BleepingComputer.com: So, The Sound Suddenly Stops

I'm forced to use an IBM ThinkPad 600 that was made for Windows NT and 98, but was recently updated with XP Pro. It's good enough, as of now, but my one issue with it is that sound playback is crap and when you want to watch a video on, say, YouTube, you barely can because the video skips and the sound plays ahead of what is shown on the video. And when I'm listening to an mp3, the song will warp and sound distorted for a millisecond every 30 seconds or so. Doesn't sound like much, but it gets annoying.

I finally came here because I need to find a solution to this. I went on YouTube today to watch some videos, but I couldn't because I couldn't hear anything. I tried checking the volume on the laptop, but an error message came up saying, "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. This program will now close." I've tried it. Don't know what to do further than clicking on Add Hardware. This has never happened before, so why is it happening now?

I've tried using System Restore. I thought it worked at first, but that was before I realized that I can still hear sound on the laptop, but I just can't hear sound from programs. I guess this happened overnight because this wasn't happening previously. What could be wrong?

I would try installing this. Works for me.

http://www.filehippo.com/download_klite_codec_pack/



Good luck

That error message still pops up for some reason. I still can't hear sound while I'm on Firefox either.

This post has been edited by fuddamukka333665: 04 August 2008 - 10:24 AM

You could try reinstalling the XP sound driver for your Thinkpad. I remember the old Thinkpad I had, came with Win 2000. To upgrade to XP, IBM recommended a BIOS flash to have everything to work properly

Is that why I can't control the volume?

fuddamukka333665, on Aug 5 2008, 03:50 AM, said:

Is the sound icon in the system tray and you just can't control it? This is the original driver

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss...cid=BBOD-3HJLJB

They do not list XP drivers for a 600. After a lot of reading (there's a lot of it) they would have been better off to have left it alone

This post has been edited by garmanma: 05 August 2008 - 10:43 AM

Do I download that? Excuse me if that sounds stupid.

When I click Sounds and Audio Devices in the Control Panel, in the Volume tab, it says "No Audio Device" next to the little picture of the speaker. Under the Audio tab, the default device for sound playback is "Modem #0 Line Playback." And under the Hardware tab, these are all the devices listed:

LG CD-ROM CRN-8241B
Crystal WDM Audio Codec
Crystal WDM Game Port
Crystal WDM MPU-401 Compatible
Crystal WDM Audio Contol Register
Unimodem Half-Duplex Audio Device
Audio Codecs
Legacy Audio Drivers
Media Control Devices
Legacy Video Capture Devices
Video Codecs

The sound icon is not in the system tray anymore. After the error message, it went away.

I think I should mention that I'm using XP Pro. If I do have to download that, is it safe to download something for NT if I use XP Pro?

This post has been edited by fuddamukka333665: 05 August 2008 - 01:07 PM

The only thing it will do is not work. Which is what you have now, so it's worth a try. Like I said a Thimkpad 600 was not made for XP.

This post has been edited by garmanma: 05 August 2008 - 04:03 PM

Well, I guess I'll have to put up with what I have now. It didn't work. At least, I don't think it did. I downloaded it and checked the folder it created and tried to open the program in it. Nothing happened.

What I don't understand is, I can hear my songs on Windows Media Player, but I can't hear sound on Firefox or certain other programs. I was playing a game and I could hear the sounds perfectly. But then I tried using this translation program I have, and error messages kept popping up when a sound wanted to play. In addition to that, I can't control the volume. What's the deal?

This post has been edited by fuddamukka333665: 05 August 2008 - 11:47 PM

Did you try the codecs rowal555 linked to?

Yep.

I have to say that I have no idea if the following will help you, but it is worth a try.

Start/All Programs/KLite Codec Pack/Tools/Codec Tweak Tool. Check the boxes under FIX, and see what happens.

(I am assuming that you have been to Sound Controllers in Device Manager to see that there are no yellow marks there, indicating that a driver may be required).

Cheers