No Sound... Please Help!

[DAG]

The last time I used my computer was Thursday, April 3 in the afternoon. I shut down my computer when I finished using it. I came home later at night and when I turned on my computer I received a message saying I had to reactivate Windows because some drastic changes had been detected with my hardware. I tried to reactivate it online but that did not work out (I was connected to the internet through DSL so I am not sure why it did not work), so I called customer service and reactivated it with a representative. From that point on I did not have sound at all. I went to my Sounds and Audio Devices properties but everything is grayed out. When I try to play an mp3 in Windows Media Player I receive an error message saying:

"Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device. There might not be a sound device installed on your computer, it might be in use by another program, or it might not be functioning properly."

Also when I go to the volume control I receive a message saying:

"There are no active mixer devices available. To install mixer devices go to Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Add Hardware."

When I click on Printers and Other Hardware nothing happens. Also when I go to my Device Manager nothing shows up at all when the Device Manager window opens.

My sound card is built-in so I'm not sure if I have to update a driver for my motherboard or if the problem has to do with Windows XP. I have Windows XP Home Edition SP2 an the motherboard I have is Asus P4P800S-X. I'm not sure if any other specs are needed but if there is please let me know. I have a sound card that I can put in but I am not sure if it will conflict with the built-in one. I'm drawing a blank and have no idea what to do, can someone PLEASE help me? Thank you.

[DAG]

***UPDATE***

The following are findings using Belarc (sorry if it is cluttered, couldn't paste it the way it is actually shown):

Operating System System Model
Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (build 2600) No details available
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
3.00 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
16 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. P4P800S-X Rev 1.xx
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 1007.002 11/04/2004
Drives Memory Modules c,d
160.04 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
6.52 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

AXV CD/DVD-ROM 2.2a [CD-ROM drive]
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-4163B [CD-ROM drive]
SAMSUNG DVD-ROM SD-616F [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

WDC WD1600JB-00GVA0 [Hard drive] (160.04 GB) -- drive 0, s/n WD-WCAL81785532, rev 08.02D08, SMART Status: Healthy 1024 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'DIMM0' has 512 MB
Slot 'DIMM1' has 512 MB
Local Drive Volumes


c: (NTFS on drive 0) 26.85 GB 5.90 GB free
d: (NTFS on drive 0) 133.19 GB 618 MB free
Network Drives
None detected
Users (mouse over user name for details) Printers
local user accounts last logon
Administrator 26/03/2008 1:06:14 PM (admin)
Damon 04/04/2008 11:25:43 PM (admin)
local system accounts
ASPNET never
Guest 17/09/2005 2:24:51 PM
HelpAssistant 07/09/2005 11:06:23 PM
SUPPORT_388945a0 never

DISABLED Marks a disabled account; LOCKED OUT Marks a locked account

hp deskjet 920c series on LPT1:
HP LaserJet 4L on LPT1:
Microsoft Office Document Image Writer Driver on Microsoft Document Imaging Writer Port:
Controllers Display
Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 24DB
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller] NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400 [Display adapter]
Bus Adapters Multimedia
SOJU SCSI Controller SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio
Communications Other Devices

IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN USB Card (R) #2 - Packet Scheduler Miniport
IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN USB Card (R) #2 - Symantec Network Security Miniport
IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN USB Card (R) #3 - Packet Scheduler Miniport
IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN USB Card (R) #3 - Symantec Network Security Miniport
IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN USB Card (R) #4 - Packet Scheduler Miniport
IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN USB Card (R) #4 - Symantec Network Security Miniport
IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN USB Card (R) - Packet Scheduler Miniport
IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN USB Card (R) - Symantec Network Security Miniport
Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC
Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC #2
Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC #2 - Packet Scheduler Miniport
primary Auto IP Address: 192.168.1.1 / 24
Gateway: 192.168.1.254
Dhcp Server: 192.168.1.254
Physical Address: 00:50:FC:9D:FB:B9
Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC #2 - Symantec Network Security Miniport
Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC - Packet Scheduler Miniport
Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC - Symantec Network Security Miniport

