Sound Not Working - Need Driver or What?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nehmo Sergheyev
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Nehmo Sergheyev

I have Windows XP Home (SP1)

Because I ruined my old mo'bo by spilling a cup of tea on it, I now have
a new old 533 MHz board installed using the old HD. (This is temporary
so don't criticize me for having such a slow machine. :-) ) But I can't
get the sound to work right. It's very faint.[1]

All the regular stuff tests out okay, nothing is muted, and the devices
test as working. So I'm thinking since Windows XP wasn't around when
this board was made, maybe I need the new audio driver. A friend gave me
a CD with some drivers on it, one of which is SoundMax2. But when I try
to install, the setup stops and produces an error window:

An error occurred during the move data process: -113
Component: System files
File Group: System files
File : E\sound\2ndGenDrv\S11th32dll

How do I determine if I need a new driver? And how do I find it? Or if
this file is all I need, how do I find that?

Using AIDA32 Personal http://www.aida32.hu/aida32.php , I got this info
about the mo'bo, which contains the sound components:

Motherboard Properties
Motherboard Name Biostar M6TWG

Chipset Properties
Motherboard Chipset Intel Whitney i810
In-Order Queue Depth 4
CAS Latency 3T
RAS To CAS Delay 3T
RAS Precharge 3T
RAS Active Time 6T

Integrated Graphics Controller
Graphics Controller Type Intel i752
Graphics Controller Status Enabled
Shared Memory Size 1 MB

AC'97 Audio Controller
Audio Controller Type Intel 82801AA ICH
Codec Name Cirrus Logic CS4299
Codec ID 43525934h

Chipset Manufacturer
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/chipsets.htm
Driver Download http://support.intel.com/support/chipsets/index.htm

AC'97 Audio Controller
Audio Controller Type Intel 82801AA ICH

[1] Actually, there might be a problem with the connection jack. I have
to wiggle it to get both right and left channels to play. But in any
case, the sound is _very_ faint. To hear, you have to hold the speaker
right up to your ear at full volume.

Naturally, my goal is to get the sound to work. Does anybody have any
suggestions?


*********************
* Nehmo Sergheyev *
*********************
 
Nehmo Sergheyev said:
I have Windows XP Home (SP1)

Because I ruined my old mo'bo by spilling a cup of tea on it, I now have
a new old 533 MHz board installed using the old HD. (This is temporary
so don't criticize me for having such a slow machine. :-) ) But I can't
get the sound to work right. It's very faint.[1]
Click to expand...

are you using amplified speakers?
 
philo said:
I have Windows XP Home (SP1)

Because I ruined my old mo'bo by spilling a cup of tea on it, I now have
a new old 533 MHz board installed using the old HD. (This is temporary
so don't criticize me for having such a slow machine. :-) ) But I can't
get the sound to work right. It's very faint.[1]
Click to expand...


are you using amplified speakers?
Click to expand...

He might have the speakers plugged into the wrong jack.
 
- Nehmo -
I have Windows XP Home (SP1)

Because I ruined my old mo'bo by spilling a cup of tea on it, I now have
a new old 533 MHz board installed using the old HD. (This is temporary
so don't criticize me for having such a slow machine. :-) ) But I can't
get the sound to work right. It's very faint.[1]
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

- philo -
- Sooky Grumper -
He might have the speakers plugged into the wrong jack.
Click to expand...

- Nehmo -
I'm using the green top jack. I don't get anything at all out of the
jack below that, and the remaining jack is clearly for the mic.

I'm not using amplifide speakers, and the speakers previously with the
old board worked fine. Also, I get the same result with earphones - very
faint sound..

What's my next step?
 
I'm not using amplifide speakers, and the speakers previously with the
old board worked fine. Also, I get the same result with earphones - very
faint sound..

What's my next step?
Click to expand...

You need to get speakers with a built in amplifier...(they can be had

for very little money) Your old sound card evidently had built-in
amplification

which is not terribly common any more.
 
Nehmo said:
- Nehmo -
I have Windows XP Home (SP1)

Because I ruined my old mo'bo by spilling a cup of tea on it, I now
Click to expand...
have
a new old 533 MHz board installed using the old HD. (This is
Click to expand...
temporary
so don't criticize me for having such a slow machine. :-) ) But I
Click to expand...
can't
get the sound to work right. It's very faint.[1]
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


- philo -


- Sooky Grumper -
He might have the speakers plugged into the wrong jack.
Click to expand...


- Nehmo -
I'm using the green top jack. I don't get anything at all out of the
jack below that, and the remaining jack is clearly for the mic.

