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Dell Precision Workstation 360, No Sound Issue
Hi,
A friend gave me a Dell Precision Workstation 360 desktop PC. Mfg 06-22-04. He had Linux installed. I replaced that OS with WinXP Pro SP3. NO SOUND: I downloaded "R56339.EXE" from the Dell web site for this and other models (WinXP driver), but I got an error installing it. I tried more than once to install it. I searched for an alternative Audio driver. I tried "WDM-A406.EXE" (Realtek AC97) that someone in a forum said "might work", but it did NOT. ALTERNATIVE IDEA (Can't find Usable Audio Driver): Is it possible for me to buy a Sound Card (this PC has several available slots) and use that instead of the on board sound chip? Thank You in advance, John |
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Dell Precision Workstation 360, No Sound Issue
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#3
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Dell Precision Workstation 360, No Sound Issue
wrote:
A friend gave me a Dell Precision Workstation 360 desktop PC. Mfg 06-22-04. He had Linux installed. I replaced that OS with WinXP Pro SP3. NO SOUND: I downloaded "R56339.EXE" from the Dell web site for this and other models (WinXP driver), but I got an error installing it. I tried more than once to install it. I searched for an alternative Audio driver. I tried "WDM-A406.EXE" (Realtek AC97) that someone in a forum said "might work", but it did NOT. ALTERNATIVE IDEA (Can't find Usable Audio Driver): Is it possible for me to buy a Sound Card (this PC has several available slots) and use that instead of the on board sound chip? Presumably you already checked the volume level is something more than zero, like mid-way, or higher. When you click on the sound icon in the taskbar tray area, what it the volume set at? Is the device unmuted? When you go into Sound properties, which device is selected for Play? When you run C:\Windows\System32\mmsys.cpl, under the Playback tab, which device is selected? There may be several listed. Pick the one labelled Speakers if you are plugging them into the audio minijack backpanel or frontpanel audio ports. Since this is a desktop PC, how do you know the external speakers work? Have you plugged them into an alternate sound source, like your stereo system (where you have tested the same plug using a pair of headphones to make sure you hear something from the stereo)? If the external speakers work with a different sound source, use the headphones that worked with the stereo to use those on the audio ports on the PC (rear and front). Since you have have external speakers, do they have their own volume control? If so, make sure the volume control on the speakers is about mid-way, or higher, and make sure a mute control on the speakers isn't engaged. When you got the error installing the driver, was this for a fresh install of Windows XP? Or had you since modified it, like install anti-malware software, or you restored from a backup image? "Replaced" doesn't say how you got Windows XP onto the old Dell. "Error" doesn't say what the error message said. After an error trying to install the audio driver, did you redownload the .exe file and try again just in case the first download was corrupted? Instead of using Dell's driver, did you uninstall the audio device in Device Manager and either reboot or do a hardware rescan to use the embedded drivers that are included in Windows? Even if the embedded drivers work, check Device Manager again to make sure there are no yellow exclamation marks. Into which backpanel port (by color) did you plug the external speakers? It is possible to use software to change the port assignments on the backpanel. Did you try the front panel audio jack? |
#4
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Dell Precision Workstation 360, No Sound Issue
SNIP
Presumably you already checked the volume level is something more than zero, like mid-way, or higher. When you click on the sound icon in the taskbar tray area, what it the volume set at? Is the device unmuted? When you go into Sound properties, which device is selected for Play? When you run C:\Windows\System32\mmsys.cpl, under the Playback tab, which device is selected? There may be several listed. Pick the one labelled Speakers if you are plugging them into the audio minijack backpanel or frontpanel audio ports. Since this is a desktop PC, how do you know the external speakers work? Have you plugged them into an alternate sound source, like your stereo system (where you have tested the same plug using a pair of headphones to make sure you hear something from the stereo)? If the external speakers work with a different sound source, use the headphones that worked with the stereo to use those on the audio ports on the PC (rear and front). Since you have have external speakers, do they have their own volume control? If so, make sure the volume control on the speakers is about mid-way, or higher, and make sure a mute control on the speakers isn't engaged. When you got the error installing the driver, was this for a fresh install of Windows XP? Or had you since modified it, like install anti-malware software, or you restored from a backup image? "Replaced" doesn't say how you got Windows XP onto the old Dell. "Error" doesn't say what the error message said. After an error trying to install the audio driver, did you redownload the .exe file and try again just in case the first download was corrupted? Instead of using Dell's driver, did you uninstall the audio device in Device Manager and either reboot or do a hardware rescan to use the embedded drivers that are included in Windows? Even if the embedded drivers work, check Device Manager again to make sure there are no yellow exclamation marks. Into which backpanel port (by color) did you plug the external speakers? It is possible to use software to change the port assignments on the backpanel. Did you try the front panel audio jack? Hi, Again Thanks to you and Paul for that information. UPDATE (solution for now): My friend, who gave me this PC (had Linux on it), told me I could buy a USB Sound Card on Amazon (cheap). I ordered one (Creative Labs) which cost more, but had good reviews. Later, I will try some of those suggestion. John |
