H
Hypnosan
I've recently reformatted and did a clean install of Windows XP Professional on a Gateway 7215GX notebook. I've had a few issues with the drivers, but it seems that that's not where the real problem is (I think). After installing Windows obviously the first thing I began to do was download and install current drivers for the notebook. I started with the network adapter drivers, keyboard, touchpad, etc. When I got to the video / audio drivers that's where the fun started. Windows automatically assigned the audio with an "ALi Audio Accelerator WDM" driver, the video was unresolved. First I tried the video drivers, downloading the driver from the Gateway website (as I did with the others thus far), and tried to install it. The installation was canceled and I got a message stating...
So, I figured I'd deal with this later and move on to the audio drivers, only to receive the same message when trying to install them. Now here's the confusing part...one of many I guess. Using the Gateway Update utility from Gateway's website, it showed that the driver for the notebook should be a "AC97 WDM SigmaTel Audio" driver. However looking through the user guide and looking at the notebook's specs from Gateway's website it says it should be using a "Conexant AMOM (Audio Modem on Motherboard)". Now I'm not sure of the importance of this, but just strikes me as odd.
I finally resolved the video driver issue by manually applying the driver for video adapter, although even after installing the driver the ATI installer still gives the same message that is quoted above. My biggest problem currently though is still with the audio however, I'm not getting sound through the speakers. I am however getting sound through the headphone jack, this lead me to believe that the driver installed was functioning properly, the problem lay in the speakers themselves. Now I know the speakers are in working condition, they worked perfectly a couple hours before the installation of XP Pro. My initial reaction was they must be muted somewhere. So I've checked every audio property I can think of and everything seems to be in order. The speaker volume is not muted and is set to a regular level in the Master Volume control, and "Laptop stereo speakers" is selected in Advanced Audio Properties.
I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the automatically selected driver by Windows as well as the SigmaTel driver with no luck. I have found no option in the BIOS to enable or disable the onboard sound / speakers...so I'm pretty much out of ideas here. I've called Gateway to see if this was a known issue or common problem, the only answer they were able to give was the speakers must be shot...which I refuse to believe. I find it next to impossible that fully functional speakers would simply die within a two hour stretch while doing a clean install of an operating system, that is too big of a coincidence.
I would really appreciate any input anybody can give, and hopefully somebody out there is smarter than me because I've tried everything I can think of.
Here's a link to Gateway's site which has detailed specs on the notebook. http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/Gateway/7305GZ/4139sp3.shtml
So, I figured I'd deal with this later and move on to the audio drivers, only to receive the same message when trying to install them. Now here's the confusing part...one of many I guess. Using the Gateway Update utility from Gateway's website, it showed that the driver for the notebook should be a "AC97 WDM SigmaTel Audio" driver. However looking through the user guide and looking at the notebook's specs from Gateway's website it says it should be using a "Conexant AMOM (Audio Modem on Motherboard)". Now I'm not sure of the importance of this, but just strikes me as odd.
I finally resolved the video driver issue by manually applying the driver for video adapter, although even after installing the driver the ATI installer still gives the same message that is quoted above. My biggest problem currently though is still with the audio however, I'm not getting sound through the speakers. I am however getting sound through the headphone jack, this lead me to believe that the driver installed was functioning properly, the problem lay in the speakers themselves. Now I know the speakers are in working condition, they worked perfectly a couple hours before the installation of XP Pro. My initial reaction was they must be muted somewhere. So I've checked every audio property I can think of and everything seems to be in order. The speaker volume is not muted and is set to a regular level in the Master Volume control, and "Laptop stereo speakers" is selected in Advanced Audio Properties.
I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the automatically selected driver by Windows as well as the SigmaTel driver with no luck. I have found no option in the BIOS to enable or disable the onboard sound / speakers...so I'm pretty much out of ideas here. I've called Gateway to see if this was a known issue or common problem, the only answer they were able to give was the speakers must be shot...which I refuse to believe. I find it next to impossible that fully functional speakers would simply die within a two hour stretch while doing a clean install of an operating system, that is too big of a coincidence.
I would really appreciate any input anybody can give, and hopefully somebody out there is smarter than me because I've tried everything I can think of.
Here's a link to Gateway's site which has detailed specs on the notebook. http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/Gateway/7305GZ/4139sp3.shtml
