System speaker beep

[Guest]

If I execute ECHO ^G at the shell, I get a barely audible beep from the
speakers. On the audio control panel, system speaker is set to full volume
and is not muted. If I change the setting to minimum volume I don't hear any
beep at all. Other sound sources work properly. How can I get the beep on
ECHO ^G to sound at normal volume? (Not that ^G is important, but I have
several other things that are quite useful and that make sound the same way
^G does. E.g., a pitch identification trainer that uses old interpreted
MBASIC. Like ^G, it sounds in the speakers, but just barely.)

 

[smlunatick]

If I execute ECHO ^G at the shell, I get a barely audible beep from the
speakers. On the audio control panel, system speaker is set to full volume
and is not muted. If I change the setting to minimum volume I don't hear any
beep at all. Other sound sources work properly. How can I get the beep on
ECHO ^G to sound at normal volume? (Not that ^G is important, but I have
several other things that are quite useful and that make sound the same way
^G does. E.g., a pitch identification trainer that uses old interpreted
MBASIC. Like ^G, it sounds in the speakers, but just barely.)

Usually, the internal PC speaker can not be controlled. It is just a
simple alarm speaker which is used to tell you if there is a hardware
problem during the PC boot up sequence.

However, several large OEM PC makers (Dell, IBM, Compaq etc...) can
add their own controls to the PC for adjusting the volume. However,
there is no "standard way" to adjust the volume.

 

[Guest]

Thanks -- let me add that what little beep I am getting is coming over the
external speakers, just like MIDI or radio or any other sound. It is not
coming over the motherboard speaker.

 

[smlunatick]

Thanks -- let me add that what little beep I am getting is coming over the
external speakers, just like MIDI or radio or any other sound. It is not
coming over the motherboard speaker.







- Show quoted text -

So that means that your sound card is controlling the PC speaker
signals (by way of a cable connected to the PC speaker pins on the
motherboard) and sending the "sounds" out to the multi-media
speakers???? You need to look at the sound card configuration, in the
Volume taskbar icon and activate the PC speaker controls.

 

[Guest]

Yes, you are right about how it is hooked up. But no, the "PC speaker"
slider is already at max, and the beep is very faint. That the slider is
controlling the PC speaker is shown by the fact that if I lower the slider
the beep goes away altogether.

 

[smlunatick]

Yes, you are right about how it is hooked up. But no, the "PC speaker"
slider is already at max, and the beep is very faint. That the slider is
controlling the PC speaker is shown by the fact that if I lower the slider
the beep goes away altogether.






- Show quoted text -

Then it seems that the PC speaker module is failing. You might
consider adding some type of an additional amplifier to the speakers.

 

[Guest]

Don't believe any hardware is failing -- the computer is three years old and
has always behaved as it does now.

What I do think is -- we are using a Reatek AC97 card. The card is
providing very little amplification of the "PC speaker" signal. Either (a)
there is a parameter somewhere, perhaps in the registry, that can be
adjusted, to make the final sound louder, or (b) the card is hardcoded not to
amplify this signal.