No Sound From Laptop

[Alex2507]

Hi guys,

A while back I was trying to figure out REW and installed a driver for a Sound Blaster sound card. Since then I haven't had any sound out of my laptop and I'm not sure how to undo it. I sort of need the sound to play some tutorials on installing crown molding and now I'm screwed.

Help,
Alex

 

[Adam]

Do you have no sound from the internal speaker(s), no sound output from one or more of the audio jacks, or both?

First things first - make sure that the audio isn't muted. Some laptops have a button on them for that, and the Sound Blaster software that I've used also has that in the software (although the button and software should work together). The Sound Blaster software that I'm currently running has a setting (the default, I believe) that will mute the speakers if headphones are plugged in.

Also make sure that the source isn't on mute (like YouTube or whatever you are using to view those tutorials). The source will often have it's own volume setting.

 

[lsiberian]

Hi guys,

A while back I was trying to figure out REW and installed a driver for a Sound Blaster sound card. Since then I haven't had any sound out of my laptop and I'm not sure how to undo it. I sort of need the sound to play some tutorials on installing crown molding and now I'm screwed.

Help,
Alex

You're output device is likely set to the sound blaster.

You want to go to Sounds under the Control Panel. There you can set your default sound card back to your sound card.

Configure it and insure you have volume.

I also suggest removing the Creative software(not the driver)

That stuff is terrible IMO.

 

[finishers]

Removing the drivers should do the trick. The drivers might be conflicting

 

[njedpx3]

Great advice from Isiberian and Adam ...

Isiberian and Adam have given you great advice.

Try to remember the last time it worked and what "audio" changes you made since then.

Yes, make sure none of your settings are "muted".

Sometimes you can fix it by looking at the last update.

First look in "Programs and Features" in Control Panel and see if there is an explicit Sound Blaster entry, if so uninstall; this is the easiest and least impact.

Another bolder move, and it works more that 90% of the time, is to go into the Device Manager ( on Vista, right click on Computer icon and "manage") and find and delete the sound device. Then restart your PC and let it automatically rediscover the hardware and install the default drivers. Voilla, this usually will fix a bad driver update problem.

Good Luck!

NJ


P.S. - Thanks for all the rep points---you are a great guy

 

[lsiberian]

Isiberian and Adam have given you great advice.

Try to remember the last time it worked and what "audio" cahnges you made since then.

Yes, make sure none of your settings are "muted"

Sometimes you can fix it by looking at the last update.

First look in "programs and Features" inControl Panel and see if there is an explicit Sound Blaster entry, if so uninstall; this is the easiest and least impact.

Another bolder move, and it works more that 90% of the time, is to go into the Device Manager ( on Vista, right click on Computer icon and "manage") and find and delete the sound device. Then restart your PC and let it automatically rediscover the hardware and install the default drivers. Voilla, this usually will fix a bad driver update problem.

Good Luck!

NJ


P.S. - Thanks for all the rep points---you are a great guy

I'd leave the driver installed since you're getting speakers that you'll want to use REW with.

 

[njedpx3]

Hi guys,

A while back I was trying to figure out REW and installed a driver for a Sound Blaster sound card. Since then I haven't had any sound out of my laptop and I'm not sure how to undo it. I sort of need the sound to play some tutorials on installing crown molding and now I'm screwed.

Help,
Alex

Alex,

Let me know how you project goes. After I installed crown molding on my laptop I found it was pretty heavy to carry around, but it look so stunning.

Good Luck!

NJ

 

[Alex2507]

Thanks guys. I think I have to go into my Creative Console to change the settings and in order to do that I have to plug the sound card in. I definitely do not want to remove the driver. Do you know how hard it was for me to download a 64 bit driver for that sound card? I don't even know what '64 bit driver' means.

Anyways, thanks again. I'll play around with that later.

 

[lsiberian]

Thanks guys. I think I have to go into my Creative Console to change the settings and in order to do that I have to plug the sound card in. I definitely do not want to remove the driver. Do you know how hard it was for me to download a 64 bit driver for that sound card? I don't even know what '64 bit driver' means.

