no sound

[FleaAla]

I am trying to find my sound card, and seem to be having the biggest problem with it. All I need to know is where it is located and how to recognize it, so I can make sure it is working properly. Right now I have no sound, my speakers work, and there is a sound card somewhere. The place where I got my computer has shut down, and I have none of the information that came with the computer. I had sound until I had a problem connecting with Intenet Explorer. I was told by online tech support to completely delete Windows 98 from my hard drive. After I reinstalled Windows 98 everything worked perfect except I did not have sound, noone can seem to tell me how to find out the name of my sound card so I can just reinstall the hardware, drivers, and anything else I need. I have Windows 98 second edition, and reinstalled it from the CD. If there is anyway you can help me I would be forever grateful!!! Personally, I am about ready to throw the computer out the window (just kidding). Please let me know if there is anyway you can help me out, or if you need any other information about my computer.

Thank You So Much!
Allyson Lee

 

[edfair]

Your sound comes from either a chipset on the motherboard or a chipset on an expansion card. Where is the speaker connected? If it is a connector on the motherboard, the chipset is on the motherboard. If it connects to an expansion card then the chipset is on the expansion card.
Expansion cards are held down with metal brackets that you see from the back as about 1/2 by 3" metal strips, anywhere from 4 to 8 of them on the back of the computer. And generally expansion card sound boards will have three connectors that look like speaker connectors.



Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com

Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.

Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[ray436]

You may be lucky and have a partially recognized device in "device manger" tab inside the System Panel in Control Panel.

Look for a device listed as "Unknown PCI" or ISA device with a yellow exclamation mark, and you may get a model number or name that will help you with getting drviers.

then do a search on the 'net for that model number, its likely part of the chipset number. (ie ES1869 )

If no luck there, once you locate the physical sound card as Ed Fair (above) said, look for the biggest chip on the card and write down the number on it. Ususally it will start with a letter or two, and be the first number near the makers logo. If the Sound card is on the main system board, follow the cables from the metal bracket where your speakers plug in - back to the main board and near the plug should be a large chip you can get model numbers from.

Good luck

RAy

 

[Comtech]

Common sound card chips that reside on the motherboard are CMI and ESS. Drivers are fairly easy to come by for both.
If it's a peripheral card, then we need the numbers off the biggest chip on that card.
If you have anything in device manager with the yellow ! on it, just follow this:
Boot to safe mode.
Remove ALL devices that had the yellow ! and all devices in the same category (ie. Sound, video and game controllers, or "Other Devices).
A restart usually asks for some kind of driver, and usually provides some hint as to it's origin (ESS, CMI, Creative, etc.)
Post back and let us know.

Jim
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