XP Pro - No Audio

[foolios]

I recently did some housecleaning with my pc and now the audio isn't working. I had shut off some services, not windows audio service. I also used adaware programs, of which only a few low threat items were listed. Overall the system is pretty clean.

But for some reason the audio stopped working. I have updated the creative soundblaster live drivers just in case. I patched them as well. Still nothing so I uninstalled the audio. I then reinstalled it and also moved it into different pci slots. Windows picks it up each time and everything seems to work fine. If I run Windows Media Player, it acts like it's playing the music. If I run system sounds through audio in the control panel, they act like they play fine. But still no sound coming from the speakers. I switched the audio card with another. It also installed fine but still no sound. I then tested the speakers on another system and they had sound on that system.

I just don't know what could have gone wrong. I went back and reenabled all services just in case there was a dependency for Windows Audio that was keeping it from working.

I just don't understand how the light on the speaker that shows its getting audio from another system works fine, but hooking it up to this one the green light doesn't come on. It's like the signal isn't being transmitted out from Windows even though the audio programs are saying it is.

I have patched the system and updated all the drivers for all the hardware. It's a Dell 8100. Everything was working fine. There is one unknown device but I believe it to be part of the help and support feature that DELL had for this series of systems. But that was always present before.

I don't know if there is something internal to how windows handles audio that needs to be reinstalled. I really don't want to reinstall windows. =(

Thanks in advance.

I also checked audio properties in the taskbar to make sure that for audio playback that the audio card is the selected device. I also checked to make sure that the audio is not muted.

When the speakers are connected to another system, as soon as the other systems turn on, the green power light for the speakers turn on. These speakers are powered by an adapter that plugs into the wall, they aren't powered by usb. But when those speakers are plugged into this pc's audio card, the green light does not come on at power on or even when fully into windows. Its like the pci slots aren't getting power or something? But if that was so, wouldn't the audio cards not be read by the system? So, I don't know, so confused.

Edited December 24, 2007 by puntoMX

[PC_LOAD_LETTER]

grab a set of headphones or another set of speakers and plug into the card and see if the card plays music on that if it does then your speakers could be at fault (dunno why theyd play on another system though) if the music wont play via headphones then its the card, settings in the OS or possible a bad front panel audio plug(if you have one on your case/card)

[foolios]

I tried another set of speakers. No sound came out of those either.

[puntoMX]

This can´t be hardware (99.9% sure). What OS are you running?

[foolios]

Win XP Pro.

I'm guessing that myself since the hardware keeps getting recognized as I switch the sound cards. The drivers install fine. The devices list themselves under audio properties for playback and recording.

It just totally baffles me. Windows media player is playing music like it should be working. But no sound is coming out. I am guessing there is some part of windows internally that is goobered concerning power output to the speakers. Windows Audio service is set to automatic and it's started.

I just don't know. I don't think I have the original disc anymore so I can't do a repair install of windows. I am hoping I find some way of resolving this issue.

Edited December 25, 2007 by foolios

[puntoMX]

Ups, saw it in the topic title... I think you will have more luck in the XP forum part... moving it there.

[foolios]

Thank you, I sure hope so. The problem is totally eluding me. I have seen maybe 20 some issues regarding no sound and this is the first that I can not overcome. It seems that everything is as it should be. There is some aspect of Windows that I must not understand or know about that controls the audio after these points.

[submix8c]

Totally krazy and off-the-wall, but here goes...

Nephew's XP-Pro complaint - "my sound quit working...". I, too, uninstalled/reinstalled the "built-in" sound card drivers. Nada! So I finally wonder "where is the Volume Control icon in SysTray?". Not there, so I go to set the "display in tray"(or whatever the tick was) to get it to show up and "sound program (or some-such) not found - install it (or some-such)".

(Sorry about paraphrase... PC fixed and gone back to owner)

To shorten the story, apparently the "sndvol32.exe" program was missing (somehow) from Windows\System32 folder (was still in dllcache folder). Copied from dllcache (so i wouldn't have to expand from installation media) into system32 and LO! the sound is working. DOH!

So, here's my question for you: is "sndvol32.exe" in your "windows\system32" folder?

(p.s. same symptoms as yours - everything "appears" ok, but no sound...)

Edited December 25, 2007 by submix8c

[foolios]

Yes, the file is there. Upon double clicking it it opens up the audio panel of which I can access the options to choose what sound device to use and volume muting etc.

What I am noticing now and trying to understand is why when I hook up speakers to another pc, the green connected light comes on as soon as the system powers up. But on this particular system, the green light never comes on at boot up nor when fully into windows. It seems to me that power isn't going to the device(sound card) like it should be. Although I am completely confused as to why if there was no power to the audio cards that i've tried, why are they showing up in device manager and allowing drivers to be installed. Or why there isn't some kind of software error notification somewhere within the system. Or why Windows media player and whathaveyou won't error out when trying to play music stating that it can't find the audio device.

What in the world could be telling the system to power up this green light on the speakers?

[eyeball]

Do you have onboard sound you could try? just to see if the sound is coming from the motherboard at least?

[puntoMX]

I switched the audio card with another. It also installed fine but still no sound.

Well, he did, this is why I say it’s 99.9% software related.

The onboard sound chip is also connected to the same PCI bus, so that should not be a difference... but it can’t hurt to try indeed.

[foolios]

There is no onboard sound/integrated sound card for this system. Just the pci sound cards.

[foolios]

Ok, I decided to try these old headphones I found behind a pc. I barely heard something so I decided to turn up the volume on all settings as high as I could. I can now barely hear sound coming out of the headphones. I am now wondering whether there is some kind of power output problem and that that is why the speakers with the green indicator aren't working is because for some reason not enough power output is coming from the sound card. What in the world could be happening here?

[foolios]

Ok, this can't be good. I switched back to the powered speakers from the headphones to see if I could get sound and as soon as I plugged in the speakers, the system rebooted.

=(

[puntoMX]

Then I have to say, you are in the 0.01% group.

The SB Live! card uses the 5volt line from the PCI bus. It seems that it’s getting that but there isn’t enough power to power the amplifier.

If there are bad "domed" or leaking capacitors on the motherboard, something Dell isn’t new too, you could try to replace them. Other then that you are out of luck; a system upgrade or replacement is needed.

I’ll move this back to the hardware forum, I didn’t thought (and hoped) it would be hardware...