Another thing you need to check is to look into device manager from safe mode so you can remove old drivers. It will show more device drivers in safe mode, typically.
While that is somewhat true, the better solution is as follows (can be done in regular as well as safe mode):
[code:1:0d351b9cc0]In a command prompt (minus the quotes):
"set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1"
"start devmgmt.msc"
This starts the Device Manager in a special mode,
Select "View->Show Hidden Devices", this should show all devices that have, at one time or another, been installed on your machine. The ones that are semi-transparent aren't currently detected in your system.[/code:1:0d351b9cc0]
Note of caution: be very careful here, as deleting arbitrary devices, even though it
seems like they may be "ghost devices" can leave your system unstable or even unbootable. That being said, just remove what makes sense (the sound card inthis instance).