Blown Sound Card

[tmoses]

I lost all audio when a circuit brdaker blew in my office. I'm running an older Dell Dimension 4600 with the original Creative Sound Card. At first I thought it was an iTunes/Quicktime problem but repeated attempts to re-install Qt/iT were unsuccessful. I kept getting a 'Quicktime not installed properly' notice. Now Qt/iT has been uninstalled from my computer.
Then I realized Qt/iT wasn't the problem. Attempts to play an mp3 using Windows Media Player prompted an error code C00D11BA, 'no device installed'. Same thing with video files...no audio.
So the power interruption either corrupted or damaged my sound card (yes?). Now what...do I,
1. Re-format my entire drive to reinstall the original device? (Huge pain!)
2. Re-install just the audio driver from my Dell discs? (I don't seem to have a Creative disc.)
3. Buy a new card? How do I tell is the old card is physically damaged and in need of replacement?

Silently hopeful
Tim

[3.0charlie]

Find out which Creative model it is, and download / install the latest drivers from their website. If unsuccessful, then you probably need a new sound card. No onboard sound on that Dell though?

[tmoses]

Not a lot of luck. It's a Creative Labs (OEM) Sound Blaster Live! series. ADI 1980. Driver downloads from neither Creative Lab.com nor the Dell.ca sites installed correctly. Now it says 'audio driver does not support your computer hardware.' This is the original card/hardware so I'm now thinking it's toast. If I need to replace it, what would you suggest?

[3.0charlie]

No onboard sound on your Dell? If so, the most basic PCI sound card would do.

[sswilson]

Did you read the part# directly off of the card? Drivers for some of those OEM Live cards were a bit tricky as you had to find exactly the right one.

Did you try the card in a different slot?

Barring that.... if there's a local Kijiji in your area you can probably put out a WTB for a live card.... you should be able to grab one for $10.

[tmoses]

Will try that...thanks everyone for the advice!

[tmoses]

More info. Yes, there is sound on the computer. Audio on videos ie utube when viewed directly is just fine. So is Windows opening music. But no mp3 files and no video files (audio trax) will play. I downloaded Windows Media Player again. It installed ok but when I open an mp3 with it I get "there may not be a sound device installed on your computer, it may be inuse by another program, or it might not be functioning properly." I just want to be completely certain I've got a sound-card hardware problem and not something else before I go and buy another card.

[KaptCrunch]

NEED TO KNOW WHAT DELL YOU HAVE BY THE SERVICE TAG #

live card driver

[MacJunky]

I have used one of those suckers(dimension 4600) to flash the GeForce 6200 256MB that I bought for my old PowerMac G4. :P (no flaming please, the dell was not mine)

This your card?

If so then to be perfectly honest I would suggest that you just ditch it and get something better, anything really.
That card is pure garbage.

On the other hand, I suppose it is theoretically possible that you are missing some other thing. I may well be wrong but If I remember the audio device selection menus of Audacity when using it on my desktop isn't there Direct Sound and then some other sound input/output softwarey stuff? Perhaps one got messed up in some way meaning that any apps that use the functional one work but the ones that use the other do not?
*shrug*
As I said, I may be and probably am wrong about that last bit. Not the first stuff about that card being junk though.

I might investigate further a bit later.

[tmoses]

KaptCrunch...just downloaded Creativepatch from your link and was told "no Soundblaster Card installed"..........my card is therefore TOAST! Also don't know what or where to find a service tag #, but I'm resigned now to purchasing a new card. Just a basic one though of decent quality. Don't need surround or anything that fancy, just left, right, sub.

MacJunky...haven't opened my case yet to look at the card, but all efforts so far say it's a hardware problem and not related to apps or drivers.

So unless anyone else out there can suggest something I've missed, this cheapskate now will actually have to open his wallet.

Thanx
Tim