Anyways, thanks again. I'll play around with that later.

Uninstall Creative Console. You can manage your sound with Windows and you'll get more reliable results. Creative makes terrible software.

a 64 bit driver can use any memory beyond the (2^32) -1 byte.

32 bit drivers limited to 4 gigs of memory

Where 64 bit is limited to 16 billion gigs of memory.

So would you rather have 4 bucks to spend on your sound or 16 billion?

 

[strube]

Uninstall Creative Console. You can manage your sound with Windows and you'll get more reliable results. Creative makes terrible software.

a 64 bit driver can use any memory beyond the (2^32) -1 byte.

32 bit drivers limited to 4 gigs of memory

Where 64 bit is limited to 16 billion gigs of memory.

So would you rather have 4 bucks to spend on your sound or 16 billion?

Yeah, but keep in mind this is only true if you have a 64 bit OS, otherwise you are limited to 32 bits no matter what...

Of course, if you don't have a x64 OS, I would be very surprised to hear that a x64 driver would even work - and perhaps that is the problem. I honestly would be surprised if you had a 64 bit OS, Alex. In that case you should definitely uninstall the driver as well, and you may find that your sound will work again, and if not, there are other options to pursue. You should be able to right-click on "My Computer" and see whether you have an x64 (64-bit) or x86 (32-bit - don't ask where x86 came from ) Windows. Let me know what you find out and I will be happy to help further...

-also, I am obviously assuming you aren't using a Mac. If I am correct, is it XP or Vista?

 

[Alex2507]

Clicking on my computer tells me that I have Vista64 (C. (accidental smilie)

This is the computer:

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/asus-x83vm-x1-core/4505-3121_7-33361040.html?tag=dtBody;

That link says it's a 64 bit Vista OS. Of course I have a 64 bit OS.

Actually whatever it was that youse twos just said is 99% lost on me. I will get back to this but I have to go do stuff first.

 

[strube]

Clicking on my computer tells me that I have Vista64 (C.

This is the computer:

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/asus-x83vm-x1-core/4505-3121_7-33361040.html?tag=dtBody;

That link says it's a 64 bit Vista OS. Of course I have a 64 bit OS.

Actually whatever it was that youse twos just said is 99% lost on me. I will get back to this but I have to go do stuff first.

Sorry to confuse. Now I remember when you got that lappytop, I could have searched it out but I didn't.

You should be fine following the others' basic recommendations changing the sound options in control panel. If that doesn't take care of it, there might be something to your onboard sound device being disabled in BIOS, however, I don't really know how that could happen without you doing it, and I don't think you would.

Don't worry about that last sentence, its just internal dialog - if the other stuff doesn't fix it we will go from there.

 

[HDPCsound]

do the following:

1 Roll back drivers
2 try a system restore
3 check if the speakers are working properly, plug an external audio device to the sound card to know it.

 

[Alex2507]

The Answer !!!

Ostensibly, I invited a fellow past his prime aging drywaller over for a cup of coffee and got him to take a look. He opened my eyes to the right click on the things listed under Sound. To make a short story long it's like:

Control Panel/Hardware and Sound/Manage audio devices (or) Sound (both go to the same thing)

Right clicking on any of the things in the list allows you to Show Disabled/Disconnected devices and setting a default. The trick is that the effect of a change requires that the audio stream(?) to be broken for the change to take effect. Clicking the speaker icon in the bottom right corner and then Mixer and then Device also has a list of choices. It will take a little more time to see exactly what the rules are.

After a little playing around this morning I am able to go back and forth in between computer speakers and head phones on an external Creative sound card that I got from Andrew. Now I think I'm going to go brew a celebratory cup of coffee with freshly ground Espresso beans from a grinder that I got from Andrew and maybe try to figure out how to blare a little Bach from my computer out of some speakers that I got from Phil.

I really want to thank Jostenmeat for making me do my vocabulary words a few weeks ago and by the time I am having to solve my own computer problems it should be clear to all that our civilization is in decline.

