Another No Sound Question, XP Home SP2

[Guest]

Hi, About 1 1/2 years ago I bought a new HP desktop withi Windows XP, SP2
installed. After set up, the speakers never did work, just thought it was me
and didn't worry about it. But just got a new flat panel monitor with
integrated speakers, would like to watch DVD's. My audio device is Realtec
AC97 (inboard) all indications are that it is enabled in BIOS, "use sound
with this device", finally got the speaker volume program running, no
problems or conflicts per device management, no mutes throughout, have
followed through each window, every tab for anything audio, checked
properties, looked at "advanced" options, used PC Doctor, gone through
Windows troubleshooting, looked at Kelly T's site, have uninstalled device
driver and let windows locate the "new" device and pull up driver for it (get
same thing back again.) I've read all the other suggestions for sound
problems and still I'm getting nowhere. There must still be something I'm
missing. And yes, the volume of the speakers themselves are turned up. Can
anyone offer any other suggestions to try? PS The driver is a "designed for
Windows" driver, current version.

 

[Jon Erlandson]

I suspect the problem is proper speaker configuration either in "sounds and
audio devices properties" or the "AC'97 audio configuration utility."
However you might first download and install the latest Realtek AC97 update
from HP http://www.hp.com/hho/solutions/home_homeoffice.html (for onboard
sound it's best to use drivers supplied from the motherboards manufacturer
and HP will have them.) After installing the new drivers go to the Control
Panel open up "Sounds and Audio Devices" and check the setting under
"Volume," "Audio," and "Voice" tabs. The Volume menu has settings for
"Device Volume" and "Speaker Settings." Click the "advanced" button under
device volume and unmute everything then close. Click the "advanced" button
under speaker settings and select "monitor stereo speakers" (or whatever is
appropriate) and click ok. After checking settings under the Audio and
Voice tabs click ok to close the properties menu. Then check the
configuration in the audio utility and if there is a mixer loading in the
system tray (notification area) check those properties also.

 

[Guest]

Jon, Thanks for the reply. I had already done all the things you spoke of,
but I tried them again anyway (for about the umpteenth time!) still nothing.
The only thing I'm not sure of, is when I check the master volume control,
everything is unmuted, and the volumes are up (including PC Speakers) but the
balance on the PC Speaker is grayed out. I do have it configured for monitor
stereo speakers. The other thing is I'm not sure what you mean about
checking the configuration in the audio utility, do you mean in device
manager? And "mixer loading", I don't know what that means either. One
thing about having problems with computers, or anything else for that matter,
you sure do learn alot!
Thanks for the help.

 

[Jon Erlandson]

I'm not certain about having the balance grayed out but it suggests to me
there is something wrong in the speaker configuration. Is there any utility
from Realtech running in the system tray (notification area?) There should
be either a mixer or another program such as "AC'97 audio configuration
utility" and through that progam you can adjust speaker modes for 4 or 6
channel, or do you only see the windows speaker icon? I have a system that
has C-Media onboard sound and it required I enable something called Xear
(cmedia only) in the tools section of it's mixer or I had no sound from the
speakers.