audio is installed, working properly and has an up-to-date driver. The problem is that, in Sounds and Audio Devices, it states there is no audio device and no playback device - as such, Windows Media Player won't work.

I've attached an Everest Report and a screen shot of the hardware/driver profile. If anyone has an idea on how to fix this (short of doing a complete repair or reinstall of XP) it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Wait,Wait,you try to tell us that you replace mobo without reinstall Windows?
If you did this,did you uninstall previous drivers from your old mobo(I mean every driver).

 

G'day gman. I posted this and then saw you were in better hands, so you might not need this.

Not an expert on this, but I've had advice on sound problems lately, which I'll pass on in a tick, as it may help. In the meantime, I notice that your realtek driver isn't showing up in your Sound, Video and Game Controllers in your Everest listing.

The advice I have had is from Halo, who seems to make it a rule (at least in my minimal experience) that you should install your Chipset drivers first and then install your Audio drivers (even if you've already installed them some time before - and get them from teh same place). So, if you're hanging around waiting for some better advice, you might try that. I don't think you need to uninstall anything - just install over the top as a first option. I don't claim this will work... but while you're waiting, it can't hurt.

Also, I notice you don't seem to have an equivalent to my MPU-401 Compatible MIDI device there. I think you might need that to get Media Player to work, though I'm not sure. There are downloads everywhere for this.

Also, I guess you have checked that none of teh mute options are checked on your volume controls or on teh volume tab on Sounds and Audio Devices Properties...

 

I have upgraded boards in the past without a complete Windows reinstall (maybe I was just lucky until now:confused). Upon installing the new board, I went into "Add/Remove Programs" and uninstalled the IDT audio before attempting to install Realtek. All other drivers (chipset, HD Video, etc.) installed on the first try and are running fine.

After multiple failures at installing the Realtek driver (including the updated version on Intel's website), I ran CCleaner and RegScrub. Although both found registry errors, none were related to either IDT or Realtek. Using the search option in RegScrub, I discovered multiple keys and entries left from IDT which I manually deleted (and yes, I was careful enough to delete only items relating to IDT audio - not strings such as IdtcLuRecovery.)

I'm going to try the tips posted so far tomorrow (my day off ). If all else fails, I'll run a Windows repair and see what happens. I have a Ghost clone of the drive (old motherboard) and all files backed up on Carbonite just in case. I just hate having to go through the hassle of reactivating XP and reloading programs. :banghead