No sound

I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago. I
looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the Device
Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The speakers are
turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume turned up to maximum.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

TIA

--
I love a good meal! That's why I don't cook.

On 29 Apr 2020 15:07:45 GMT, KenK wrote:

I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago. I
looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the Device
Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The speakers are
turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume turned up to maximum.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

TIA

You've probably already tried it, but I find when I lose my audio
(frequently) rebooting the computer brings it back.

default wrote in
:

On 29 Apr 2020 15:07:45 GMT, KenK wrote:

I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago.
I looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the
Device Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The
speakers are turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume
turned up to maximum.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

TIA

You've probably already tried it, but I find when I lose my audio
(frequently) rebooting the computer brings it back.


Thanks for thr response.

I've rebooted several times since problem arose. No help. Just checked.
Still gone.

I wonder if there's a module I can plug into the computer to replace the
built-in audio and get the sound back that way. Looked on Amazon a
couple of times but didn't see anything that looked usable.


--
I love a good meal! That's why I don't cook.

On 29 Apr 2020 15:07:45 GMT, KenK wrote:

I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago. I
looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the Device
Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The speakers are
turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume turned up to maximum.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

TIA

Is there an audio control panel for that card?

KenK wrote:
I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago. I
looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the Device
Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The speakers are
turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume turned up to maximum.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

TIA


If these are amplified speakers, with their own power
cable to the wall outlet, I'd pull the 1/8" stereo plug
out of the lime green audio output on the T2984, and
touch the tip of the plug with my finger. If you hear
a "hum" coming from the left channel, that tells you
the amp is probably working, at least on the left channel.
Nobody has a Walkman any more, so I can't suggest plugging
the computer speakers to a Walkman and using that as a
LineOut style test source.

If you hadn't managed to screw up the Mixer panel before
on this beast, what are the odds you'd do that today in
2020 ? That's why I'm starting with hardware failure,
like a problem with the speakers themselves, because
config changes in WinXP are less likely.

And I think these are amplified speakers, because you
helpfully provided "speaker power light is ON".

One channel on my speakers went out here one day,
and it was a cold solder joint on the PCB inside the
speaker. The manufacturer was a quality outfit, and
the speaker was just about impossible to get apart.
I had to use a hack saw :-) The speakers still
work today, and sound just fine. Just don't look
at them :-)

Paul

wrote in
:

On 29 Apr 2020 15:07:45 GMT, KenK wrote:

I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago.
I looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the
Device Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The
speakers are turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume
turned up to maximum.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

TIA

Is there an audio control panel for that card?

Where do I look for it? What would it be called? Any idea?


--
I love a good meal! That's why I don't cook.

KenK wrote:
I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago. I
looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the Device
Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The speakers are
turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume turned up to maximum.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

TIA


You can get some info from Device Manager, using the
Properties : Details : Hardware IDs item while in
Device Manager, for the suspected sound device.

(Note - this site is having trouble and seems heavily loaded)

https://i.postimg.cc/NjKYNtG1/winxp-device-manager.gif

For AC'97 drivers, not only must the chip numbers be
made available, the user must also provide info on
the chipset. CPUID can do this for you, telling
you the Northbridge and Southbridge. Newer machines
no longer have a Northbridge and the Southbridge
has changed its name to "PCH" to confuse matters.

https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-...ersion-history

We can select one from the year 2014, to raise the
odds it'll run on WinXP.

http://download.cpuid.com/cpu-z/cpu-z_1.69-en.zip

Unpack the zip and double-click the cpuz_x32.exe file.
No install is necessary. This is the portable version.

Mainboard tab

Chipset = X48 === (nice to know too)
Southbridge = ICH9R === need to know this chip name
to help find a driver, as AC'97
drivers are Southbridge specific.

Paul

On 29 Apr 2020 18:30:51 GMT, KenK wrote:

wrote in
:

On 29 Apr 2020 15:07:45 GMT, KenK wrote:

I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago.
I looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the
Device Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The
speakers are turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume
turned up to maximum.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

TIA

Is there an audio control panel for that card?

Where do I look for it? What would it be called? Any idea?

A lot depends on which sound card/chip set you have and what driver is
running but if you have no joy looking in control panel/sound devices,
try installed programs. The sound control panel/mixer in the Intel
board on this machine is an installed program. (IDT Audio Control
Panel). It screws up now and then and I have to open the program and
figure out what is going on. I usually start with the system sounds
and see if they work (verifies the output side), then start looking at
the inputs to the card. If no output from anything, like Paul says
make sure it isn't what you are using for speakers, headphone or
whatever first. Then be sure the sound is being sent to the right
output jack in the control program (front or rear).
It seems every chipset uses a different driver and control panel so
YMMV.

