No audio after reinstalling Windows. Windows Help no help.

I recently did a reinstall of Win98 SE and it went smoothly but now I
have no audio. I tried to install an audio driver, but all the ones I
attempted to install from Device Manager, sourced at the Win98 CD, were
"not recommended", according to the Device Manager.

So I searched the net trying to find what is the right driver for my PC
(Compaq Presario 1825) and came up with this likely choice:

ESS Solo-1 AudioDrive (ES1938S). I downloaded it.

Now installing this was a real adventure. Windows kept prompting me to
insert the Win98 CD and kept giving me error messages that it can't
find a whole bunch of files some of which were ksdata.ax, ksuser.dll,
mspclock.sys and ks.sys and others. I dealt with this by just
instructing Windows to skip these files.

Somehow, after all this, Windows told me that this ESS driver WAS
compatible with my sound card and installed it. It is now installed and
"working properly" according to Device Manager.

Other devices in Device Manager are marked with a question mark, such
as PCI Communication Device (under "Other Devices", and "Unknown
Device" (under Sound, Video and Game Controllers) but this driver,
listed under the Sound, Video and Game category) has no question mark
and is reported as working properly.

However, under Multimedia in Control Panel, the entire Audio Tab is
dimmed out.

I'm sure I did install the Multimedia component when I reinstalled
Windows. I mean, I do have the multimedia group in Control Panel and
Windows Media Player was installed.

When I try to play an audio file with Windows Media Player I get this
error message:

Cannot play back the audio stream: no audio hardware is available, or
the hardware is not responding. (Error=80040256)

Can anyone help with this problem? I don't want to reinstall Windows
again, as I've already spent a lot of time downloading and installing
programs and drivers.

My audio was working before the reinstall so I doubt that there's
anything wrong with my sound card.

I also have a strong sense of deja vu that I had this same problem when
I reinstalled Windows a few years ago on this computer. Somehow, I
solved it then and got the audio working, so I'm sure it can be done.
But I don't remember how I did it.

Thanks for any help.

Hi, did you ever get any answer to your problem. I do have the same problem.
How did you solve it ?
Please answer to my emailadress:

" wrote:

I recently did a reinstall of Win98 SE and it went smoothly but now I
have no audio. I tried to install an audio driver, but all the ones I
attempted to install from Device Manager, sourced at the Win98 CD, were
"not recommended", according to the Device Manager.

So I searched the net trying to find what is the right driver for my PC
(Compaq Presario 1825) and came up with this likely choice:

ESS Solo-1 AudioDrive (ES1938S). I downloaded it.

Now installing this was a real adventure. Windows kept prompting me to
insert the Win98 CD and kept giving me error messages that it can't
find a whole bunch of files some of which were ksdata.ax, ksuser.dll,
mspclock.sys and ks.sys and others. I dealt with this by just
instructing Windows to skip these files.

Somehow, after all this, Windows told me that this ESS driver WAS
compatible with my sound card and installed it. It is now installed and
"working properly" according to Device Manager.

Other devices in Device Manager are marked with a question mark, such
as PCI Communication Device (under "Other Devices", and "Unknown
Device" (under Sound, Video and Game Controllers) but this driver,
listed under the Sound, Video and Game category) has no question mark
and is reported as working properly.

However, under Multimedia in Control Panel, the entire Audio Tab is
dimmed out.

I'm sure I did install the Multimedia component when I reinstalled
Windows. I mean, I do have the multimedia group in Control Panel and
Windows Media Player was installed.

When I try to play an audio file with Windows Media Player I get this
error message:

Cannot play back the audio stream: no audio hardware is available, or
the hardware is not responding. (Error=80040256)

Can anyone help with this problem? I don't want to reinstall Windows
again, as I've already spent a lot of time downloading and installing
programs and drivers.

My audio was working before the reinstall so I doubt that there's
anything wrong with my sound card.

I also have a strong sense of deja vu that I had this same problem when
I reinstalled Windows a few years ago on this computer. Somehow, I
solved it then and got the audio working, so I'm sure it can be done.
But I don't remember how I did it.

Thanks for any help.

wrote in message
oups.com...
snip
So I searched the net trying to find what is the right driver for my PC
(Compaq Presario 1825) and came up with this likely choice:

ESS Solo-1 AudioDrive (ES1938S). I downloaded it.

Now installing this was a real adventure. Windows kept prompting me to
insert the Win98 CD and kept giving me error messages that it can't
find a whole bunch of files some of which were ksdata.ax, ksuser.dll,
mspclock.sys and ks.sys and others. I dealt with this by just
instructing Windows to skip these files.

WHY did you not insert the Windows CD to let the installer copy those files, instead
of skipping them? Or, did you insert the CD and it said it could not find them
there? Are you using a retail or OEM Windows CD, and *not* a proprietary restore CD
of some sort?