Networking Dns Server: 192.168.1.254
USB Human Interface Device [Joystick] (4x)
Logitech USB WheelMouse (3x)
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24D2
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24D4
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24D7
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24DE
Intel(R) 82801EB USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 24DD
USB Composite Device (2x)
USB Root Hub (5x)
Virus Protection [Back to Top]
Norton AntiVirus Version 15.50
Virus Definitions Version 04/04/2008 Rev 35
Last Disk Scan on March 27, 2008 6:59:04 PM
Realtime File Scanning On

[DAG]

***UPDATE #2***

Here is a brief summary of my computer using Everest:

Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name DAMON-XP (Damon's Computer)
User Name Damon

Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4, 3000 MHz (15 x 200)
Motherboard Name Asus P4P800S-X (4 PCI, 1 AGP, 2 DDR DIMM, Audio, LAN)
Motherboard Chipset Intel Breeds Hill i848P
System Memory 1024 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type AMI (11/04/04)

Display:
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400 (64 MB)
3D Accelerator nVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter Intel 82801EB ICH5 - AC'97 Audio Controller [A-2/A-3]

Storage:

[DAG]

Bump!...

Does anyone out there know what the problem is and how to fix it? Do I need to download a realtek driver?

[newb007]

hi i have the same issue as alot of these guys, i've upgraded OS from win 98 to win xp for a relative, they're pc lost sound one day, so i replaced motherboard i had spare, now i tested this board b4 installation evrythin worked fine... now i'v upgraded, same prob as b4!! NO sound, i've installed drivers i had from b4, they are okay (not greyed out in control panel/sounds, i used driver genius pro to find and install drivers, but after install, i scan again and the same drivers come back up(VIA Hyperion Pro)

belarc report:


Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (build 2600) iQon.ie 7VM333M-RZ ver 2.0
Enclosure Type: Desktop
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
2.00 gigahertz AMD Sempron
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache Board: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. 7VM333M-RZ
Bus Clock: 167 megahertz
BIOS: Award Software International, Inc. F5 10/12/2004
Drives Memory Modules c,d
164.69 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
158.95 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

_NEC DV-5500A [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

HDT722516DLAT80 [Hard drive] (164.69 GB) -- drive 0 224 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'A0' has 256 MB
Slot 'A1' is Empty
Local Drive Volumes

c: (NTFS on drive 0) 137.43 GB 131.86 GB free
f: (NTFS on drive 0) 27.26 GB 27.09 GB free

Network Drives
None detected
Users (mouse over user name for details) Printers
local user accounts last logon
Sam 07/04/2008 00:29:52 (admin)
local system accounts
Administrator never (admin)
Guest never
HelpAssistant never
SUPPORT_388945a0 never


Marks a disabled account; Marks a locked account None detected
Controllers Display
Standard floppy disk controller
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller]
VIA Bus Master IDE Controller - 0571 VIA/S3G UniChrome IGP [Display adapter]
HSD HU196D [Monitor] (19.1"vis, s/n 703GA3CY08317, January 2007)
Bus Adapters Multimedia
VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller (3x)
VIA USB Enhanced Host Controller Standard Game Port
Vinyl AC'97 Codec Combo Driver (WDM)
Communications Other Devices

VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter
primary Auto IP Address: 77.101.9.160 / 24
Gateway: 77.101.9.1
Dhcp Server: 62.31.64.115
Physical Address: 00:0F:EA:8A:36:8E

Networking Dns Servers: 62.31.64.39
62.31.112.39
62.31.144.39
USB Human Interface Device (2x)
HID Keyboard Device
Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
HID-compliant mouse
PS/2 Compatible Mouse
Generic USB Hub
USB Composite Device
USB Root Hub (4x)


any help on this would b grateful as im not a complete noob, tried everythin, i seem 2 think it may be a @BIOS incompatibilty???