On 29 Apr 2020 16:55:41 GMT, KenK wrote:

default wrote in
:

On 29 Apr 2020 15:07:45 GMT, KenK wrote:

I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago.
I looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the
Device Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The
speakers are turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume
turned up to maximum.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

TIA

You've probably already tried it, but I find when I lose my audio
(frequently) rebooting the computer brings it back.


Thanks for thr response.

I've rebooted several times since problem arose. No help. Just checked.
Still gone.

I wonder if there's a module I can plug into the computer to replace the
built-in audio and get the sound back that way. Looked on Amazon a
couple of times but didn't see anything that looked usable.

There are some USB to audio dongles that do that. Looks like a flash
drive but has a miniature stereo jack on it.

Search on "usb audio dongle" on Amazon or Ebay, they start at ~$4 and
way in the past I used one for a desktop that didn't have a
front-mounted audio jack.

On Wed, 29 Apr 2020 at 16:30:52, default wrote:
On 29 Apr 2020 16:55:41 GMT, KenK wrote:

default wrote in
m:

On 29 Apr 2020 15:07:45 GMT, KenK wrote:

I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days ago.
I looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the
Device Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The
speakers are turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume
turned up to maximum.

Are the speakers hissing quietly if you put your ear to them? do they
hum/buzz if you touch the end of the plug (tip is one channel, ring the
other), as someone else has suggested? You could always check them by
plugging into a portable DVD or CD player, or anything with a headphone
socket - even a radio or TV.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

I assume it's a desktop rather than a laptop. If so, then looking at the
back, you should see slots for add-on cards; if the audio sockets aren't
in one of those slots, then it's motherboard audio. It's likely to be: I
think motherboard audio was pretty universal even by the time of XP.

TIA

You've probably already tried it, but I find when I lose my audio
(frequently) rebooting the computer brings it back.


Thanks for thr response.

I've rebooted several times since problem arose. No help. Just checked.
Still gone.

Firstly: is there still a speaker icon in the tray ("notification
area")?

The audio loss problem I felt most embarrassed about was where I'd muted
it (-:. [I think that survives a reboot.]

If there isn't, and none of your fiddling brings it back ...

I wonder if there's a module I can plug into the computer to replace the
built-in audio and get the sound back that way. Looked on Amazon a
couple of times but didn't see anything that looked usable.

.... it probably _is_ less bother getting that.

There are some USB to audio dongles that do that. Looks like a flash
drive but has a miniature stereo jack on it.

Yes, like a USB memory stick, usually with two sockets on the back -
green for line out/speaker/headphone, and pink for (probably mono)
microphone in. Mainly used by people on Windows 10 and later so they can
plug in a headset (with mic) for Skype, zoom, etc., without having to
unplug their main speakers and so on. (W7 and later has the ability to
use different hardware for "communications" than for normal audio.)
They're not going to be a high quality sound card, but probably
considerably more than adequate for what you need. (Well, you get what
you pay for: you can get very fancy audio stuff. Everything uses USB
these days.) Assuming you have a spare USB socket, that is. (You can
always buy a hub if not.) The bigger difficulty might be getting one
with an XP driver; make sure any you buy does. (If they claim it's
downloadable, make sure it really is, before you buy.)

Search on "usb audio dongle" on Amazon or Ebay, they start at ~$4 and
way in the past I used one for a desktop that didn't have a
front-mounted audio jack.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

By most scientific estimates sustained, useful fusion is ten years in
the future - and will be ten years in the future for the next fifty
years or more. - "Hamadryad", ~2016-4-4

"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in
:

On Wed, 29 Apr 2020 at 16:30:52, default
wrote:
On 29 Apr 2020 16:55:41 GMT, KenK wrote:

default wrote in
:

On 29 Apr 2020 15:07:45 GMT, KenK wrote:

I have an Emachine T2984 XP system and lost the sound a few days
ago.
I looked on Google and followed some suggestions, usually to the
Device Manager. No success. It worked fine for many many years. The
speakers are turned on, the speaker power light is on and volume
turned up to maximum.

Are the speakers hissing quietly if you put your ear to them? do they
hum/buzz if you touch the end of the plug (tip is one channel, ring
the
other), as someone else has suggested? You could always check them by
plugging into a portable DVD or CD player, or anything with a
headphone
socket - even a radio or TV.

Any guesses? I assume the audio came with the computer, I can't
recall
adding anything for audio to the computer.

