From: Sally Bowen on
I always used to be able to hear sounds thru the speakers connected to
the back of my PC. I know there was no special soundcard (e.g.
Soundblaster) in my PC but figured it worked, so what the heck, it
must be using some basic default Windows property.

Anyway, for one reason and another I had to re-install XP SP2, and
ever since then it says "no audio device" everywhere. On Control Panel
/ Sounds and..... / etc. all the screens are "greyed-out" with no
device to select.

Under My Computer / Properties / Device Manager / Sound and.... / it
just lists the 5 standard entries (codecs, legacy wotsit etc.)

Is there something fundamentally wrong somewhere?

Thank you.

Sally.

From: Shenan Stanley on
Sally Bowen wrote:
> I always used to be able to hear sounds thru the speakers connected
> to the back of my PC. I know there was no special soundcard (e.g.
> Soundblaster) in my PC but figured it worked, so what the heck, it
> must be using some basic default Windows property.
>
> Anyway, for one reason and another I had to re-install XP SP2, and
> ever since then it says "no audio device" everywhere. On Control
> Panel / Sounds and..... / etc. all the screens are "greyed-out"
> with no device to select.
>
> Under My Computer / Properties / Device Manager / Sound and.... / it
> just lists the 5 standard entries (codecs, legacy wotsit etc.)
>
> Is there something fundamentally wrong somewhere?

If you hear sounds coming from speakers/headphones plugged in (usually using
a 8mm plug) - you have a sound card.

It is perfectly okay not to have a sound device with Windows. However - I
believe you had one.

You need to install the drivers for your hardware - for which your original
equipment manufacturer should provide (should have come with a CD/DVD of
drivers for your computer.) If not - you need to figure out what hardware
you have somehow (whether it is looking it up on the manufacturer's web
page, looking through your original invoice/documentation or opening the
computer case) and download/install the latest drivers.

Windows XP does not (nor will any version of windows/any os *ever*) come
with the actual manufacturer hardware drivers for every piece of hardware
ever made/to be made natively - meaning it doesn't know everything you have.
It might do a decent job of giving you something 'that works' - but...

You have freshly installed your OS - you now need to get the hardware device
drivers from each manufacturer.

What type of computer is it? Make/Model if possible.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


From: philo on
Sally Bowen wrote:
> I always used to be able to hear sounds thru the speakers connected to
> the back of my PC. I know there was no special soundcard (e.g.
> Soundblaster) in my PC but figured it worked, so what the heck, it
> must be using some basic default Windows property.
>
> Anyway, for one reason and another I had to re-install XP SP2, and
> ever since then it says "no audio device" everywhere. On Control Panel
> / Sounds and..... / etc. all the screens are "greyed-out" with no
> device to select.
>
> Under My Computer / Properties / Device Manager / Sound and.... / it
> just lists the 5 standard entries (codecs, legacy wotsit etc.)
>
> Is there something fundamentally wrong somewhere?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Sally.
>


From your description it looks like the machine has the sound chip
built-in to the motherboard.

Check the bios setting to see if sound has been disabled.

If it turns out the sound chip has failed...
no big deal, you can always just install a sperate PCI sound card
From: Brian A. on
"Sally Bowen " <AuntSally(a)aol.com> wrote in message
news:4b3f7887.734375(a)news.btinternet.com
>I always used to be able to hear sounds thru the speakers connected to
> the back of my PC. I know there was no special soundcard (e.g.
> Soundblaster) in my PC but figured it worked, so what the heck, it
> must be using some basic default Windows property.
>
> Anyway, for one reason and another I had to re-install XP SP2, and
> ever since then it says "no audio device" everywhere. On Control Panel
> / Sounds and..... / etc. all the screens are "greyed-out" with no
> device to select.
>
> Under My Computer / Properties / Device Manager / Sound and.... / it
> just lists the 5 standard entries (codecs, legacy wotsit etc.)
>
> Is there something fundamentally wrong somewhere?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Sally.

You need to install the drivers for the audio device. The drivers should be
included on any recovery/restore disc(s) that were supplied with the PC. If not
or you do not have any recovery/restore disc(s), you should be able to download
them for your specific make/model PC from the manufacturers support site.

You can also check Creatives site for your specific audio adapter:
http://support.creative.com/Products/Products.aspx?catid=1

--

Brian A. Sesko
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://members.shaw.ca/dts-l/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375



From: Roger on
On 1/2/2010 12:39 PM, Shenan Stanley wrote:
> If you hear sounds coming from speakers/headphones plugged in (usually using
> a 8mm plug) - you have a sound card.

That's a really BIG plug, larger than those used 50 years ago! ;)