[bookworm]

Originally Posted by DAG

Bump!...

Does anyone out there know what the problem is and how to fix it? Do I need to download a realtek driver?

Go here to Asus http://support.asus.com/download/dow...odel=P4P800S-X

under Others - install the Intel Chipset driver then restart your comp
then install Soundmax audio

Set a System Restore Point before installing drivers just in case
Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / System Restore / select Create a restore point and follow instructions

[bookworm]

Originally Posted by newb007

hi i have the same issue as alot of these guys, i've upgraded OS from win 98 to win xp for a relative, they're pc lost sound one day, so i replaced motherboard i had spare, now i tested this board b4 installation evrythin worked fine... now i'v upgraded, same prob as b4!! NO sound, i've installed drivers i had from b4, they are okay (not greyed out in control panel/sounds, i used driver genius pro to find and install drivers, but after install, i scan again and the same drivers come back up(VIA Hyperion Pro)

belarc report:


Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (build 2600) iQon.ie 7VM333M-RZ ver 2.0
Enclosure Type: Desktop
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
2.00 gigahertz AMD Sempron
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache Board: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. 7VM333M-RZ
Bus Clock: 167 megahertz
BIOS: Award Software International, Inc. F5 10/12/2004
Drives Memory Modules c,d
164.69 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
158.95 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

_NEC DV-5500A [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

HDT722516DLAT80 [Hard drive] (164.69 GB) -- drive 0 224 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'A0' has 256 MB
Slot 'A1' is Empty
Local Drive Volumes

c: (NTFS on drive 0) 137.43 GB 131.86 GB free
f: (NTFS on drive 0) 27.26 GB 27.09 GB free

Network Drives
None detected
Users (mouse over user name for details) Printers
local user accounts last logon
Sam 07/04/2008 00:29:52 (admin)
local system accounts
Administrator never (admin)
Guest never
HelpAssistant never
SUPPORT_388945a0 never


Marks a disabled account; Marks a locked account None detected
Controllers Display
Standard floppy disk controller
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller]
VIA Bus Master IDE Controller - 0571 VIA/S3G UniChrome IGP [Display adapter]
HSD HU196D [Monitor] (19.1"vis, s/n 703GA3CY08317, January 2007)
Bus Adapters Multimedia
VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller (3x)
VIA USB Enhanced Host Controller Standard Game Port
Vinyl AC'97 Codec Combo Driver (WDM)
Communications Other Devices

VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter
primary Auto IP Address: 77.101.9.160 / 24
Gateway: 77.101.9.1
Dhcp Server: 62.31.64.115
Physical Address: 00:0F:EA:8A:36:8E

Networking Dns Servers: 62.31.64.39
62.31.112.39
62.31.144.39
USB Human Interface Device (2x)
HID Keyboard Device
Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
HID-compliant mouse
PS/2 Compatible Mouse
Generic USB Hub
USB Composite Device
USB Root Hub (4x)


any help on this would b grateful as im not a complete noob, tried everythin, i seem 2 think it may be a @BIOS incompatibilty???

go here to Gigabyte and install the Chipset - Via 4 in 1 then restart comp
then install the Via audio
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/M...ProductID=1781

Set a System Restore Point before installing drivers just in case
Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / System Restore / select Create a restore point and follow instructions

[newb007]

hi, i'm i tried 2 d/l this 4 in 1 chipset driver frm same site b4, but when i clicked on link to start d/l, the system would freeze, i tried different mirrors aswell, e.g, asia, asia(CHINA), america. I went in today and tried again, this time got no probs!!

Now about 2 try so fingers crossed all goes well!!

[newb007]

i installed the 4 in 1 drivers then the via audio driver, still no sound??

I've got the sound icon in system tray, all mute boxes are unchecked in sound manager GUI, when i try to start the vinyl deck icon on desktop, it launches then closes with no error/runtime message??? everything seems to be installed fine so don't understand??

