murderhewrote

I just removed and recovered from a virus a few days ago that disabled my Antivirus and anti-spyware programs. Everything is back to normal except for my system audio. Here is a brief list of my computer specs before I list my specific problem and what I have done so far. If you want any other specifications, let me know and I will gladly give them.

1. Home-built computer, so no specific brand.
2. Abit SG-80DC Motherboard
3. Pentium(R) 4 3.00GHz Processor
4. 3.01GHz, 512 MB of RAM
5. Audio Onboard 5.1 cannels Audio CODEC (Yes, my sound card is built into my motherboard.)
6. RealTek AC'97 Audio with Diver Version: 5.10.0.6030
7. Windows XP SP2

The Problems
I believe my computer was infected with the Trojan.W32.Beagle virus and perhaps one or two others as well. I have managed to rid myself of them, but several sound issues have cropped up in their wake. NOT ONE of these problems was around before I got the virus. They have ALL occurred since I removed the virus using various programs recommended by tech people online. I did actually have sound while I had the virus, so my suspicion is that one of the programs designed to remove the viruses removed something else that it shouldn't have. Here is a list of the problems I am currently having:

1. The volume control icon has vanished from the taskbar.

2. The startup and closing sounds, along with all other system sounds have stopped playing.

3. In the "Sounds" tab area of the "Sounds and Audio Devices Properties" section of the Control Panel, a peculiar thing has happened. In the "Program Events" area, sounds can no longer be listened to because the "Play" button has become "grayed" out.

4. I can no longer hear any sounds or audio from anywhere on the Internet. All flash-related audio and video sites, like Youtube.com, are now silent on my computer.

5. I can listen to mp3s on Winamp, without a problem.

6. Oddly enough, I have received NO, I repeat, NO "error" messages whatsoever.

7. For those that I KNOW will ask it, I DO NOT have any software conflicts or problems whatsoever that come up in the Device Manager. (That's right, NO yellow exclamation marks anywhere.)

Steps I've taken...
Now for the steps and tips and ideas I have tried. I would really appreciate it if people did not repeat these "fixes" to me to "try" as I have already thoroughly tried them all. So I beg you for sanity's sake, please read my list thoroughly.

1. Going to the "Volume" section of the "Sounds and Audio Devices Properties" area and putting a checkmark in the box next to "Place volume icon in the taskbar" and then pressing apply, does NOTHING. From the research I did, you wouldn't believe how many people suggest this.

2. Doing vice versa with the above or trying the same using "mute" instead also does absolutely NOTHING, other then muting my music while it is playing in Winamp.

3. I tried uninstalling and then reinstalling my Realtek AC'97 Audio driver using the installation CD-ROM with NO result.

4. I tried extracting a new copy of Sndvol32.exe from my Windows XP CD-ROM to my computer, with NO result.

5. I tried applying a registry fix file suggested online, with NO result.

6. I tried a suggestion concerning a "blank entry" in both in the Registry in HKEY_USERS or HKEY_CURRENT_USER and from what I saw, I do not have that "Blank entry" described. So NO result here.

7. I tried a suggestion of looking in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Sound in the Registry and checking for "Yes" values, which were already there, so NO result here.

8. I tried checking Windows Audio in the Windows XP "Services" and it is set to "Automatic" already, so the problem doesn't seem to be here either.

9. I tried the "K-Lite Codec Fix" and it did NOTHING!!! In fact, when I found and downloaded the K-Lite 3.3 version they wanted you to use, the area in the "Codec Tweak Tool" that said "[Registry] Fix non-working system sound" it was actually "grayed" out and next to it was "no problem detected". Later versions of K-Lite Codec Pack seem to lack the above registry option altogether.

10. I tried doing "sfc /scannow" otherwise known as "System File Checker" on my system and I had NO result from that either.

11. No newer audio driver updates on the motherboard's website. In fact, the ones there seem to be older than what I have.

12. Tried a zipped pack of registry keys for fixing the audio problem found in another thread on this website and had NO success with it either.

13. For anyone that might mention it, my volume control icon isn't set to "always hide". To be truthful, I'm much more worried about not having any system sounds than I am about this icon. My "Sound Effect" program that came with the hardware actually has the "Volume Control" icon amongst its "program shortcut list".

14. RealTek AC'97 Audio is showing up as the default device, so I doubt the problem is here.

15. Trying a Flash Audio registry fix did NOT work.

Possible Solution

The more I research this problem, the more I feel that the Virus and Trojan remover tools are responsible for this problem. I found on one site a mention of "msacm32.drv" being a key file to system and flash player sound.

Is this true? I found that it WAS NOT present in my C:\WINDOWS\system32 folder. And doing a windows file search for it, I found some "msacm32.dll" files and a file quarantined in one of the virus and trojan removers named "msacm32.drv.vir". Is this the missing file infected with a virus?

If this one missing file is causing this sound issue, my problem still remains. I don't know where to get a new copy of it as there are no more on my computer and I couldn't find a website to download it from. If someone verifies that this might be the answer to my problem, or part of it, I will ask someone if they have a copy that would match mine.

tosh9i

Damn, it seems like you tried just about everyting.

Check your Bios to make sure audio is enabled.

Other than that, the only thing I can recommend is reinstalling windows xp (your files and folders would be safe)

murderhewrote

I just now looked at the BIOS. I couldn't really tell where the sound was. But if the sound was indicated by the mention of my RealTek AC'97 Audio driver being enabled or working fine, then I guess I found it. It would seem to be just fine.

