Since no one replied, I'm assuming that my situation was very unusual. Anyway, I found someone who would re-load an OEM version of Windows XP on my computer, but I still have no sound - no audio devices. I'm just going to accept the fact that I have no sound on that computer. In my obsession to gain sound, I nearly destroyed the entire computer.
The computer won - I am defeated (at least for sound . . . for now.)
