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I've lost sound!


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I seem to have 'lost' the sound on this laptop. It is an old one that was lent to me as my computer has died, and is still running Windows 98. Recently I haven't been able to find any way of getting the sound to work - it was fine and I wonder if I have deleted something I shouldn't have done! Can anyone suggest (in simple steps please) what I should do to restore the sound. I've looked at various 'Help' topics, but am still no wiser.
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OK very simple first step ... might there be a 'mute' button that has been accidentally pressed? I lost sound for three days after my cat walked over the keyboard and was convinced it was a combination of keystrokes that had deleted something, then found a hidden 'mute' button that I had never noticed before!

Next step, could you do a System Restore to an earlier point?

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Hi

Find the device manager in the control panel, it's a sub menu so hunt for it. Look for question marks especially the audio driver

If its got one you will have to re-install the driver. If it says the device is working Ok it's something else.

Check volume not turned down in speaker settings. If it has USB (will be only USB 1) try plugging in something like a usb headset and then some

speakers into that (win 98 will require drivers for such a device) If you now have sound it may be a hardware fault but it is rare.

How old and what spec laptop unless it is very low spec it will run XP.

Merry Xmas  

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Beyond what others have advised not much to add except:

[quote user="Rob Roy"]It is an old one that was lent to me as my computer has died, and is still running Windows 98[/quote]

Which, up to it or not, I think kinda precludes installing XP [;-)]

Merry Christmas

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[quote user="Payrac-man"]

Hi

Find the device manager in the control panel, it's a sub menu so hunt for it. Look for question marks especially the audio driver

If its got one you will have to re-install the driver. If it says the device is working Ok it's something else.

Check volume not turned down in speaker settings. If it has USB (will be only USB 1) try plugging in something like a usb headset and then some

speakers into that (win 98 will require drivers for such a device) If you now have sound it may be a hardware fault but it is rare.

How old and what spec laptop unless it is very low spec it will run XP.

Merry Xmas  

[/quote]

Thanks everyone for suggestions and I hope you all have had a lovely Christmas day; however the above advice I've put in red seems to have found the problem. In the device manager there is a yellow question mark against the 'PCI Multimedia Audio Device' and tells me the Multimedia drivers are not installed, but when I follow the directions to re-install the driver it says it can't do it. Any further advice please? The laptop has 64MB SDRAM, 6.0 GB hard drive and Intel Pentium III processor 450 MHz.

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Hi Rob,

Only suggestion I have is:

1.  Try 'Roll back driver' if this doesn't work.

2.  Find the Manufacturers website i.e. Acer, Dell etc.  Navigate to their 'Support', input the model of the laptop, find 'Driver Download' search for the 'Audio Driver' download and install.

Regards

 

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Sorry for the delay in replying. This is a Sony Vaio model PCG-F403 and I found the website for this model which is:

http://support.vaio.sony.eu/computing/vaio/specifications/index.aspx?l=en_GB&m=PCG-F403

It seems that this laptop was loaded with Yamaha controllers for the sound, according to the above site so I've looked for information on those but as there are several different ones and I don't know which ones I had and at this point I was getting rather bogged down in technical stuff! I have phoned the guy who ownes the machine (who lives in Dublin) and he's not sure whether he still has the original disks, but will look.

 

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OK, when I download and the little screen comes up asking whether to 'open' or 'save to computer' etc what do I do and where to I save it to? After saving it do I have to do anything else? Sorry to be such a computer idiot.[8-)] I'm OK using the software, but coping with the 'workings' is another matter!
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It doesn't matter where you save it so long as you remember, the desktop is good a place as any. If it has an .exe on the end then you should  be able to just double click on it.

If it's downloaded as .zip file then you will need to right click and extract it again to the desktop but if it's giving you the option to run or save it probably isn't a .zip file.

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