No Sound (After Switching PCI Slots)

[saganiuk]

Sound Card: SB Live! 24-bit
Pentium 4 CPU 3.00Ghz
Dell Dimension 4700
Windows XP

Forgive my lack of knowledge if I use any incorrect terminology, but hopefully somebody can help me out. I just installed a Radeon 7750 Graphics Card along with a new power supply. In the past, I believe the PCI Express slot held the old graphics card (X300), the first PCI slot held the sound card, and the second PCI slot held a fax-modem card.

When installing the 7750, I realized it was a larger card that needed extra space, covering the first PCI slot. So I removed the fax-modem card, and moved the sound card down to PCI slot # 2.

I've tried several troubleshooting suggestions, and believe I got the computer to recognize the sound card. I also re-installed the driver (I think). Still no sound though.

In System Information - Hardware - Device Manager, it says:

Location: PCI Slot 2 (PCI bus 3, device 1, function 0)
This device cannot start. (Code 10)

If I go to adjust the volume control, it says: "There are no active mixer devices available. To install mixer devices, go to Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Add Hardware."

I don't have a "Printers and Other Hardware" button, but when I click Add Hardware it freezes up after a few minutes.

Help?

 

[saganiuk]

I have scoured the web and still can't fix this problem. Seems like the issue is either, (a) a problem with moving the Sound Card into a different PCI slot, or more likely, (b) a problem with the driver.

From what I can tell, the driver should be a specific "Creative Sound Blaster Live 24bit - DELL (OEM) driver" compatible with this particular card in a Dell Dimension 4700.

When I try to update the driver from a specific location, for Creative it lists these options:

- Creative SB Live (WDM)
- Creative SB Live Series (WDM)
- Creative SB Live Value (WDM)
- Creative SB Live Gameport
- Creative Sound Blaster PCI512

I tried the first one, which didn't work. Do I need the "OEM" driver as opposed to a "WDM" option? I can't seem to find it anywhere, has it vanished entirely from the net? Any ideas?

 

[saganiuk]

An update, in case anyone stumbles upon this thread with a similar problem. I finally have sound! In the end, I could not find the driver for this card anywhere online (Sound Blaster Live 24bit - DELL OEM) so I searched through some boxes until I found the original Sound Blaster CD. Did the install (which in theory provided the necessary drivers) and it still didn't work, continued to receive Error Code 10.

In the end, I did two additional things: Ran a Hard Drive Check, and also removed the sound card from PCI Slot 2, blew out the dust, and re-inserted it. Sound Card no longer had the caution symbol in Device Manager, and the sound is now working. I guess it's most likely it simply wasn't inserted properly (although the machine did recognize the Sound Blaster 24-bit card). Maybe the Hard Drive Check helped.

Now on to fix the many other problems with this computer ...