I assume it's a desktop rather than a laptop. If so, then looking at
the
back, you should see slots for add-on cards; if the audio sockets
aren't
in one of those slots, then it's motherboard audio. It's likely to be:
I
think motherboard audio was pretty universal even by the time of XP.

TIA

You've probably already tried it, but I find when I lose my audio
(frequently) rebooting the computer brings it back.


Thanks for thr response.

I've rebooted several times since problem arose. No help. Just
checked.
Still gone.

Firstly: is there still a speaker icon in the tray ("notification
area")?

The audio loss problem I felt most embarrassed about was where I'd
muted
it (-:. [I think that survives a reboot.]

If there isn't, and none of your fiddling brings it back ...

I wonder if there's a module I can plug into the computer to replace
the
built-in audio and get the sound back that way. Looked on Amazon a
couple of times but didn't see anything that looked usable.

... it probably _is_ less bother getting that.

There are some USB to audio dongles that do that. Looks like a flash
drive but has a miniature stereo jack on it.

Yes, like a USB memory stick, usually with two sockets on the back -
green for line out/speaker/headphone, and pink for (probably mono)
microphone in. Mainly used by people on Windows 10 and later so they
can
plug in a headset (with mic) for Skype, zoom, etc., without having to
unplug their main speakers and so on. (W7 and later has the ability to
use different hardware for "communications" than for normal audio.)
They're not going to be a high quality sound card, but probably
considerably more than adequate for what you need. (Well, you get what
you pay for: you can get very fancy audio stuff. Everything uses USB
these days.) Assuming you have a spare USB socket, that is. (You can
always buy a hub if not.) The bigger difficulty might be getting one
with an XP driver; make sure any you buy does. (If they claim it's
downloadable, make sure it really is, before you buy.)

Search on "usb audio dongle" on Amazon or Ebay, they start at ~$4 and
way in the past I used one for a desktop that didn't have a
front-mounted audio jack.
This is VERY embarrasing!

I found the problem.

The connector to the speakers had somehow been unplugged! I certainly
didn't do it on purpose. Evidently I did it though. Who else? I didn't
think of this possibilty because the power light on the speakers was on.
I rashly assumed it got its power from the computer. Turns out, it had
another cable and it is connected to the A/C.

I apologize for causing all this discussion for a stupid mistake. sigh



--
I love a good meal! That's why I don't cook.

On Fri, 1 May 2020 at 18:09:42, KenK wrote:
[]
This is VERY embarrasing!

I found the problem.

The connector to the speakers had somehow been unplugged! I certainly

Don't worry! We've all done such silly things.

didn't do it on purpose. Evidently I did it though. Who else? I didn't
think of this possibilty because the power light on the speakers was on.
I rashly assumed it got its power from the computer. Turns out, it had
another cable and it is connected to the A/C.

Some speakers had, on the end of their mains lead (US: power cord), a
back-to-back IEC320 male and female block, so you could put them in
series with the computer (or, safer, monitor) lead and not need another
mains socket.

I apologize for causing all this discussion for a stupid mistake. sigh

It's been interesting!


I presume you found it when unplugging the lead (or intending to!) to
try the hum test we suggested.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur". ("Anything is more impressive if
you say it in Latin")

KenK wrote:

This is VERY embarrasing!

I found the problem.

The connector to the speakers had somehow been unplugged! I certainly
didn't do it on purpose. Evidently I did it though. Who else? I didn't
think of this possibilty because the power light on the speakers was on.
I rashly assumed it got its power from the computer. Turns out, it had
another cable and it is connected to the A/C.

I apologize for causing all this discussion for a stupid mistake. sigh

This is actually a GOOD result, because it means
for once it wasn't a software problem :-)

A refreshing change from "Have you rebooted??? Say a prayer".

Paul

"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in
:

On Fri, 1 May 2020 at 18:09:42, KenK wrote:
[]
This is VERY embarrasing!

I found the problem.

The connector to the speakers had somehow been unplugged! I certainly

Don't worry! We've all done such silly things.

didn't do it on purpose. Evidently I did it though. Who else? I didn't
think of this possibilty because the power light on the speakers was
on.
I rashly assumed it got its power from the computer. Turns out, it had
another cable and it is connected to the A/C.

Some speakers had, on the end of their mains lead (US: power cord), a
back-to-back IEC320 male and female block, so you could put them in
series with the computer (or, safer, monitor) lead and not need
another
mains socket.

I apologize for causing all this discussion for a stupid mistake.
sigh

It's been interesting!


I presume you found it when unplugging the lead (or intending to!) to
try the hum test we suggested.

Yes.

--
I love a good meal! That's why I don't cook.