I'm not using amplifide speakers, and the speakers previously with the
old board worked fine. Also, I get the same result with earphones - very
faint sound..

What's my next step?
Click to expand...

Go to the windows xp volume control applet and make sure the "volume
control" slider (the first one on the left) is turned up all the way.
 
- Nehmo -
- philo -
You need to get speakers with a built in amplifier...(they can be had
for very little money) Your old sound card evidently had built-in
amplification
which is not terribly common any more.
Click to expand...

- Nehmo -
Interesting. I didn't know that. So modern computers have the sound
amplification off the mo'bo. Why'd they do that?

This mo'bo isn't very modern, BTW.
 
- Sooky Grumper -
Go to the windows xp volume control applet and make sure the "volume
control" slider (the first one on the left) is turned up all the way.
Click to expand...

- Nehmo -
That's the first thing I tried. Double click on the speaker icon in the
system tray > window titled Master Volume > everything all the way up
and no mute box checked.
 
Nehmo Sergheyev said:
- Sooky Grumper -

- Nehmo -
That's the first thing I tried. Double click on the speaker icon in the
system tray > window titled Master Volume > everything all the way up
and no mute box checked.
Click to expand...

you evidently need to use amplified speakers


alan
 
philo said:
You need to get speakers with a built in amplifier...(they can be had

for very little money) Your old sound card evidently had built-in
amplification

which is not terribly common any more.
Click to expand...


Shouldn't he at least get adequate sound with headphones though?
 
the 4-8 ohm load from the speakers could've cooked the output

double click the volume icon, maybe wave ouput is low?
 
- Paul L -
the 4-8 ohm load from the speakers could've cooked the output

double click the volume icon, maybe wave ouput is low?
Click to expand...

- Nehmo -
I tried that already. Everything is up, and nothing is muted.
So how do I tell if this mo'bo normally takes an add-on amplifier? My
searches don't seem to turn up right info; maybe I'm not searching with
the right terms.
 
- Nehmo -
- Alan -
you evidently need to use amplified speakers
Click to expand...

- Nehmo -
I suppose that would work, but I don't have any handy right now. I'm
wondering if this behavior is normal for this m'board (I'm trying that
abbreviation now).

I found this stuff on it. Biostar M6TWG. There's nothing about an
off-board amplifier, but maybe that's understood.
http://www.asipartner.com/asisku/8714.htm
I'm going to try to email Biostar to see what they have to say.
 
- Paul L -

- Nehmo -
I tried that already. Everything is up, and nothing is muted.
So how do I tell if this mo'bo normally takes an add-on amplifier? My
searches don't seem to turn up right info; maybe I'm not searching with
the right terms.
Click to expand...

Have never seen a motherboard with integrated audio that had a built in
amplifier. AC97 is relatively recent. Have never seen a motherboard with a
low end, AC97 audio like the I810 chipset with an onboard amplifier. Odds
are 99.99999% that you will need amplified speakers. That has been standard
for the last few years.

JT
 
Borrow some speakers from a friend to see if that fixes your problem
before you buy new speakers.

Joe
 
I suppose that would work, but I don't have any handy right now. I'm
wondering if this behavior is normal for this m'board (I'm trying that
abbreviation now).

I found this stuff on it. Biostar M6TWG. There's nothing about an
off-board amplifier, but maybe that's understood.
http://www.asipartner.com/asisku/8714.htm
I'm going to try to email Biostar to see what they have to say.
Click to expand...

Let's clarify this situation...

It is abnormal/atypical/etc, for a motherboard to NOT need the
amplifier. Any motherboard you buy, and "almost" all from the past,
needed an amplifier, because the audio output is only a pre-amp
signal. You would not see anything in the manual about needing the
amp, because it is implied, you ALWAYS need the amp, for most
motherboards, unless it's explicitly stated otherwise.

However, there's more to your situation than just this, because that
line-level signal should easily power a set of headphones. Of course
I mean "normal" headphones like around 32 ohm, not something very old
and exceptionally low impedance.

Try going to Biostar's website, they likely have at least a Windows 2K
driver, try the newest version of that. Physically look at the
motherboard, note the audio chip, write down the text on it. I doubt
it's an Aureal chipset, especially based on ADIA's report, though
Biostar offers that for download too. With more information you can
use the process of elimination.

You might do a Google search for the Soundmax AD1881 and/or Cirrus
Logic CS4299, sound driver. If this is an OEM motherboard, you might
also try that OEM. The likes of HP, Compaq, and eMachines, are
potential OEMs that might've used such a board.. though other OEMs
might've as well, those 3 did more low-end, small boxes that had i810
chipset boards in them at one time or another.

