Summary:

This article contains tips for resolving sound related issues in Windows XP.

No Sound From all speakers

• Check that the speakers are powered on.
• Check that the speakers are connected to the correct ports on the PC. This is particularly important If the customer has both integrated sound and a sound card.
• If the speakers have a volume control button - ensure that this is turned up.
• Find out if the speakers are Digital or Analog make sure to check Seibel first before asking the customer (most don't understand those terms)
• Check that the Windows Audio service is running. If this is not running then many of the subsequent troubleshooting steps will not work. Go to Start->Run and type services.msc. Double cliick on Windows Audio. Select Start if possible and check that the Startup Type is Automatic. Click OK.
• If the speakers are digital speakers then try forcing the sound card to use digital. Go to Start->Control Panel->Sound and Audio Devices.. On the Volume tab, click the Advanced button in the Device Volume section. In the Volume Control window, below the Play Control Volume slider, click Advanced. If this does not show select Advanced Controls from the Options menu. Select Digital Output Only
• If possible try an external audio source like a Walkman, CD, or MP3 player (connect the speakers to the headphone jack)
• Check that the volume control in Windows isn't muted or turned too low. See the screen shots below. Go to Start->Control Panel and double click on Sounds and Audio Devices.

On the Volume tab, check that Mute isn't checked. Click the Advanced button in the Device Volume section.

Check all the volume settings are set appropriately.

• Check that the device driver for the sound card is loaded and that the device is turned on. Go to Start->Control Panel->System->Hardware->Device Manager. If there are any yellow splats against the drive then reinstall the sound card driver. Otherwise, double-click on Sound, Video and Game Controllers and then right click on the sound card and choose Properties. Ensure that under Device Usage, the Use This Device (enable) option is selected. Reboot if necessary. See the two screenshots below.

• Verify that Windows is configured to use the audio features of the sound card. Click the Properties tab above and then double click on Audio Devices. Click the sound card device and then click Properties. Click Use Audio Features of this Device. Click OK and restart the computer. See the two screenshots below.

• Verify the sound card is set as the default device for audio playback. Go to Start->Control Panel and double click on Sounds and Audio Devices.

On the Audio tab, check that the correct Default device is selected for Sound Playback.

On the Voice tab, check that the correct Default device is selected for Voice Playback.

• If the driver hasn't been reloaded yet - try reloading now, also try re-installing the motherboard chipset drivers.
• Check that the correct speaker setup is selected. Go to Start->Control Panel and double click on Sounds and Audio Devices.

On the Volume tab, click the Advanced button in the Speaker Settings section

Drop the list down in the Speaker Setup section and choose the appropriate option.

• Try reseating the sound card.
• Try another PCI slot
• Look at Optional or Custom Windows updates that may affect sound
• If all else fails, suggest OS file repair such as sfc /scannow

 

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