Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!
Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!
-
Congratulations Rhinorhino on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
xp install
- Thread starter defreib
- Start date
goombawaho
MIS
If you had sound BEFORE reloading Windows and you did NOT disable sound in the BIOS, then it has to be one of four things:
1. Bad driver/Wrong driver/NO driver installed
2. Speakers not hooked up properly
3. Sound card dead
4. Speakers dead.
Look in Device Manager to see that there is actually something listed under Sound/Video/Game Controllers and that there is no question mark or exclamation mark. Even if neither of the above (question mark/exclamation mark), try a new driver. You might even uninstall the sound card then reboot and install the latest driver you can find.
If nothing is listed at all, your sound card could have died. Right click on the name of your PC (at the top) and choose Scan For Hardware Changes to see if your card can be detected.
Obviously check the speaker connections first as it's the easiest. Use a pair of headphones to rule out both which jack you have plugged in and the speakers themselves.
1. Bad driver/Wrong driver/NO driver installed
2. Speakers not hooked up properly
3. Sound card dead
4. Speakers dead.
Look in Device Manager to see that there is actually something listed under Sound/Video/Game Controllers and that there is no question mark or exclamation mark. Even if neither of the above (question mark/exclamation mark), try a new driver. You might even uninstall the sound card then reboot and install the latest driver you can find.
If nothing is listed at all, your sound card could have died. Right click on the name of your PC (at the top) and choose Scan For Hardware Changes to see if your card can be detected.
Obviously check the speaker connections first as it's the easiest. Use a pair of headphones to rule out both which jack you have plugged in and the speakers themselves.
- Thread starter
- #3
goombawaho,
There doesn't appear to be a sound card listed under device manager.Not sure what you are referring to when you say "Right click on the name of your PC (at the top) and choose Scan For Hardware Changes to see if your card can be detected." I don't see that option. Do you mean my personal profile?
Thanks
There doesn't appear to be a sound card listed under device manager.Not sure what you are referring to when you say "Right click on the name of your PC (at the top) and choose Scan For Hardware Changes to see if your card can be detected." I don't see that option. Do you mean my personal profile?
Thanks
goombawaho
MIS
If you're in Device Manager, the very top thing you will see should be the name of your computer. If you right click it and choose "Scan For Hardware Changes", maybe it will pick up your sound card.
Check out this picture of device manager so you can see what I mean.
Gamepower is the name of the PC (not that it matters).
I think you're down to the following:
Sound card disabled in BIOS
Sound card dead
If it's a sound card in a PCI slot, turn PC off and make sure it's seated properly and not touching any other cards.
Check out this picture of device manager so you can see what I mean.
Gamepower is the name of the PC (not that it matters).
I think you're down to the following:
Sound card disabled in BIOS
Sound card dead
If it's a sound card in a PCI slot, turn PC off and make sure it's seated properly and not touching any other cards.
goombawaho
MIS
Stupid me - I forgot it was a laptop. So, you're down to
Sound card disabled in BIOS
Sound card dead
If under warranty, call IBM. If not, perhaps a BIOS flash would help, but I kind of doubt it.
Sound card disabled in BIOS
Sound card dead
If under warranty, call IBM. If not, perhaps a BIOS flash would help, but I kind of doubt it.
- Thread starter
- #6
Is there anything at all in device manager with an exclamation point or a question mark? Maybe it is picked up, but its just unidentified and it appears as something else. In which case you might need to get drivers for it from the Manufacturers page.
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.
goombawaho
MIS
No offense here, but if you don't know how to get into the BIOS, you need to be VERY careful while in there or you could cause your system to not boot.
Time to look at your system documentation online about entering the BIOS and what settings are there regarding sound.
Generally, when you start any coputer, it shows something like "hit F2 to enter BIOS" or something like that. It is usually F1, F2 or DEL key to enter BIOS.
Then you have a bunch of menus to go through and somewhere there is usually an option to have "onboard sound" enabled or disabled.
If this unit is under warranty, I'd highly recommend that you call IBM/Lenovo tech support. If not, just be careful once you get into the BIOS. When in doubt about changes you made, there is an option to "Exit Discarding Changes". That will undo anything you have changed.
Time to look at your system documentation online about entering the BIOS and what settings are there regarding sound.
Generally, when you start any coputer, it shows something like "hit F2 to enter BIOS" or something like that. It is usually F1, F2 or DEL key to enter BIOS.
Then you have a bunch of menus to go through and somewhere there is usually an option to have "onboard sound" enabled or disabled.
If this unit is under warranty, I'd highly recommend that you call IBM/Lenovo tech support. If not, just be careful once you get into the BIOS. When in doubt about changes you made, there is an option to "Exit Discarding Changes". That will undo anything you have changed.
- Thread starter
- #10
goombawaho
MIS
A driver is NOT going to install if the laptop doesn't think a device is present. We're back to whether your sound card is dead, in which case you would need motherboard repair/replacement or if it could be possibly disabled in the BIOS.
Do you have anyone that can help you navigate the BIOS to check the sound settings? Personally, I see no reason that the sound would be disabled. More likely the sound controller died.
You could try this diagnostic utility from IBM, but it doesn't specifically say it tests the sound card.
Do you have anyone that can help you navigate the BIOS to check the sound settings? Personally, I see no reason that the sound would be disabled. More likely the sound controller died.
You could try this diagnostic utility from IBM, but it doesn't specifically say it tests the sound card.
- Thread starter
- #12
- Status