I've had the pc working b4, i am using the original case, and think it could be a BIOS issue??

Any suggestions would be helpful...

[DAG]

Originally Posted by bookworm

Go here to Asus http://support.asus.com/download/dow...odel=P4P800S-X

under Others - install the Intel Chipset driver then restart your comp
then install Soundmax audio

Set a System Restore Point before installing drivers just in case
Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / System Restore / select Create a restore point and follow instructions

Hey bookworm, thank you for spending your time to help me, I really appreciate it. I downloaded and installed the Intel Chipset and Soundmax drivers from the website, but I still have no sound. In Sounds and Audio Devices it still says "No Audio Device" in the volume tab, there is no sound icon in the system tray and I still get the same error messages when I try to play an mp3 in Windows Media Player or when I try to open the Volume Control. Did I miss a step somewhere or do something I shouldn't have done?

[bookworm]

Originally Posted by newb007

i installed the 4 in 1 drivers then the via audio driver, still no sound??

I've got the sound icon in system tray, all mute boxes are unchecked in sound manager GUI, when i try to start the vinyl deck icon on desktop, it launches then closes with no error/runtime message??? everything seems to be installed fine so don't understand??

I've had the pc working b4, i am using the original case, and think it could be a BIOS issue??

Any suggestions would be helpful...

Check the BIOS
Press<Del> key at startup the Main Menu opens
( click image to focus ) http://www.overclockeddoc.com/bookwo...-RZ%20main.JPG

use down arrow to go to Integrated Peripherals - press Enter
http://www.overclockeddoc.com/bookwo...eripherals.JPG

check AC97 audio set to [Auto} if not use the PgUp key to change

Press F10 to Save & Exit

y to changes

comp will continue to load windows

if necessary install the audio driver again

Set a System Restore Point before installing drivers just in case
Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / System Restore / select Create a restore point and follow instructions

[bookworm]

Originally Posted by DAG

Hey bookworm, thank you for spending your time to help me, I really appreciate it. I downloaded and installed the Intel Chipset and Soundmax drivers from the website, but I still have no sound. In Sounds and Audio Devices it still says "No Audio Device" in the volume tab, there is no sound icon in the system tray and I still get the same error messages when I try to play an mp3 in Windows Media Player or when I try to open the Volume Control. Did I miss a step somewhere or do something I shouldn't have done?

make a note of where the Soundmax files were unzipped to, then install this way, you need to make XP use the driver

1. Expand "Sound, video and game controllers"
2. Right-click the the yellow flagged device ( or audio device Realtek, Soundmax C-Media etc ) and choose Update Driver
3. In Windows XP SP2, the Update Wizard will prompt to connect to the Windows Update
4. Select "No, not this time" and click Next
5. Select "Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)" and click Next.
6. Select "Search for the best driver in theses locations" and check "Include this location in the search"
7. Click Browse and select the location of downloaded driver
8. Click OK and click Next
9. Wait while the Wizard installs the software
10. Click Finish.

[DAG]

Originally Posted by bookworm

make a note of where the Soundmax files were unzipped to, then install this way, you need to make XP use the driver

1. Expand "Sound, video and game controllers"
2. Right-click the the yellow flagged device ( or audio device Realtek, Soundmax C-Media etc ) and choose Update Driver
3. In Windows XP SP2, the Update Wizard will prompt to connect to the Windows Update
4. Select "No, not this time" and click Next
5. Select "Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)" and click Next.
6. Select "Search for the best driver in theses locations" and check "Include this location in the search"
7. Click Browse and select the location of downloaded driver
8. Click OK and click Next
9. Wait while the Wizard installs the software
10. Click Finish.

I have one problem though, nothing shows up in the device manager window when i open it. I'm not sure why. This might be off topic or have something to do with the device manager problem as well but when I open the network connections window nothing shows up. The little network icon that shows I am connected to the internet has disappeared from the system tray too.

