# problem with sound and drivers



## defyfate (Dec 13, 2002)

I'm trying to fix a no sound problem on a friends computer. there is an exclamation point under the sound and video card in device manager and this is the error message I get

the ntkern.vxd, mmdevldr.vxd device loader(s) for this device could not load the device driver

I have updated these drivers through windows update, but it has not helped. I've removed it, and reinstalled it, and still doesn't help. is there any way to get the sound to work on this without reformatting the drive?

this is a prebuilt computer, windows 98, and it's used for a business. that's all I know about it. I can get more info if needed.

thanks for any help


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## pyritechips (Jun 3, 2002)

Hello:

A friendly word of advice: _do not_ use Windows Update drivers! They are known to be buggy; I actually had one crash my system badly.

My advice is to determine exactly what audio adapter is in the computer, and search *here* for the proper drivers or go to the manufacturer's website.

Once you have the proper driver, boot into safe mode and delete the currently installed driver then install the new one.


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## Styxx (Sep 8, 2001)

In Device Manager note the maker, model and driver date for the Sound driver. If that is not possible because there are exclamation points etc., then you'll need to run a utility like free Belarc Advisor and it will tell you the name of the Sound capability maker and maybe the model number. You then get the Sound drivers from driverguide.com, after a free registration, based on what the above mentioned Advisor tells you. It may also be necessary to view the mainboard sound chip (on-board sound) (or PCI chip on a Add-in card) to get more complete data to determine the correct driver(s) on driverguide.com. The Windows Update site drivers (note the word Update) will work after you get the original sound card drivers installed.

You would need both drivers in the case of on-board sound and the presence of a add-in PCI card, removing the PCI sound card and properly enabling the on-board sound first, then adding in the PCI card, after disabling the on-board sound you just got working correctly. On-board sound must be viable and working correctly, in most cases, for a add-in card to work at all.


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## defyfate (Dec 13, 2002)

thanks for the help, I will use that belarc advisor, then head to driverguide. I'll let you know if that fixes it. hopefully it will. thanks again for all your help.


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

i'm having similar problams as defyfate, and have read through a few possible solutions on this forum as well as others. here are my additional concerns/problems . . .

i have errors on my pci universal serial bus & my realtek ac'97 audio according to my device manager.

i haven't attached any usb devices because of this, and my sound card isn't working at all.

my system is composed of a new mach speed n2pap lite board w/nvidia-nforce on board video & the realtek ac'97 on board audio, an amd athlon xp 2400, and my old hard drive with win 98.
hope this info helps!

i've uninstalled, reinstalled, added drivers, removed drivers, put the ntkern.vxd onto my system, etc, all to no avail . . .

i'm going to check out the belarc -> driveguide -> win update method as well, unless someone has another idea of what road i should take . . .

any help is greatly appreciated!!!

<j:s>


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

so far (after belarc & driverguide) windows update will not detect anything wrong with my current drivers . . . now i'm lost . . .

<j:s>


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## net_newsy (Jan 15, 2004)

address the capabilities of your computer (system RAM, available ISA or PCI card slots etc.) and check the physical installation of the sound card and its cables. make sure they are firmly attached/seated


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## net_newsy (Jan 15, 2004)

address the Windows drivers used to communicate with the sound card, and the software programs that will use the sound card.
Software drivers are available from the computer or sound card manufacturer and are freely downloadable from their web sites. (Hint: Many sound problems can be resolved by downloading and installing newly updated sound drivers.)


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## net_newsy (Jan 15, 2004)

even if you install a driver, with a setup program, sometimes you still have to go to device manager, click on the device thenupdate driver from there, if you installed the right one auto search may find it, if the program made a folder somewhere you may have to direct it to the folder


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

thanks for the reply net newsy.

unfortunately, i have already tried each of these approaches as well . . .

my sound card is onboard, so it's not physically loose, and i've downloaded & tried every compatible driver i can track down. i didn't bookmark any of the other pages i found concerning this issue, but it seems to pop up quite a bit with almost no solution other than wiping the hd . . .

i guess i'll use my last breath to ask you this: will upgrading to winxp make this problem go away? it seems to only be an issue with win98 & winme. did microsoft program this bug intentionally to force people like me to buy the newest versions of their os? or am i just getting what i deserve for being so behind the times?

maybe i'm just ranting & i should start saving up my money!

<j:s>


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

defy: have you had any luck yet?

<j:s>


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## NotRiteÂ² (Nov 7, 2002)

Might sound strange, but if there is a modem, try physically removing it from the box and then see how things go. If no success at first, try removing the sound from Device Mgr, then rebooting letting Windows re-establish the sound driver. PCI add on modems can quite often cause all kinds of weird actions in the pc. With this VIA chipset I have and the US Robotics modem I have, I have to load it first, then my ATI 8500 vid card, THEN my sound blaster, or I will not have a modem or sound.

Good Luck!


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## Styxx (Sep 8, 2001)

upgrading to WinXP will likely provide you with disappointing results. You don't do a OS upgrade to fix a problem rather, you must fix the computer problem well before the OS upgrade. You must also uninstall your anti-virus software and restart your computer before the upgrade, then reinstall the AV softre afterword.


