Volume control keeps sliding down

[silentburn]

Hi people, I have this problem with XP SP2. It's a modified version.

Here's what happen, the volume control does not work properly. Everything seems A ok, all the drivers are there and everything but when I try to change my volume using the volume control tool it just simply slides back down after I release it.

Sometimes it works for a while. I move the lever up and it stays and I can listen to music and whatever and then I hear silence. I look on the volume control lever and its back down to zero. I try to raise and I here sound but then it drops back down to 0 in a second. What's up with this?

Does anyone have any ideas. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the particular driver involved and nothing changes. I tried messing around in bios and still no luck. I also tried changing stuff in the system registry and nothing happens.

The device involved is the realtek ac97 audio.

Its almost like it works for 5 minutes and then it stops working after 5 minutes. Can't understand it. The volume keeps dropping to zero. I have no virus, freshly installed OS and then again something may be embedded in it but I doubt it.

Please Help

[IcemanND]

what kind of computer is it?

[silentburn]

MOBO: ecs c51gm-m socket am2

CPU: sempron 3200 am2

RAM: 2 Kng 533mhz 256 mb chips

OS: win xp sp2, tweaked but not by me.

[cyprod]

well, some programs override the audio control and resets it to whatever it's setting was. One notable example would be windvr. So maybe check and make sure none of your programs you're using are changing it.

[silentburn]

All I have on it is windows media player 10, and ac3 filter in control panel. I'm not exactly sure what ac3 filter is for. Its some audio/video control program though. Can any of those control the system volume?

Plus sometimes it works and then after 5 or so minutes it drops to 0 even though I may be doing the exact same thing each time.

Edited November 5, 2006 by silentburn

[LLXX]

Might be some process running in the background and loaded at startup that's doing it.

[sultan_emerr]

Perhaps it's time to upgrade to WMP11.

[bonestonne]

you might try replacing the sound driver, that could be at fault. check all speaker connections, and also all audio cables inside the computer, for example, the 4 pin cable on some ODDs into a sound card [if you have them]. i think its a driver problem though.

[silentburn]

Hmmm. It seems to be working a little bit better now. I'll have to watch it. I'll look for an update on the realtek site. I have tried 2 drivers already though. The one which came with windows and the one that came on mobo cd.

Edited November 6, 2006 by silentburn

[bonestonne]

the MS one should work fine, the mobo one is a last resort.

that is as long as you're using onboard sound.

[silentburn]

Sound seems to be ok. I'm not sure what the problem was. Its not happening frequently now. I think its the OS because the same thing happened when I installed it on another system some time ago. Problem seems to correct itself over time though.

[FthrJACK]

As mentioned, some programs will turn the system volume up and down instead of their own volume control. I think WinDVD is one such program that does this.

And, without wanting to be patronising... you dont have a media keyboard do you or a set of headphones with a volume control on? .... easy to knock mute or the volume sometimes without realising.

Then again it could be your driver crashing as mentioned.

Try a seperate sound card.. a 5.1 or 7.1 card can be picked up for very little money.

Edited November 7, 2006 by FthrJACK

[silentburn]

I doubt its the mute and I don't have WIN DVD. When the sound is muted there is no sound at all. With my problem I could turn the volume up but it would just slide back down after a second or stay on for 5 minutes and then go down to zero.

The problem has not re-occurred though and I'm doing the same thing that I was doing a few days ago.

Still can't figure it out.