no sound

[handbaggirl]

Running xp. last week i noticed we didnt have any sound, we use speakers and as the green light wasnt on them I reckoned they had conked out. Off to pc world today bought a new set, plugged them in and they seem to be working ok, still no sound. Checked that nothing is on mute etc and tried system restore, windows wont let me use system restore, ive tried 4 times at various dates and it wont restore to any point, now im at a loss, any suggestion?

[Simsarmy]

Could you tell us the Brand and Model of *both* of your Speakers?

You can use Run > msinfo32 > Components > Sound Device, then copy all the information to make it easier.

 

It sounds like you might not have the correct Drivers.

 

As for the System Restore, what error messages does it display when you try?

Edited April 20, 2009 by Simsarmy

[handbaggirl]

Ok I dont get an error message, i get a screen saying system restore wasnt able to restore to this date, and to pick an other one, so i did 3 more times, still no luck, the other info is

Realtek high definition audio

Status OK

driver\c\windows system32\drivers\rtkhdaud.sys( 5 100.00. 5032 built by win DDk.2.17mb

Unimodem Full Duplex audio device Microsoft status ok

c\windows\system 32\drivers\modemcsa.sys (5.1.2000.0xp client

Cant understand why there would suddenly be no sound .

[handbaggirl]

sorry, the new speakers are PC LIne, they were just cheap ones from PC world, i dont need flash sound system the previous ones came with Emachines

[Simsarmy]

Ok, this might be a problem with your Chipset Drivers. They can become faulty as you install new software or hardware.

 

Try this:

 

Control Panel > Sounds and Devices > Hardware > Realtek High Definition Audio > Properties > Troubleshoot

 

If you're feeling confident, back up your Hard Drive and follow these steps:

 

Control Panel > Sounds and Devices > Hardware > Realtek High Definition Audio > Properties > Driver > Uninstall

 

Then follow this link to reinstall your Sound Drivers:

 

Realtek

[handbaggirl]

Im a bit scared to uninstall and then reinstall, mainly because of this problem of my restore point not working, i have used it before and there wasnt a problem, but now that there is one, im not very experienced so dont want to cause more problems than i already have

[Simsarmy]

Could you try to do a System Restore in Safe Mode?

 

I'll be pulling information from Here are some troubleshooting steps to take when System Restore fails to restore: it's heavy reading, but if you get desperate you might want to give it a look.

[handbaggirl]

ive gone to the link i dont know which of the drivers to choose

[RandyL]

Just to recap;

 

You have two problems.

Sound is not working which could be drivers.

System restore is not working.

 

Windows should pick up basic sound drivers after uninstalling them.

 

System restore is troubling. What security programs do you have? Do you have a current and updated antivirus program?

[handbaggirl]

I have uninstalled the driver and gone to the link but i dont know which driver to choose, so now i have no driver! I am running Avast free version and zone alarm and also superantispyware had no probs with them in the past have used system restore before but not since i had windows reinstalled after a crash, can someone let me know which driver to download please? If i get that done then we can see how it goes after that

[handbaggirl]

Hey!! Thanks!! I just decided to pick one of the drivers from the list in the link and installed it and hey presto SOUND, a big:):):) to you for your help, that list on help for system restore is going to take a lot of reading, i think i would like to know why its not working cause i may really need it at some point but for now, ive bookmarked it for reading later, it is a worry that its not working but at least i have sound, by the way is there a reason for the driver to become corrupt and stop working? I had no yellow marks in my devise manager to show any probs

[Simsarmy]

Hey!! Thanks!! I just decided to pick one of the drivers from the list in the link and installed it and hey presto SOUND, a big:):):) to you for your help, that list on help for system restore is going to take a lot of reading, i think i would like to know why its not working cause i may really need it at some point but for now, ive bookmarked it for reading later, it is a worry that its not working but at least i have sound, by the way is there a reason for the driver to become corrupt and stop working? I had no yellow marks in my devise manager to show any probs

 

Chipset Drivers can simply degrade as you use your computer. New Software and Hardware can cause conflicts or system errors can make them unstable. You can fix most of these specific driver problems just by reinstalling. (though only do so if you know what you're doing, uninstalling the wrong drivers can cause more problems)

 

Give running System Restore in Safe Mode a shot. It'll both allow us to know how deep the problems run, as well as successfully giving you a Restore point to go back to.

 

It sounds like you've got a serious problem with your critical system files. I'm still trying to consider what might be wrong, but without a descriptive error message, I'm in the dark.

[handbaggirl]

This is going to sound like im really stupid, but i dont know how to do a system restore in safe mode

[Simsarmy]

This is going to sound like im really stupid, but i dont know how to do a system restore in safe mode

 

No that's fine.

I'll guide you through:

 

To get into the Windows 2000 / XP Safe mode, as the computer is booting press and hold your "F8 Key" which should bring up the "Windows Advanced Options Menu" as shown below. Use your arrow keys to move to "Safe Mode" and press your Enter key.

 

 

Note: With some computers if you press and hold a key as the computer is booting you will get a stuck key message. If this occurs, instead of pressing and holding the "F8 key", tap the "F8 key" continuously until you get the startup menu.

Taken from: Getting into Windows Safe Mode

 

Safe Mode is a "safe" version of normal Windows. It doesn't run unnecessary files that might be causing your computer to run slower or less efficiently.

 

The display might look a little different, but everything should be in the same place.

 

Your network might not work properly in Safe Mode.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Simsarmy

[handbaggirl]

If i were to do this and get windows to do a restore, wont that interfere with my now fixed sound problem, cause my new driver wont have been installed if i go backwards in time, so to speak. How do i know how far back i should try to restore to? Edited April 20, 2009 by handbaggirl

[Simsarmy]

If i were to do this and get windows to do a restore, wont that interfere with my now fixed sound problem, cause my new driver wont have been installed if i go backwards in time, so to speak. How do i know how far back i should try to restore to?

 

Sorry, I wasn't totally clear... I mixed up my meanings...

I meant: Create a new Restore Point.

[handbaggirl]

Never done one of those, this is sounding tricky:confused:

[Simsarmy]

Never done one of those, this is sounding tricky:confused:

 

Again no problem...

Creating a Restore Point is actually very simple.

Follow these steps:

 

All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore

 

You should get a message saying "Welcome to System Restore".

 

Simply press "Create a Restore Point". Then next.

 

Type into the Description: "Working Sound". Then press create.

 

Since you haven't tried already. Do this in normal mode first, then if that fails... try in Safe Mode.

[handbaggirl]

:) not so tricky after all, it restored to the "working sound" in normal mode. does that mean i can use this point in future to restore? many thanks for your patience:cool:

[Simsarmy]

:) not so tricky after all, it restored to the "working sound" in normal mode. does that mean i can use this point in future to restore? many thanks for your patience:cool:

 

You can indeed use that Restore Point in the future.

 

HOWEVER, something is still wrong; you should technically be able to do System Restore.

I can't figure it out myself, but I urge you to wait for someone else's response to see if they have any other ideas.

 

I'm glad to help.

 

- Simsarmy

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, Handbaggirl.

So far so good. If you haven't done any changes that you wouldn't like to lose, now four days on, can you still do a restore back to "Working sound"?

 

If so, now you know how, create another restore point in about a weeks time and give that a name of your choosing, but an example could be "one week on".

 

If that proves to be OK I think we can assume system restore has been switched on again. Whatever caused the problem with it will of course be unknown.

 

However if the "Working sound" restore point does not work now, let us know and we can go further.