#5
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Dell Precision Workstation 360, No Sound Issue
SNIP
After an error trying to install the audio driver, did you redownload the .exe file and try again just in case the first download was corrupted? Instead of using Dell's driver, did you uninstall the audio device in Device Manager and either reboot or do a hardware rescan to use the embedded drivers that are included in Windows? Even if the embedded drivers work, check Device Manager again to make sure there are no yellow exclamation marks. Into which backpanel port (by color) did you plug the external speakers? It is possible to use software to change the port assignments on the backpanel. Did you try the front panel audio jack? Hi, Again Thanks to you and Paul for that information. UPDATE (solution for now): My friend, who gave me this PC (had Linux on it), told me I could buy a USB Sound Card on Amazon (cheap). I ordered one (Creative Labs) which cost more, but had good reviews. Hi, UPDATE: I forgot to mention there was NO speaker icon in the System tray (bottom right). This PC has two hard drives installed (C: & D. I installed WinXP Pro SP3 on both (dual boot) On the D:, I don't know how it started, I saw a "New hardware detected" (not exact words) when booted into D:. Note: This did NOT happen on C: (also NO speaker icon). After extracting (self extracts) Dell drivers from "R56339.EXE", I copied the contents of a sub-folder, "W2K-XP", in "DELL" root folder, to a USB flash drive (to much for a FD). I did NOT write down the steps I took by the options I was presented to install the driver from F: (USB flash drive). But by golly it worked! Now there is a speaker icon in system tray and sound! My next challenge is to have the OS detect "New hardware..." on the C: drive. This time, I will write down the steps I take. Again, thanks to Vanguard and Paul for your responses, John |
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Dell Precision Workstation 360, No Sound Issue
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#7
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Dell Precision Workstation 360, No Sound Issue
SNIP
I forgot to mention there was NO speaker icon in the System tray (bottom right). This PC has two hard drives installed (C: & D. I installed WinXP Pro SP3 on both (dual boot) On the D:, I don't know how it started, I saw a "New hardware detected" (not exact words) when booted into D:. Note: This did NOT happen on C: (also NO speaker icon). After extracting (self extracts) Dell drivers from "R56339.EXE", I copied the contents of a sub-folder, "W2K-XP", in "DELL" root folder, to a USB flash drive (to much for a FD). I did NOT write down the steps I took by the options I was presented to install the driver from F: (USB flash drive). But by golly it worked! Now there is a speaker icon in system tray and sound! My next challenge is to have the OS detect "New hardware..." on the C: drive. This time, I will write down the steps I take. ANOTHER UPDATE (C: Drive Sound): I was able to get sound on the C: drive too, but I never had to go through all these "gyrations" to get sound on any of my other PCs over the years. It was such a "cumbersome" (ORDEAL) process, it is hard for me to explain in a logical sequence, the steps I took. First, by way of Control Panel, "Printers and Other Hardware", "Add Hardware", New Hardware was detected, "Can Windows connect to Windows Update", I selected "Yes, this time only". Next, I checked "Install from a list...". I unchecked "Removable media..." and set the location on the C: drive where I put the files from a "W2K-XP" sub-folder in "DELL" root folder. I left checked, "Search for the best driver in these locations". However, that did NOT work, but now when I reboot C: drive, New Hardware is detected (just like in D. I remembered something I did on D: that I forgot to mention on the previous UPDATE. I had also tried to install the driver from "WDM_A406.EXE". During that install, a message indicated "Realtek AC'97 Audio". Therefore, I tried to install that other driver (WDM....), but that did NOT "work" at first. A reboot and another "New Hardware detected", I followed prompts, and eventually, I selected "SoundMAX Intergrated Digital Audio" in another window. Afterwards, the C: drive sound came to "life" (speaker icon in System tray). John a logical sequence |
#8
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Dell Precision Workstation 360, No Sound Issue
Reading this thread, I thought I'd post this:
There are two (that I know of) reasons why the speaker icon might not be in the tray: 1. The sound hardware/driver is not functioning properly; 2. the icon has been turned off in sound settings. From reading the rest of this thread, it's fairly obvious that it has been case 1. - and I presume Device Manager would show "unrecognised hardware" (or some similar phrase), along with its warning triangle. I'm glad you got it sorted! I just thought I'd mention 2., as it has puzzled me more than once in the past; there's a tickbox somewhere in the sound settings (I forget exactly where - I'm on 7 now) called something like "display icon in notification area", which is ticked by default when the sound hardware is set up, but _can_ get unticked - and I'm fairly sure by other than manually unticking it, i. e. other software (or maybe user actions) can turn it off. When that happens, sound usually remains working - you just don't get the tray icon. Quite why MS included the option to turn it off, I have no idea. (It's particularly frustrating - or, at least, I found it so - because, if you realise [the second or subsequent time] that that's what's happened, you have to find the route into sound settings, which of course I usually did by right-clicking on the icon, that isn't there!) -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf "This is a one line proof... if we start sufficiently far to the left." [Cambridge University Math Dept.] |
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