stupid computer

[Spriggan]

So ealier today I decided to listen to a CD on my Laptop, and all the sudden my speakers stop working.  I try running other programs and no sound.  So I restart my PC and that didn't fix it.  So I dubble checked all the volume controls and they weren't muted.  I then uninstalled my soundcard drives and reinstalled them, no good.  I found a system check software that ran speaker checks and I could get defalut system sounds but no Midi, or wave sounds.  After about 2 hours of trouble shooting, installing updated drivers and doing everything possible except reformating I'm giveing up.  I don;t know what did this, I haven't installed any sofware in weeks and there are no viruses on my computer.  My closest guess is that windows thinks there's another program useing the sound device.

[stacer]

That happened to me a few months after I got my computer, Sprig. For me, it was driver incompatibility. Windows XP didn't like the driver that Toshiba had for my sound card. So there was an updated one that I had to download, and it suddenly started working again.
But it sounds to me that you've already tried that, so I'm probably no help.

My frustration is still in my wireless card. When I bought it, the installation guide said that even though a message would come up during installation that it didn't work with XP, it really did, so go ahead. (Certification or some such issue.) So I did, and now my laptop will never go into hibernation mode--or if it tries, it freezes. EVERY TIME. It drives me crazy. I've gone to the Netgear site to download a new driver, but there is no new driver. It's the exact same version I bought the card with. And calling the company won't help; they charge you to speak with a person, even for customer complaints like this. It's ridiculous. So the only thing I could do to solve the problem, I think, is to get a new wireless card.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

you can roll back drivers too. Possibly an older one will work even though the new one won't.

I have fewer computer complaints now. I have a shiny new black desktop at work. Unfortunately, it's a Gateway, but when you don't pay the bill, you can't make too many of the decisions, I guess. Everything is running nicely now.

[Spriggan]

well I've had this PC for about 6 months so I don't see how the drive I had now isn't compatable.  The thing that worries me the most is that the sound card went kaput.  Since this is a Laptop I don't know if the soundcard is part of the motherboard (like the video card) and is replaceable with out haveing a whole new laptop.

[EUOL]

That happens to me (on the same model of laptop) occasionally.  It works again when I restart, though.  I also fixed it once (though I'm not sure how) by stopping a whole lot of programs through the 'processes' tab on the Task Manager (make sure to push 'stop process tree' rather than just 'stop process.'  You want to get all the little sub-processes too.)

However,  couldn't get the process thing to work last time it happened, so I had to restart.