Lack of Audio - Driver? Card? User Idiocy?

[bluelonesome]

I am a great example of how a little learning is a dangerous thing. After a disasterous Acer laptop purchase (boooo!), I inherited a custom build Czech desktop (I live abroad.) After dealing with a particularly nasty virus, I decided to attempt a little clean-up. Notice to *****s: Don’t do this.

For the last three days, I have been researching how I managed to remove the sound from the machine. My research shows that I am not alone, but a hundred tech websites later and countless downloads later, I am ready to eat my “humble pie” and admit I need professional help.

I run Windows 2000 Professional.
Aida32 reports I have nothing under Multimedia->Windows Audio.
PCI device is Intel 82801BA(M) ICH2 – AC’97 Audio Controller (B-1)

My device manager insists that Windows has found new hardware and would like to update “Multimedia Audio Controller,” but can never find any hardware to do the deed. The device manager also indicates the yellow exclamation point over the controller, as well as a question mark icon for the PCI device.

Now I know I have a sound card because I had sound before I attempted this disaster. Removing the cover of the CPU yielded nothing certain. I have downloaded Belarc, Aida, and DriverScan (among others) to isolate the information I need. I’m still clueless.

Now you see how dangerous I am! Please stop me before I do something even worse! As a night time addict to old-time radio streams, this silence is killing me. Sadly, and soundlessly yours,

Lucien Holmes
Hluboka nad Vltavou
Czech Republic

 

[kpo6969]

You don't have a sound card, you need the driver for your on-board audio.
Look here:

https://www.techspot.com/drivers/driver/file/category/10/

http://www.google.com/custom?hl=en&...udio+Controller+%28B-&btnG=Search&sitesearch=

By reading this link you may be better off buying a sound card:
http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.co...l-r-82801ba-bam-ac97-audio-controller-15.html

 

[bluelonesome]

Best-laid plans

Thank you for getting back so quickly. Good news is you both provided links to redownload the realtek driver, which I did ... the bad news is, there's still no sound.

Upon restart, the Wizard doggedly tries to install the new "found hardware" of the Multimedia Audio Controller. But it's like a 16-year old dog fetching your slippers. You only get one, and it's covered in drool anyway. It then asks me where I put the driver, but all it wants is an ".inf" extension. I'm not able to satisfy it, so it goes away, presumably to poop in the corner of the computer.

Am I treating this poor little Wizard right? Should I be asking this thing to search for the suitable driver, or should I be taking the second option, which is choosing from a list of the known drivers? And if I need to choose from the known drivers, how seriously am I risking Eternal Blue Screen when the Wizard screams, "If you do this wrong, your computer will stop working entirely and blow up and not having sound will be the LEAST of your troubles"?

In other news, the Device Manager now reports, however, under "Other Devices," the "Multimedia Audio Controller" has gone from "code 28" to "code 1." I don't know when this happened or if this is A Good Thing, e.g. Progress. The Audio menu swears that my "Legacy drivers" are in top shape.

I hope you don't get tired of responding to morons* like me. How do you do it? Just take turns, so that everyone takes a turn? It seems like a lot of people have done this, though. I'm sorry I have to bother you about such a common issue. Thanks again in advance.

Lucien
*(Though I'm not a *****, I'm a teacher. Which is a "dork.")

 

[bluelonesome]

By the way, I saw elsewhere that I may have to update my chipset because it's an Intel motherboard (Intel 815 EP family). I'm okay with that (whatever that is), and Intel's site seems to have what I'd need, but I don't know if I should A. Uninstall the driver first? B. Download software installation chipset? C. Download application accelerator chipset. Or, as kpo6969 suggested, forget about on board sound altogther. Except I live out in the country, and getting to a computer store one trusts in Central/Eastern Europe ... welllll.....

 

[Sorrow]

Well check if any of your settings are muted? Happened to me once =]

P.S lol at the title =] User Idiocy! =D

 

[bluelonesome]

Limping towards a solution

Sorrow, no dice. Not THIS time, anyway. All of my controls (accessible through control panel) are grayed out. Any thoughts on the chipset/driver issue?