reformatted xp, no sound now :(

[the_italian]

tried my best to fix it myself, then by reading through your extremely informative website which seems to have the answer to everything, but im really struggling now

basically i reformatted xp on my home computer, its got Realtek HD Audio Manager, and an ASUSTEK Tiger Capture Device, and when i reformatted it now doesn't play music at all

i assume that my sound card is attached to my motherboard as its on the same bit as the mouse/keyboard is and it isn't a seperate 'thing'

i did one of those Belarc things, which is below

any help would be much appreciated

cheers

=====================================

Operating System System Model
Windows XP Media Center Edition Service Pack 2 (build 2600) Packard Bell NEC Packard Bell Computer PB34305801
System Serial Number: 049772920002
Chassis Serial Number: 50424E
Enclosure Type: Desktop
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
2.93 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
16 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache Board: NEC COMPUTERS INTERNATIONAL GA-8TRC410M-NF
Bus Clock: 133 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 20F 03/24/2006
Drives Memory Modules c,d
71.63 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
59.65 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GWA-4164B [CD-ROM drive]

ST3808110AS [Hard drive] (80.02 GB) -- drive 0 1024 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'A0' has 512 MB
Slot 'A1' has 512 MB
Slot 'A2' is Empty
Slot 'A3' is Empty
Local Drive Volumes

c: (NTFS on drive 0) 23.87 GB 15.71 GB free
d: (NTFS on drive 0) 47.76 GB 43.94 GB free

Network Drives
None detected
Users (mouse over user name for details) Printers
local user accounts last logon
Administrator 26/04/2006 13:25:30 (admin)
Marc 29/06/2008 15:56:54 (admin)
local system accounts
ASPNET never
Dad never (admin)
Guest never
HelpAssistant never
Jon never (admin)
Mum never (admin)
Paul never (admin)
SUPPORT_388945a0 never


Marks a disabled account; Marks a locked account EPSON Stylus D92 Series on USB001

Controllers Display
Primary IDE Channel [Controller] (3x)
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller] (3x)
Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller (3x) NVIDIA GeForce 6200 LE [Display adapter]
Samsung SyncMaster [Monitor] (17.1"vis, s/n H9NYC41194, December 2005)
Bus Adapters Multimedia
Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller
Standard OpenHCD USB Host Controller (2x) ASUSTeK Tiger Capture Device
Realtek High Definition Audio
Communications Other Devices
Motorola SM56 Data Fax Modem


1394 Net Adapter
Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC
primary Auto IP Address: 192.168.1.65 / 24
Gateway: 192.168.1.254
Dhcp Server: 192.168.1.254
Physical Address: 00:14:85:FB:B1:08

Networking Dns Server: 192.168.1.254
VIA OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
HID-compliant consumer control device
HID-compliant device (4x)
X10 Hid Device
HID Keyboard Device
Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
PS/2 Compatible Mouse
USB Printing Support
USB Root Hub (3x)
X10 USB Wireless Transceiver (ACPI-compliant)

[Ant]

Do you have the original mainboard CDRom which came with your computer? If so, insert it and reinstall the original hardware drivers. If not download the driver from your mainboard manufacturer's website and install them.

[the_italian]

i don't know what my mainboard manufacturer is, or where to get them from

[Ant]

Ok mate take a look here:

http://support.packardbell.com/uk/it...ppn=PB34305801

Confirm it's the same thing you have, follow the download links and download all the drivers you can find, install them and save them to a cdrom in case you need them again later.

[the_italian]

im not sure how to 'confirm' its the same one i have

definately lokos the same but i cant find any info on what motherboard i have etc and if thats the same one as mine

i did scroll to the bottom of the page and download the realtek drivers for winXP, but it didnt work, still no sound

[Ant]

Well if it looks the same it should be. Your info above shows that it is.

Look here:

http://support.packardbell.com/uk/it...4305801&g=2000

This page contains all the drivers for your mainboard and built-in peripherals such as the sound card and others. I would again suggest that you download all of them, install them (all mind, not just the sound driver), and save them for later.

Once you've done that, and if there's still no sound, check the speakers work on another device, check their connection and power and we'll look again.

[the_italian]

more problems lol

so i tried to follow your instructions, and install them all instead of just the sound one, seeing as you know more than me i won't ask why they all need installedm and i clicked on the first one on the page you sent me too

'rio bios update'

it downloaded, went to install, but the first thing it asked me to do was enter a blank cd/dvd, i assume to back everything up or something simliar. i put in a blank cd and an error message came up saying 'no disc was detected, please enter a blank cd/dvd'

it was blank, and it definately was entered, so its now not reading any cd's/dvd's either

how this can all come from a simple reformat i don't know, but what a shitty program, supposedly sending everything back to the way it was and now nothing works except internet. also means i can't install ony programs/printers etc without going online for drivers

any idea of a way round this, or is it just broken?

[Ant]

Ok when you install xp on a new system it uses drivers it has to communicate with the hardware it finds, but it can't possibly have all the drivers for every piece of hardware it might find, so it uses a set of generic drivers which might not include full functionality, such as in the case of your sound device. The manufacturer usually supplies a disk with drivers on containing all the information that xp needs to get all the functiions working. Assuming that the hardware itself isn't broken and the installation went ok, then restoring the original driver should also restore sound, but you said that it didn't, so start from scratch and reinstall the original drivers for sound, the tv tuner card, the remote and the cdrom, don't worry about the bios for now.

If you still have no sound, check the connections and see if anything is amiss in device manager, and whether or not the volume controls are available.

[the_italian]

cheers for the explanation

the problem i seem to be having is that there was no disc suppied with my computer, so online seems to be the only place where i can find these drivers

and when i do try and download the drivers on the page you linked me too, it automatically asks me to insert a blank cd/dvd, and because my dvd drive seems to be ognoring every disc i enter, im unable to proceed therefore unable to install any of these downloads you have directed me to

sorry for being a pain in the ass, i do appreciate the time and effort you've made in trying to resolve these problems, any other suggestions? im kinda at a loss here now

[Ant]

You're not at all being a pain in the ass mate I (and everyone else here), knows just how frustrating it can be.

Ok I've just downloaded the audio driver to test and it didn't ask me to insert a blank cd or anything and it installed perfectly despite the fact that I don't even have that hardware. There's something else within your system's configuration which is causing the insert a blank cd request. It might be some kind of freaky thing included by the manufacturer to stop you doing anything (like reinstalling the os) for yourself.

If, in your case, the drivers need to be written to a cdrom before they can be installed, and you can't do it because your cdrom isn't working (seemingly not recognised), without (perhaps) the software download from the site, I'm surprised you haven't slung it in the bin by now. I'd suggest that you get a mate to download them and write them to cdrom, however even this won't work as your cdrom won't read a cd anymore.

You might consider sending a message explaining your predicament to the support people via the contact us link on the site, any company worth its salt would be happy to supply you with a cd of its drivers (though again if your cd drive isn't working you couldn't read it), or returning to the original supplier and asking them for advice.

What I would do, on the offchance that my reinstallation of xp wasn't perfect, I might try reinstalling it again after formatting the drive, downloading the drivers again and see what happens.

[the_italian]

yeh, i think another reformat is my next option, and see how that goes

its weird, you never notice how much you use sound on your computer until its gone lol

ill do a quick back up of data, reformat again, and cross my finger (and toes)

once again thanks for your help