[bookworm]

Originally Posted by DAG

I have one problem though, nothing shows up in the device manager window when i open it. I'm not sure why. This might be off topic or have something to do with the device manager problem as well but when I open the network connections window nothing shows up. The little network icon that shows I am connected to the internet has disappeared from the system tray too.

Try a System File Check go to Run – type “sfc /scannow” (without the quotes and note space after sfc) have Win disc available in case sfc needs to replace or repair any files. The program runs with no alerts and then closes.

if that does not fix the problem, look at what jazz says.

look at this solution from Jazz, a word of caution, you will be changing the registry,

Jazz's Avatar
Jazz Offline
Registered User

Join Date: May 2004
Location: London, England
Posts: 1,634
Try the following obtained from Annoyances.org, as per the following link, as it is a long thread. Naturally, backup the registry prior to making the change/s: -

re: Empty Device Manager

"The issue is security permissions in the registry. I cannot tell how they are lost
but I can tell you how to fix it short of having to re-install Windows!

You must use regedt32.exe in Windows 2000/XP (as I have not seen this problem posted
for any other operating system). Be very carefull making changes in the regisrty!

You must be logged on as a local administrator to perform this task:

1. Go to "Start", "Run", and enter "regedt32"
2. Maximize the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" window.
3. Scroll down to "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum"
4. With "Enum" selected click the "Security", "Permissions" menu.

Note: At this point you will probably notice there are no permissions on this key.

5. Click "Add".
6. Add the group "Everyone" and the user "SYSTEM".
7. Select "Everyone" and check "Read" ONLY!
8. Select "SYSTEM" and check "Full Control".
9. Click the "Advanced" button at the bottom of the window.
10. On the Advanced window check "Reset permissions on all child objects..."
11. Click "OK"
12. On the warning window click "Yes"
13. Close REGEDT32

You should now be able to see everything in Device Manager, Network Places Properties,
and Printers."

Good luck.......................

[DAG]

Originally Posted by bookworm

Try a System File Check go to Run – type “sfc /scannow” (without the quotes and note space after sfc) have Win disc available in case sfc needs to replace or repair any files. The program runs with no alerts and then closes.

if that does not fix the problem, look at what jazz says.

look at this solution from Jazz, a word of caution, you will be changing the registry,

Jazz's Avatar
Jazz Offline
Registered User

Join Date: May 2004
Location: London, England
Posts: 1,634
Try the following obtained from Annoyances.org, as per the following link, as it is a long thread. Naturally, backup the registry prior to making the change/s: -

re: Empty Device Manager

"The issue is security permissions in the registry. I cannot tell how they are lost
but I can tell you how to fix it short of having to re-install Windows!

You must use regedt32.exe in Windows 2000/XP (as I have not seen this problem posted
for any other operating system). Be very carefull making changes in the regisrty!

You must be logged on as a local administrator to perform this task:

1. Go to "Start", "Run", and enter "regedt32"
2. Maximize the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" window.
3. Scroll down to "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum"
4. With "Enum" selected click the "Security", "Permissions" menu.

Note: At this point you will probably notice there are no permissions on this key.

5. Click "Add".
6. Add the group "Everyone" and the user "SYSTEM".
7. Select "Everyone" and check "Read" ONLY!
8. Select "SYSTEM" and check "Full Control".
9. Click the "Advanced" button at the bottom of the window.
10. On the Advanced window check "Reset permissions on all child objects..."
11. Click "OK"
12. On the warning window click "Yes"
13. Close REGEDT32

You should now be able to see everything in Device Manager, Network Places Properties,
and Printers."

Good luck.......................

I tried the sfc method. I have my win disc in there but it asks me for the Win XP SP2 Pro Cd. I'm not even running Win Xp Pro so I'm not sure why I am being asked for that cd. I'm going to try Jazz's method and see if that works.