HELP... Living in a world of silence!

[Flatlander Fox]

I am not the most computer savy guy, but I can troubleshoot pretty well, and this problem has me mystified.


The Problem: No sound. None, zero. But my devices say that everything is working fine. I have used the troubleshooting procedures outlined in my computer, but nothing is helping.

HELP!

 

[Ohwell]

Hmm, that happened with my old computer. It sucks, doesn't it

You might not want to hear it, but that computer..... died....

My help is pure worthlessness, but someone with more experience could surely help you.

 

[Lucky]

For better help I´d need more information!
- brand of soundcard, type of it (e.g. is it PnP or not, ISA or PCI ...)
- OS
- soundcard driver versions
- type of connected speakers
- more info you can give about the problem

A few things to check:

Speaker problems:
- Is the speaker cable connected to the correct output?
- Is the speaker cable working at all? Check with a common stereo system or simply a CD-player, walkman, discman. Just connect the speakers via the headphones port.
- Is the speaker power cable working properly? (Most speakers have some kind of LED to show the on/off status.

Soundcard/software problems:
- Is the soundcard working at all? Connect a headphone to an output port and try it.
Under Windoze you can check whether you soundcard is working in the speaker menu in the taskbar. Run a sound, if the column in Play Control shows a volume level, then it´s a problem with the speakers.
- Check the System Properties in the Control Panel to see if your soundcard is having a hardware conflict with another device! (yellow exclamation mark)
- Check the Multimedia settings in the Control Panel to see whether your soundcard is selected and enabled!
- Check the volume levels in Play Control!


More in depth help is only possible with more information, but sometimes the problem is one of these simple things.

 

[GaryNemo]

I had decided to reply when I saw the title. I now see you guys are talking about something else. Anyway...

Living in a world of silence is preferable. No stereo, no sound card. It is conducive to focus of the mind. My children were raised initially in silence, occasional stereo or TV. Mostly talking with their Mom & me, we reading books to them, and so on. They did their little projects, played amd talked with other children, and learned quickly to converse with adults. From silence, they learned to concentrate, think, analyze, and turned out fine.

 

[anarchywrksbest]

This happened to me once, my cure: make sure the speaker cables are plugged into the correct sockets! Sounds stupid but sometime it is very simple

I had the output in the input and vice-versa

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

This happened once to me. CHECK YOUR SOUNDCARD!! And if possible, swap in a new sound card temporarily just to check. My soundcard got fried somehow and it didn't even appear that way.

Also check your mute button

 

[Lostman]

I agree with lucky. need more info.

BUT if you just upgraded to WinXP and have a Soundblaster, get the patch.

 

[Flatlander Fox]

O.k. back with more info, after a few busy days.

My soundcard is a built in model, the ESS Allegro. I have another device in the sound area, called the I DO have a hardware conflict, called the MPU 401 Comaptible MDI device.

The problem is that whenever I attempt to remove either of the devices, or install the new drivers, the conflict JUMPS to the other device. Right now my conflict is with the Allegro, when I go through and remove and install, it will be with the MPU device.

ARG!

Not sure how I can fix this problem... i have tried all of the troubleshooting procedures I can think of.

Gonzo, how can I check my soundcard if it is a built in thing?

 

[Perfection]

Did you get a driver disk with your computer, If you did try reinstalling the driver

 

[Lucky]

If driver conflicts aren´t solved with uninstalling one device (don´t know why though) then you should try to assign the resources manually.
The last tab in the card configuration gives you that possibility and when manually assigning something also tells you if something is wrong.
Try only to change the IRQ to an unused one.

Another possibility is to remove BOTH device and reinstall them. I´m guessing that both devices are on-board and that you haven´t installed an additional MIDI device.

 

[Perfection]

Smash it with a hammer

It won't make it wwork but you'll fell better