Dano1000

i recently bought a generic sound card, (5.1 Channel PCI sound card), i opened the computer up, put it in the back, i couldnt take my old one out cuz its all sealed into the computer, and popped the computer on, i then installed the drivers on the cd that came with it. now i can not get ne sounds at all! even if i uninstall either and its very frustrating! can any one help me plz!

thanks dan.

dai

disable the onboard sound either in the bios or in the device manager or both

Dano1000

i have tried this many times! but on the dxdiag it says they r both failing on step 3 no driver, yet i have installed the driver to the new one, and the old one use to work so i dont fully understand why it is now bein such a bain! if u can help me further with another idea i am very very gr8ful!

dan

dai

uninstall the card in the device manager
shut down the computer and remove the card
restart and shut down the comuter
install the card in a different slot,make sure it is seated properly
reboot
when windows finishes reinstalling the card
disable a/virus
install the drivers
reboot the computer
it may pay to check their website for any updated drivers before you start

simcalnet

I followed your directions and uninstalled the drivers for the soundcard in device manager and removed the soundcard. Then I rebooted and shutdown again. Then I installed the card again in a different slot and rebooted the computer. I disabled my antivirus and installed the latest drivers from the manufacturers website then rebooted the computer and there still was no sound. I had experimented a few things before doing this like installing and reinstalling the drivers and software and once when I enabled the onboard sound I got the sound back. It lasted about 2 hours and I lost the sound again. I disabled the onboard sound and rebooted and I got my sound back again. But then it didn't last.

dai

in the device manager,click on view at the top and show hidden devices and see what has yellow alongside of it
have you checked it is not muted in the settings
have you installed a sound cable from the drive to the card and checked that the plug is not not flipped over at the sound card

simcalnet

I checked in Device Manager to show any hidden devices and there's no errors.
I've checked the software for the soundcard many times and also in Control Panel under sounds and audio devices and nothing is muted. I don't understand your last suggestion of installing a sound cable from the drive to the sound card. I definitely don't have a sound cable connected to the soundcard. The X-Fi comes with a front panel console. From the console there's a ribbon cable that connects to the soundcard. And you have to use a connector from the PSU to provide power to the front console. I checked the manual on the CD that came with the soundcard. On the soundcard there are various connectors. There's a "Power Connector" which is for an X-Fi I/O Console. Then there's an AUX In Connector which is to connect an analog CD cable from the analog output of a TV Tuner. Then there's a Creative Proprietary Connector which provides a proprietary connection for creative devices. It says not to use this connector unless instructed to do so. Then theres the connector for the ribbon cable that goes to the front console. I think the drive that you mentioned is the console I'm talking about. I just looked at the instructions on the CD and they call it a drive. Thanks for replying so quickly. I appreciate your help.

dai

i am not familiar with the xfi
when you put a cd in if you use a normal drive have you a cable from the drive connected
these are the cables listed as supplied
Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)
Cable(s) Included 1 Data cable, 1 Audio adapter, 1 Power cable
i see an audio adapter but not knowing the xfi i don't know what it is

simcalnet

I haven't tried a CD in an optical drive but I put an MP3 music file on my desktop to try when I want to see if I have sound. Also when I reboot my computer Windows normally has a welcome sound. There's no sound at all so I know if I try a music CD in an optical drive that there won't be any sound.

dai

asked someone else for imput

simcalnet

I went to a computer shop the other day and brought my computer there. Two computer technicians worked on the soundcard for two hours and gave up. They had no idea why it wasn't working. Thank you.

linderman

I believe the problem you have is a botched driver / hardware install

you "should" have disabled onboard sound in the Bios "prior" to installing the sound card! very important step otherwise the two devices will fight for control during the driver install process


in your situtation I would perfrom a Win XP repair install that will remove ALL drivers and service pack from your Windows system, it will NOT remove or destroy data or programs though!

I know this is a severe fix; but its the only way to clean the registry of the defunk driver files and get a fresh start

after the repair install is completed you will need to re-install all service packs, & windows updates and reinstall all system drivers (except for onboard sound ofcourse!!)

after you have completed the reinstall of service packs and other systme device drivers and performed your windows updates then at that time "add" your new sound card & sound drivers make sure the onboard sound is "disabled" in the bios, and anit virus and spyware blockers are turned off when you install ANY drivers

the link for repair install is in my signature

dont hesitate to ask quetions & keep us updated on your progress

simcalnet

I printed out all the information from your link to WinXP Repair Install so that I know what to expect. After I've read the information I'll decide on whether I should format and start all over or try to repair my installation. What you're telling me makes sense and I'll go forward with your suggestion but I may just go ahead and format and start all over. I remember when I formatted my drive and installed WinXP for the first time I checked in the BIOS and sure enough the onboard audio controller was enabled. Thank you. I'll let you know.

simcalnet

I read the documentation on Windows XP repair installation and I find that there are some risks to the stability of a computer system. I just assembled my new computer from scratch and I have an external drive with all my important data stored on it and I just have the very basic software installed on my new computer so I'll just start over again with a clean format and a fresh installation and I'll follow your directions for installing my new sound card. I've check and yes my onboard sound is disabled. Thank you. Hope this works and I finally get sound. I'll let you know how it's going.

linderman

we will be anxious to hear your results

Dano1000

i have tried this many times! its a CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audiocard, i have managed to disable the on board one and now it no longer re-installs as fast as i unistall it, altho my new one is installed, when i test directsound on dxdiag i get in the notes section "DirectSound test results: Failure at step 3 (DirectSoundCreate): HRESULT = 0x88780078 (No driver)" i have tried installin drivers, rollbacks, unistall/install, updates! i am no completely out of ideas! ne clues?! i have also dont major rootkit, malware etc scans and nothing has been found! thanks dan

linderman

have you tried a email message to the tech dept of the sound card manufacturer


during driver installs do you disable anti virus & spyware scanners

simcalnet

Well, I've done everything and started from scratch and followed the directions given to me and I'm still not getting any sound from my new X-Fi soundcard in my new computer.

linderman

check to see which IRQ the sound card is using and what other devices are sharring that number


you can see IRQ's by going to into the device manager / then click on the view tab in the toolbar / then click view devices by resource connection



do you have any yellow exclamations in the device manager????

simcalnet

There are no yellow exclamations. The IRQ for the soundcard is being shared with Intel ICH8 (southbridge chipset) Family USB Universal Host Controller and Intel ICH8 Family USB Enhanced Host Controller.