If the driver you're using is "somewhat" wrong, you might find that
the audio ports are mislabeled, that one or more of the windows mixer
options applies to a different function, so you might want to make
sure you've unmuted and raised volume on ALL features (might be a good
idea to unplug a microphone if you have one plugged in, before doing
that, it could have a LOT of feedback as a result).

Don't use the non-amplified speakers anymore, ever, on any motherboard
not expressly promoted as having an onboard amp suitable for driving
non-amplified speakers... it's quite possible to damage a motherboard
doing what you've done, though at this point I can't guess whether
you've damaged it or not. The correct driver should've allowed sound
at least for very short time, before overloading components on the
board's sound circuitry... if there was never sound of any reasonable
volume, ALWAYS very quiet during your testing, it's not so likely you
damaged it, since it wasn't (trying to) outputting much power.
 
- Muttley or John S. -
Get the correct drivers for your board from here:
http://www.biostar.com.tw/support/driver/model.php3?name=M6TWG
Also, YOU WILL NEED AMPLIFIED SPEAKERS.

You can also download a manual for the board from that URL as well.
Click to expand...

- Nehmo -
Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. Choosing XP on the
dropdown gets this page:
http://www.biostar.com.tw/support/driver/model.php3?name=M6TWG&os=XP
And on this is the self-extracting-zip pdf manual for Biostar M6TWG:
http://www.biostar.com.tw/products/mainboard/socket_370/m6twg/m_m6twg.exe
Apparently Biostar recommends installing only one driver update, the INF
Patch Utility
Version 5.00.1012. I already downloaded it.

But where does the manual or elsewhere does it say the board needs an
off-board amplifier? Why do you, with such assurance, say it needs an
amp ?
In one pic JSPKR1, the back speaker jack, is marked "Front (? I think)
Speaker Out".
I copied the pic here:
http://home.kc.rr.com/plumb/bioback.htm
It looks like you're supposed to plug in a plain old set of speakers.

Nonetheless, I'm sure a stereo amp would solve the problem.
 
- kony -
It is abnormal/atypical/etc, for a motherboard to NOT need the
amplifier. Any motherboard you buy, and "almost" all from the past,
needed an amplifier, because the audio output is only a pre-amp
signal. You would not see anything in the manual about needing the
amp, because it is implied, you ALWAYS need the amp, for most
motherboards, unless it's explicitly stated otherwise.
Click to expand...

- Nehmo -
I didn't know that. I've only had experience with a couple of boards
(that didn't have separate sound cards), and both used regular
non-amplified speakers.

- kony -
However, there's more to your situation than just this, because that
line-level signal should easily power a set of headphones. Of course
I mean "normal" headphones like around 32 ohm, not something very old
and exceptionally low impedance.
Click to expand...

- Nehmo -
Labtec C-324 Stereo Headset/Boom Microphone, 32 ohm

- kony -
Try going to Biostar's website, they likely have at least a Windows 2K
driver, try the newest version of that. Physically look at the
motherboard, note the audio chip, write down the text on it. I doubt
it's an Aureal chipset, especially based on ADIA's report, though
Biostar offers that for download too. With more information you can
use the process of elimination.

You might do a Google search for the Soundmax AD1881 and/or Cirrus
Logic CS4299, sound driver. If this is an OEM motherboard, you might
also try that OEM. The likes of HP, Compaq, and eMachines, are
potential OEMs that might've used such a board.. though other OEMs
might've as well, those 3 did more low-end, small boxes that had i810
chipset boards in them at one time or another.

If the driver you're using is "somewhat" wrong, you might find that
the audio ports are mislabeled, that one or more of the windows mixer
options applies to a different function, so you might want to make
sure you've unmuted and raised volume on ALL features (might be a good
idea to unplug a microphone if you have one plugged in, before doing
that, it could have a LOT of feedback as a result).

Don't use the non-amplified speakers anymore, ever, on any motherboard
not expressly promoted as having an onboard amp suitable for driving
non-amplified speakers... it's quite possible to damage a motherboard
doing what you've done, though at this point I can't guess whether
you've damaged it or not. The correct driver should've allowed sound
at least for very short time, before overloading components on the
board's sound circuitry... if there was never sound of any reasonable
volume, ALWAYS very quiet during your testing, it's not so likely you
damaged it, since it wasn't (trying to) outputting much power.
Click to expand...

- Nehmo -
Okay, I'll get on it tomorrow. And I'll find a little amp somewhere.
Thanks.
 
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