I actually took a peak into my BIOS to see if I did anything in there.
... and hitting F3 does something interesting upon start up.
I backed out of those places very carefully.
Why is this stuff so complicated?

I am going to dedicate myself to finally reading some of these manuals.
... maybe REW is to follow.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

You may be the only person in the world that is worse than me with computers.

 

[Nemo128]

I didn't even realize you were having this problem. Probably could have helped you figure it out months ago if I saw the thread.

 

[Alex2507]

You may be the only person in the world that is worse than me with computers.

I know. To me you're like a God when it comes to all things techno.

I didn't even realize you were having this problem. Probably could have helped you figure it out months ago if I saw the thread.

I think at the time you had your hands full of your own heart aches. I don't think anybody here could anticipate me not right clicking. Really the only answer for me seems to be a disorganized series of frustrating fumbles. I don't even have an organized approach to learning about this stuff. It's just a haphazard ugly mess but I'm motivated and determined because of this enormous collection of music on this computer.

I've tried to read up on stuff at forums like notebook review but invariably the material is over my head leaving me confused and wanting a smoke.

EDIT: I just got the sound card's SPDIF Out activated and hooked up to my H/K AVR 430 and it's jamminn' out some Janis Joplin Summertime.

That's it. I am now officially never leaving the house.

Doh ... the music cut out for a second there ... is this why computers suck?

Actually I think that may have been a scan completing and AVG signing off. Who knows? Oh hot damn ... now it's Abba ... this must be how Christopher Columbus felt when he discovered America.

 

[Rickster71]

Ostensibly, I invited a fellow past his prime aging drywaller over for a cup of coffee and got him to take a look. He opened my eyes to the right click on the things listed under Sound.

So you've waited since 9/22/09 to fit "Ostensibly" into a sentence? j/k

That's what I really like about this site; just so much to learn from others.

 

[itschris]

Forget the laptop... how'd the crown molding come out? I'm thinking of starting a crown molding project at my house. I've been Mr. Bob Villa lately. I just up a new back splash in the kitchen. I've never tiled before, but I bought this massive radial arm wet tile saw and the whole project came out awsome. I'm just waiting for the copper switch plates to arrive to finish off.

I'm stocked to do my crown molding. I'm decent with woodworking but such a project is daunting. How'd you end up?

 

[Alex2507]

So you've waited since 9/22/09 to fit "Ostensibly" into a sentence? j/k

It's only been a few weeks on that one.

That's what I really like about this site; just so much to learn from others.

You wouldn't say that if you knew about the other word I learned that day.
Meat knows stuff but I gotta wonder about what he's up to in his off time.

Forget the laptop... how'd the crown molding come out? I'm thinking of starting a crown molding project at my house. I've been Mr. Bob Villa lately. I just up a new back splash in the kitchen. I've never tiled before, but I bought this massive radial arm wet tile saw and the whole project came out awsome. I'm just waiting for the copper switch plates to arrive to finish off.

I'm stocked to do my crown molding. I'm decent with woodworking but such a project is daunting. How'd you end up?

I didn't end up doing the crown.

You need a 12" saw (for 5-1/2" crown) that will do compound miters and some instructions that come with a saw that only does a single bevel so that you are forced to flip the stock around (for the best results in accuracy of repeatable compound miters). In the past I would make an inside corner and an outside corner with notes on the stock telling me which edge was against the fence and which direction the miter was at and which side of the blade my desired cut came from.

Trying to hold the material in an approximation of the angle that it will sit on the wall at to cut it results in amateurish results that your mom might like but woodworkers will poke fun. The last time I did it was over 10 years ago and it came out killer. Glue all your miters and nail and glue the outside miters together. Run sandpaper perpendicular to each length of material at the outside corners to knock off any burrs or overhang. Don't round it. That 90 should be sharp.

The motto to adopt is 'Cut and fit we do our best, paint and caulk will do the rest.'
Go get 'em, Tiger. (... not Woods.)