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## defyfate (Dec 13, 2002)

I didn't have any luck with the drivers, but a computer tech did come in and took care of the problem. not sure what he did, but I will find out tomorrow if possible and let you know what he did to fix it.


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

thanks for the continuing help everyone! i will give these options a shot & report back . . .

<j:s>


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

ok, i discovered something that may either be the root of my problem, or an entirely new one . . .

i ran the hardware doctor prog that came with my board & it turns out that my -5v is running at about -5.54v
it also says that this may be linked to my pci bus, where my modem lives . . . what do i need to do now? am i digging myself deeper, or is this progress??

<j:s>


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

also, just saw my 1.5v is low . . . it's tunning at exactly 1.5, but the prog says it should be between 1.7 & 1.9

???

<j:s>


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

ok, the 1.5 is ok now . . . took out the 2nd case fan . . .

<j:s>


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

i've been buried!! help!

defyfate: any info yet??

<j:s>


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## kknowles (Aug 18, 2002)

defyfate
i did send you a email bout this topic.
what did the computer tech do?
i see i am not the only one interested still.
kelly


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## jeffjones66 (Feb 2, 2004)

hi all. I have this problem too, and would also like to hear back from defyfate on what his tech guy said.

Odd problem, and quite frustrating.


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

yes . . . i've done as much research on this as i possibly could & tried multiple proposed solutions, but nothing has completely solved the problem . . .

have any of you tried anything to fix it?? if so, what? i'm really interested in any ideas anyone may propose . . .

btw, notrite2, i tried your fix & that solved my usb problem, but still no sound card . . .

<j:s>


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## masterplan (Feb 11, 2004)

New user...

Was this ever solved? I am having a similar problem; if somebody ever figured this out, it would be great if they posted the solution.


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

no word yet . . .

help!!!


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## net_newsy (Jan 15, 2004)

...strange problem

try to follow these links and their instructions steps by step, let's see what happens

REFERENCE NUMBER: CH000208
Missing or lost sound in Windows 95 / Windows 98:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000208.htm

REFERENCE NUMBER: CH000215
Getting no sound from audio CDs:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000215.htm

If you still 'aint fix it browse here for more possible solution
http://www.computerhope.com/help/sound.htm


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## masterplan (Feb 11, 2004)

Hmm, progress, maybe. Sorry, but I don't have much experience with computers, so I don't know how much of this is relevant

After my old motherboard burned out I had it replaced with a Soyo 7VBA133U, with Realtek integrated sound. The guy who installed had everything working alright, but then I did a Windows Update, which replaced the Realtek ac'97 driver with a VIA one, which muted the computer. I tried to reinstall the driver from the Realtek site, which ran me into the problems described in this thread.

Based on advice I did a search for "Realtek onboard sound drivers" (as opposed to drivers for a separate card, I guess). I came up with this driver. After installing this driver, "VIA PCI Audio controller" is the only relevant device under the sound tab in device manager, but "Audio for Realtek AC'97 Audio" is listed under audio devices in Multimedia Properties. I also now have sound, although it is extremely poor and scratchy.

Helpful? Too wordy? Hopefully this is a problem that can be solved.

-J


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

masterplan . . .

i have also replaced my motherboard, mine's a mach speed n2pap lite with the same realtek ac'97 onboard sound . . . i found the drivers at the realtek site, but they still aren't working for me. you may want to give 'em a shot though . . .

http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/dlac97-2.aspx?lineid=5&famid=12&series=8&Software=True#8Windows

j:s


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

p.s. . . . check the readme on that page for the list of appropriate drivers for your os . . .

j:s


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

net newsy, thanks again for the tips . . . it looks like my solution may reside within bios, but i don't know what to change or how to change it, please help!! i've gone into the bios trying to solve this problem already, but since i'm unfamiliar with it, i didn't screw with it much . . . any help will merit the signing over of my 1st born . . . or at least a ton of thanks . . . whichever you prefer . . .

<j:s>


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## masterplan (Feb 11, 2004)

Hey, sorry it took me so long to reply  

j:smith, I've tried those drivers, and they didn't seem to work for me, programs would tell me that I didn't have a sound card installed and things like that. I'm still working now with some other drivers I found somewhere that give me something almost passable when I mess with the volume controls. It's not great, but it's better than nothing.

I'm no tech sorceress myself, so I'm pretty much swinging in the dark right now. It's pretty frustrating, I'm thinking of just giving in and buying another sound card. Anyway, here's hoping for some kind of miracle for the both of us.  

-J


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## SupportChic (Jun 30, 2003)

J:Smith,
Did any drivers come with your motherboard? Seems that an onboard chip (like the Athlon chipset) would require drivers to be provided. Sometimes the chipset drivers have to be installed before any others can be reinstalled and functioning properly.


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## j:smith (Jan 27, 2004)

masterplan . . . at least you have some sort of sound!! you must be doing something right! 

supportchic, thanks for the input here, this thing is nutty . . . yes, all of my chipset drivers (& supposedly my sound card drivers) came with the mobo . . . the chipset drivers installed before anything else if my memory serves me correctly . . . should i try to uninstall/reinstall them, or would that just suck me down farther? or should i tinker with the bios?


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## SupportChic (Jun 30, 2003)

As long as you are sure the chipset drivers were installed first, I am out of ideas.


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