Also, I am not sure if I can really reinstall my Windows XP. I just tried yesterday and it told me that I could not reinstall Windows XP because there was a newer version already installed. Which would be indicating the Service Pack 2.

I actually have a Windows XP SP2 disc, but the last time I tried using it, it screwed up the computer bad. Which is really odd considering I had just made a fresh install of Windows XP. I don't know why the computer wouldn't cooperate with the SP2 disc. I had to do my SP2 update through Microsoft Update instead.

tosh9i

When you say that you have a "Windows XP SP2 disc", do you mean that you have another copy of Windows XP (installation CD) or is it just a CD with SP2 on it.

murderhewrote

Just merely a CD-Rom with Windows XP Service Pack 2 that you would otherwise simply download from Microsoft update. They offer them to people who either want their own copy of Service Pack 2 or can't for one reason or other download it from Microsoft Update.

I wanted my own copy. Now it seems pointless.

murderhewrote

****tosh9i has solved this problem for me!!!****

I obtained a copy of the "msacm32.drv" file from him that perfectly matched my computer and to my utter surprise, my sound instantly returned the moment I toggled the "Place volume icon in the taskbar" option off and on. Everything returned to normal, including the volume control icon.

My suspicions were absolutely correct. The ComboFix program I used to rid myself of the vicious viruses I had, must have clipped a friendly file that one of the viruses speared in its warpath.

The lack of the "msacm32.drv" made all the difference on my system. This one file managed to shut off my system sounds and silence the Internet.

I hope this may serve to help others in the future that have gone to the lengths that I have in trying to find a solution to this odd problem.

I thank tosh9i a thousand times over for helping to save me from having to reinstall Windows XP.

blacksoprano

OMG MURDER I THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOO MUCH BRO wow
Had that problem soooo long with the exact issue as you WOW can't believe was a missing file --__-- seriously i will never forget and sooo many people around the world have the exact same problem and the thing who piss me the most its most of those who were trying to help were like humm try to see if ur volume is not mute or see if its correctly plug behind lol anyway THANKS AGAIN MAN

murderhewrote

I know what you mean. I made my post as detailed as I did because I was put off and annoyed by the number of websites I looked through where people constantly kept on suggesting the same simple and usually useless suggestions. Even when someone made a point to mention what they had already tried, someone would go and suggest it again or wouldn't bother reading the person's whole post.

MLAsk

HELP ME i have same problem!

seantobin5

uninstall the sound drivers, restart and install the newest sound driver. the AC'97 tend to have these problems a lot.

tosh9i

Download this file into C:\Windows\System32 folder

http://www.filesavr.com/msacm32

CPippin

So I registered here just because after almost 2 years without sound on flash and searching the net for answers this seems to be the site that has the most knowledgeable people.

I have basically the same problem as the original poster. I have tried basically everything that he did but I noticed after doing more research last night that I did not have the msacm32.drv file either. I don't remember having a virus though. I replaced it with 3 different versions now and still nothing.

Oddly enough I did not notice until reading his post but I too do not have the system sounds quicklaunch on my taskbar. I tried his fix with the download supplied here by checking and unchecking that box but still I have nothing. I'm wondering if my windows is the same as the one from the downloaded file. I have XP Home version 2002 SP3 (upgraded last night)

The major difference between myself and the original poster is I am using an outdated sound card so I tried to find the latest but it is so old they do not put out updates anymore. I have a SoundBlaster Live! sound card. But I truly think my problem lies here with the missing file.

Can anyone help?

MLAsk

When i go to download the file it tells me windows cannot open file...it says i can choose i file to open with...ie internet explorer or use web to find appropriate but still no luck.....file download im talking about it the msacm32.drv

tosh9i

you're not supposed to open the file, just save it to the C:\Windows\System32 folder. Or save it to your desktop and then copy and paste it to the C:\Windows\System32 folder

palmeto

hi guys,

i've been searching the whole week for a solution to my problem which is the same as posted by you.. and i have replaced the msacm/msacm32 (dll and drv) files (which were available at the beginning) with the original versions from windows cd but no results. still exactly same problem.

can anyone help.. any ideas?

thanx !

tosh9i

http://www.techsupportforum.com/micr...ml#post1783747

ThorXP

CPippin This might be the same problem but several things here, your computer is more than likely a whole heck of a lot different than the original posters computer and the fix might be totally different and to boot having more than one person in a single thread with the same problem is too difficult to manage.

Could you please start a new thread for your problem so we can handle it much easier and better?

Thank you

ThorXP

Sometimes actually a lot of times when recovering from a serious infection the cure over does itself and there are too many files either affected or removed and some of them might be used by the programs that need them to work right.

The real fix for thsi that will actually save a lot of time is to backup all of the important data to another media like CD-R's, DVD, external hard drive and then do a clean installation of windows doing a format during the installation process.

Trying to figure out what files are affected is not going to be easy but rather impossible, you might want to think about doing this.....

palmeto

TOSH9i YOU ARE THE MAAAAAAAAAN..!!

I FOLLOWED UR STEPS UNTIL STEP6 AND TRIED MY SOUND AND ALL WORKED PERFECT..!! MY VOLUME ICON IS BACK.!!

I DONT KNOW WHICH STEP EXACTLY SOLVED THE PROB BUT ANYWAY ALL IS GOOD NOW!!

THANX A ZILLION.!!!