Sound Problem with ThinkPad A31

[WFJ]

My IBM ThinkPad A31 CDand MP3 playback stopped working.
No Sound, only modem and beeps.
I've updated the RelTex AC97 drivers.
When I tried to install SoundMax, the install unzips the software and then exits with a very informative "Driver Missing" message.
In the Control Panner: Sounds and Audio devices Audio tab indicates no playback device, no recording device, no midi playback devices.

Any suggestions??

WFJ

 

[fastco]

Totally uninstall the device from the device manager, restart the computer and install with the latest drivers.

 

[WFJ]

The A31 has an integrated sound chipset, the device manager will not allow it to be uninstalled.

 

[Didou]

Have you looked in the BIOS under integrated devices or something of that kind ?

 

[WFJ]

I have looked through all of the BIOS setup options and there is nothing that gives access to the sound or modem integrated devices.

 

[Didou]

I've had a different problem with a Thinkpad R30 where the sound would stutter at first & then disappear after a few minutes. I wouldn't get any sound before a reboot where it would once again quit after a few minutes. It turns out the driver for windows 2000 provided by IBM was very outdated & no longer supported. I had to upgrade to Windows XP to get a newer driver which (so far) works well.

If nothing else works, it would seem the sound chip on your laptop is dead. It might be a good to look for another solution such as a PCMCIA sound card or an USB one but you won't be able to use the integrated speakers anymore.