NO AUDIO on fresh Op. Sys. Sound Controls "grayed out"

Recently I had enough with my pc (running slow, no sound, choppy online streaming, etc). I saved everything I wanted to discs. Downloaded a new Op Sys. Booted the old. Laced up the new, by the way, new system is WinXP SP3. Everything uploaded fine. I was presented a desktop with nothing on it and by-golly my hair is growing back from my scalp, where i used to pull it out! (bye bye ) But then the most important thing raised issue. No SOUND. No AUDIO. I tried… control panel>Sound & Audio Devices> Volume tab & Audio Tab, but the features under both those tabs are greyed, leaving me puzz'd. And other sources START>Entertainment>right click Properties> to no avail. Having sound and Audio is very crucial to my profession and work. Could anyone please help Th'Snail in determining if the sound card is fried, something is pulled outta place, if i need a certain driver or what have'ya? Lets Conquer This!

You need to download and install the driver for your sound card/chip. If you need help finding it, post the manufacturer and complete model number of the computer. Also, look in Device Manager, see if there are any other devices with yellow marks by them. You will need drivers for all of them.

Service Tag: 4TVRG61 Express Service Code: 10513997209 And attached is a screen shot of the others I supposedly need fixed. You, Ztruker, are da bomb Th'Snail

Edit by paws. I see Ztruker beat me to it again!

Hi snailer and welcome to the WTT forums.

Sometimes reinstalling the operating system is a good way to deal with a system that is so badly damaged that it cannot be restored by the usual means.

However Windows XP SP3 operating system is generally not available for download over the Internet….. it is either pre installed by the computer's manufacturer, sometimes on a dedicated Recovery Partition, or comes on CD.

It would be as well to check the provenance of the Win XP installation that you downloaded as unfortunately fake or pirated copies are sometimes "passed off" as being the real thing.

If you have any doubts on the authenticity of your Windows installation, the best way of dealing with the issue may be to format your boot partition (usually your C drive) and then reinstall Win XP from the genuine Microsoft XP installation disc.(it should be for the same version of Win XP as shown on the Certificate of Authenticity that is fixed to your computer's case)

Once you have done this, its important to visit Windows Update, do this immediately after installing your resident anti virus product and switching on your Windows firewall (do not connect to the Internet or allow a connection to take place until your Windows firewall and anti virus are in place. and only use the internet for updating at this stage… no surfing or downloading e-mails etc.)

Download and install all Windows critical/important updates, many reboots will be required, make sure that you only connect to the Internet via a router containing a hardware firewall (most do) There may well be a few hundred updates to download and install and that is after you have installed Service Pack 3. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection (broadband is almost essential) it could take a full day to complete these tasks.

Once you have fully updated Windows and you are sure that after rebooting there are no more updates available its time to visit the website of your computer's manufacturer or if its a "one off " then visit the website of the motherboard manufacturer and download all available drivers and then install them in the following order.
Chipset, Video, Network (if not included in the chipset drivers) and then audio followed by any others required.

Run Windows Update one more time and do the same for your anti virus and check that Windows firewall is still set to "On" and then you can start to install your software… Microsoft Office perhaps, etc.

You can now start to copy files over from your back up….(don't forget to virus scan by using 2 independent scanners of good reputation first) and then you can start to use the Internet normally.

Post back if you need any more information.

Regards

paws

Mr. Paws Thanks. I did infact download a copy of this WinXP SP3 off of a torrent. I am confident that it is safe and not a rascal like some may think. I have no official anything discs or hologram of authenticity. This computer was sort of custom built by a very knowledgeable friend. I have surfed and rocked out email a couple of times since up loading this. Am I up the creek? -Snailer

You have a Dell Dimension 3000. This is the audio driver you need:

📎Dim3000Audio.jpg

No screen shot, try it again. Use the Browse and Upload buttons below the input area then click on Manage to insert the image into your post.

You could also try right clicking on your Audio device in Device Manager and select Update Driver, see if that works.

So I got that audio driver for the dell deminsion 3000 from that page. I loaded chipset first. Then audio. Success! I turned off my pc and went to the store. Upon my return to post some items for sale on CL, I turned on my pc and yet more trouble… There is sound but no image. The initial dell screen works and loads. Then the windows logo screen shows and loads. The screen turns BLACK and sound is heard but no cursor nor nothin shows. I started pc in SafeMode w/ networking (where i have no sound) and found in device manger that the VGA CONTROLLABLE something or another has that tricky yellow question-exclamation marks. So from that site you shows scrnshot of which driver will help me next? And, As reading before, run chipset set up first then the rest– do I still need to run that stuffs again?

Here is the screen shot of the current issue at hand.

You only need to run chipset once. Now try these, top one first. If it fixes it your done. If not try the 2nd one. 📎Dim3000Video.jpg

I wiped then reinstalled new op. sys. Chipset 1st Then 2nd What about Audio? Where does that fall in line? I believe that hav to be run in order right?

No, just chipset needs to be first, after that order doesn't matter.

I dont believe there is anything wrong with my downloader, but i've been trying for 2-ish days to get downloading from the dell support drivers site. I've tried on two different pc's. might you be having some trouble too, if you were to try and download those drivers, like chipset?

No problem for me. Download them one at a time, do not use the download manager. 📎Dwld1.jpg 📎Dwld2.jpg