If the installer cannot find those files on your Windows CD, extract the manually to
a temporary folder, using the "Extract one file" option of SFC. Then completely
uninstall and remove what you have installed (including the items in the "Unknown"
or "Other" section of Device Manager), and try installing the ESS driver
again....this time directing the installer to the files you extracted into a
temporary folder, for it to copy. You will have to run the installer twice....once
to write down every file it asks for that can't be found, followed by canceling the
installation; the second time to install for real, after extracting the needed
files.

When removing the "Unknown" devices from DM, it is best to first start in Safe Mode,
and remove all listed "Other" or "Unknown" section of DM, along with anything listed
there under "Sound, video and game controllers". Then click OK, and restsrt in
Normal mode to reinstall the audio devices.

Using SFC to extract a file:
http://www.rickrogers.org/sfc.htm#1pp
http://www.rickrogers.org/sfc.htm#2pp

HOW TO: Extract Original Compressed Windows Files:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...EN-US;129605#5

http://service4.symantec.com/SUPPORT...xpandSection=2
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Shell/User, A+
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm



Somehow, after all this, Windows told me that this ESS driver WAS
compatible with my sound card and installed it. It is now installed and
"working properly" according to Device Manager.

Other devices in Device Manager are marked with a question mark, such
as PCI Communication Device (under "Other Devices", and "Unknown
Device" (under Sound, Video and Game Controllers) but this driver,
listed under the Sound, Video and Game category) has no question mark
and is reported as working properly.

However, under Multimedia in Control Panel, the entire Audio Tab is
dimmed out.

I'm sure I did install the Multimedia component when I reinstalled
Windows. I mean, I do have the multimedia group in Control Panel and
Windows Media Player was installed.

When I try to play an audio file with Windows Media Player I get this
error message:

Cannot play back the audio stream: no audio hardware is available, or
the hardware is not responding. (Error=80040256)

Can anyone help with this problem? I don't want to reinstall Windows
again, as I've already spent a lot of time downloading and installing
programs and drivers.

My audio was working before the reinstall so I doubt that there's
anything wrong with my sound card.

I also have a strong sense of deja vu that I had this same problem when
I reinstalled Windows a few years ago on this computer. Somehow, I
solved it then and got the audio working, so I'm sure it can be done.
But I don't remember how I did it.

Thanks for any help.

wrote:
I recently did a reinstall of Win98 SE and it went smoothly but now I
have no audio. I tried to install an audio driver, but all the ones I
attempted to install from Device Manager, sourced at the Win98 CD,
were "not recommended", according to the Device Manager.

So I searched the net trying to find what is the right driver for my
PC (Compaq Presario 1825) and came up with this likely choice:

snip

I'm sure I did install the Multimedia component when I reinstalled
Windows. I mean, I do have the multimedia group in Control Panel and
Windows Media Player was installed.

Did you install Windows from a Win98 disc or a Compaq "recovery" thing?
Unless you have changed the hardware, I imagine much of your hardware
(sound. video, etc) is on the motherboard and that there were
proprietary drivers which reinstalling Windows messed up. IIRC, Compaq
puts its recovery stuff on a partition on your HD.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Glee,

Thanks so much! Your suggestion worked, although the installer program
was very stubborn and several times asked repeatedly for a file I had
already directed it to.

Yes, I had originally inserted the CD and Windows said it could not
find the files. But SFC was able to find and extract them. (I do hope
newer versions of Windows have become more user friendly. It shouldn't
be such an ordeal to install drivers)

Fortunately, I have a regular Windows CD as well as the Compaq
proprietary "Restore" CDs. I would not use those Compaq CDs if you paid
me. They would restore my system to the state it was in 5 years ago and
fill my HD with junk programs. In addition to requiring complete
reformat, which I didn't want to do. (I also hope Compaq is now
offering more user-friendly "restore" CDs.

Again, many thanks for your excellent advice.

Glad it worked for you. That's how i had to do it with an ESS audio driver install
a few years ago. methinks they had a bad installer for a while.
Compaq restore discs, I hear you. ;-) AFAIK, they have not improved the system
much over the years.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Shell/User, A+
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


wrote in message
oups.com...
Glee,

Thanks so much! Your suggestion worked, although the installer program
was very stubborn and several times asked repeatedly for a file I had
already directed it to.

Yes, I had originally inserted the CD and Windows said it could not
find the files. But SFC was able to find and extract them. (I do hope
newer versions of Windows have become more user friendly. It shouldn't
be such an ordeal to install drivers)

Fortunately, I have a regular Windows CD as well as the Compaq
proprietary "Restore" CDs. I would not use those Compaq CDs if you paid
me. They would restore my system to the state it was in 5 years ago and
fill my HD with junk programs. In addition to requiring complete
reformat, which I didn't want to do. (I also hope Compaq is now
offering more user-friendly "restore" CDs.

Again, many thanks for your excellent advice.

hello there, yes i had the same problem, however its likely that your
windows disk doesent have any of the drivers needed for your hardware
as its pretty old, best advice is to download the aida 32 toolkit,
which will identify the exact make and model of your sound card and
then go find it on the net and install manually, sorry cant be more
help but thats what i did, and it worked........ gav



--
Gavinh26
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