At Wits End.... Need Help Please!

Sorry for joining this forum for no other reason than I need a helping hand. This forum looks active and helpful - so please read on and I hope that you will advise me!

I haven't used my computer for a 6 weeks before today, but I remember trying to update my sound card / codecs the last time i used my computer.
When I booted up today, the system crashed and I had to enter it after a reboot using 'the last known good configuration' option.

To my dismay, I tried to use my media player and no sound was coming out of my speakers. I unplugged them, replugged them in... etc Then tried to adjust the volume in the volume properties. I found that when I did I got a very harsh beep from my CPU. I have since learned that this is from the basic internal speaker and not one of my speakers (they were unplugged during this experimental phase!)

So... I type in "Avance AC'97 Audio for VIA (R) Audio Controller" into google, as this is what my device manager depicts as my sound card, or drivers or something. (I think: There is something named 'LEGACY' there too.) I try uninstalling it, reinstalling it - no joy. I try updating it, still no use! Then I notice that 'VIA (R) is a make of processer and mine is AMD Duron. Is this the problem?

Then I notice that lots of things, like my sound effect manager thing, and volume control have "Avance AC97 audio" written in them in various places.

SO: Is there some kind of conflict between:
Avance AC97 audio and Avance AC'97 Audio for VIA (R) Audio Controller?

And if so how should I fix it?

Thank you for your awaited help. As a return to show my gratitude I shall try and help any users wherever my knowledge is suffuciant!

EDIT: I will try and add as mush info as I can about my computer:

PROCESSOR: AMD Duron(tm) processor 1.2 GHz

BIOS: BIOSTA - 42302e31 Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG Phoenix-Award BIOS v6.00PG, 07/25

WINDOWS: 5.1 (Build 2600)

The sticker on the back of my computer reads:

220 - 240 V
5 A 50HZ

My Audio Driver Version is: 5.10.0.3830
My Audio Controller is: VIA 8233
MY AC97 Codec is: ALC201A

XP home, Service Pack 2, AMD DURON PROCESSOR

Thanks once again. Carly x

Is this what you are looking for?

Motherboard:
CPU Type: AMD Duron, 1200 MHz (12 x 100)
Motherboard Name: Biostar M7VIG (Pro) (3 PCI, 1 AGP, 1 CNR, 2 SDR DIMM, 2 DDR DIMM, Audio, Video)
Motherboard Chipset
Motherboard Properties:
Product KM266-8233A

Motherboard ID: 07/25/2002-KM266-8233A-6A6LVB0DC-00

I am runnning Xp and service pack 2

Also my computer says I am now running:
Driver Description: C-Media AC97 Audio Device as my sound card, where as yesterday I was runnning Avance AC'97 VIA (R) or something (see above post)
Also, in the program you asked me to download, My Direct X have a logo with a blue circle and yellow cross by it, and i get the following information:
--------[ DirectX Sound ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Primary Sound Driver ]

DirectSound Device Properties:
Device Description Primary Sound Driver
Driver Module
Primary Buffers 0
Min / Max Secondary Buffers Sample Rate 0 / 0 Hz
Primary Buffers Sound Formats None
Secondary Buffers Sound Formats None
Total / Free Sound Buffers 0 / 0
Total / Free Static Sound Buffers 0 / 0
Total / Free Streaming Sound Buffers 0 / 0
Total / Free 3D Sound Buffers 0 / 0
Total / Free 3D Static Sound Buffers 0 / 0
Total / Free 3D Streaming Sound Buffers 0 / 0

DirectSound Device Features:
Certified Driver No
Emulated Device No
Precise Sample Rate Not Supported
DirectSound3D Not Supported
Creative EAX 1.0 Not Supported
Creative EAX 2.0 Not Supported
Creative EAX 3.0 Not Supported

Didn't know if that wouls help you. Smile

Thanks for your help

Yup - perfick!

Your motherboard does indeed have C-Media CMI9739A 6-channel AC'97 CODEC as detailed in the spec here

Now alot of these codecs are similar but I don't see how you got sound (before) using the via codec when it's definitely a cmedia. Is it possible your sound update was the wrong file 6 weeks ago?

Anywhooo - what you need to do now is go to control panel - add/remove programs and remove any reference to Avance or Via Sound or even Cmedia sound. Having done that, download the xp audio driver from here Once it's downloaded to a place you can find - eg c:\sound, then double click the exe file and it will extract several files to the sound directory of your choice.

Make a note of where the files where extracted to!! It may try to extract to a desktop folder - change it to c:\sound. You will then have a directory under c:\sound called CMI9739.

Now go to system in control panel, click on hardware tab - device manager button and uninstall the AC97 sound that is there (do not uninstall anything else) - depending on the uninstaller you ran in add/remove programs you may not have any mention of AC97 in device manager - or you may have unknown devices or devices with a !. Remove or uninstall any unknown and ! devices. Reboot.

When windows restarts it should automatically detect the sound device(s) and will ask you where to to look for the drivers - cancel this operation. Let windows get completely to desktop. Now go into c:\sound\CMI9739 and double click the setup.exe file. A wizard will launch and install the drivers for you.

After another reboot test your sound - if it's working run everest again to see if the direct sound problem has been dealt with.

do i need to download this one?

CI9739_512_WINXP.EXE
C-Media 9738/9739/9761 AC97 Codec driver 5.12.01.0040 WinXP 17,534KB 2-5-04

I did all that but the VIA thing keeps putting itself forward as the driver, I cannot stop the prompt like you said to. I tried removing it once again from the device manager, and CMedia from the ad remove thing, but when i reboot they are both still on the system. Additionally I am getting an error message when i boot windows. (i cannot remember it now :S sorry) Hmmm... I'll try fiddling round with it a bit more...

Updated the driver and manually pointed it C:/Sound/CMWhatever and it is giving me "device isn't working properally and code 10

aggghh!

Code 10 means you are out of resources for some reason... do you know if someone put a sound card in your computer as well as the onboard? I do need that start up error message btw.

Also can you get into bios and check that the sound is enabled correctly? There may be more than one menu item to enable - eg ac97 and sound blaster or sb compatible or midi.

The error message has stopped now. Nope, I am pretty sure that this is the only one. I know a new video card was added! But not a sound card.

I do not know how to get into the BIOS - I am not that clever, tee hee!

When the computer starts, immediately press the del key a few times - this has to be pressed long before you see the windows screen.

You will be taken into a screen that is usually blue with white or yellow text. Look for sound blaster or SB or SB16 emulation, AC97, onboard sound, midi.... If you download the manual from the specification site I linked in an earlier post, you will be able to see screen dumps of the various menu options with explanations to help you.

Going back to everest what does it say about the pci cards?

Going back to via - explain more about "the VIA thing keeps putting itself forward as the driver" - what exactly happens and when?

The EVEREST thing presents this information: VIA AC'97 Enhanced Audio Controller PCI

Everytime I uninstall the sound card drivers this, this one "Avance AC'97 Audio for VIA (R) Audio Controller" is automatically detected and installed. I've tried uninstalling it etc but no good!

I can try the BIOS thing now, still not sure what I am looking for or looking to do though!!

You are looking for the onboard sound being disabled I think

Oh I found the manual - just looking at it - never done anything like this before - dont really know what I am doing.

The settings which are for sound - post whether they are enabled or disabled... I posted a list of things to look for above.

Hey, just entered the bIOS and all I could see was something in PCI Audo which was VIA AC97 and the options were auto and disable. Auto was selected. There was a modem in the listing of the same name so I am not too sure if I was looking at the right thing! Ugh! I will go back and look if that's not right! Sorry I am taking up so much of your time!