Quiz time

[Katrina]

Ok, question that needs an answer.

I recently reinstalled windows onto my PC because it was being all yucky to me. At first, nothing with sound worked. The PC didn't recognized the soundcard. So I bought I new one, installed it and had my papa download some...er...drivers perhaps...I don't know, just a ton of mumbo jumbo.

So then, wa-la, the volume and sound worked.

Now. The sound RECORDING doesn't work. I plug in the microphone to the same hole that it worked in before. I open the little generic sound recording dealio and press record, however, no sound activity is recorded.

The microphone is fine, it was working right before I reinstalled windows. Now it doesn't. I don't even know where to start, if i want to fix this.

Help? Anyone?
If you can translate my computer illiteracy in this post, you get a cookie.

[Incinerate_IV]

I don't think there is anything wrong with your old sound card, you just need to install the driver to get that one to work. Every hardware needs drivers to tell Windows what they are and what they do, if you don't have drivers Windows won't recognize it.

For your microphone. First try to go to Control Panel, then go to Sound and Audio devices, go to Audio tab, and make sure the sound card you're using is selected under sound recording.

What sound card are you using anyway?

[Katrina]

Okay.

Control Panel, open. Couldnot find Sound and Audio, so I clicked on Sounds and Multimedia. And...er...it sais under the recording thing "C-Media Wave Device" Is that right? There is nothing else to select.

Drivers? Is there some drivers I should download? Where would I find these?

I don't remember what kind of soundcard my dad was the one that bought it haha and he doesn't rememeber, and I lost the box that it came in...

[Erik]

Okay.
Control Panel, open. Couldnot find Sound and Audio

Strange, should be there.

I think your problem is simply that your microphone volume is set to zero (or mute)
IIRC this is the default setting in windows.

You normally change the volume in "sound and audio devices" on the control panel (you need to click "advanced" under "device volume".

[krazykarl]

just try uisng the mic port on your new sound card. It probably has a picture of a microphone engraved next to it.

[Katrina]

I think it originally was, and it still wouldn't work.

[Freddie]

I think it originally was, and it still wouldn't work.

Can you test the mic out on another system to see if it works?

[Katrina]

Can you test the mic out on another system to see if it works?

I have, it works on my dad's PC. So the microphone isn't the problem, it works. I'm guessing that it's something to do with uninstalled drivers or something...since that was what made my speakers and volume not work. Now I need the mic too work.

aghhh

[Aristocrat]

Did your sound card come in a box?
We really can't help that much unless we know the sound card.
And yes you need the drivers, so if it came in a box with a cd, use that...otherwise, erm, find out the name somehow...or perhaps get windows to search the net for drivers...but windows is not very good at that.

[Katrina]

So basically, if I don't have the box, I can't fix it? Is there anyway I can see what kind of card it is from the inside of the computer? Because I threw the box away.

[Aristocrat]

Well, if you go into your control panel (on windows), then go to the system icon, then in to the hardware tab, then open up the device manager, then expand the "sound, video, and game controllers" menu, it MAY tell what sound card you have.
I say may as seeing as you have no drivers installed windows may not know it is a soundcard.

Hang on, come to think of it, if there are no drivers installed windows would be telling you this everytime you start the computer, so hopefully this will tell what we need to know.

P.S: Next time make sure things work before throwing the box away...what if the card was broken, no box could mean no refund. :/


P.P.S: If it doesn't tell you what type of sound card it is, or doesn't detect one at all then we try new stuff.

[Katrina]

Lets see, these are the exanded things that the Sound, video and game controllers bullet said.

-Audio Codecs
-CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device
-Legacy Audio Drivers
-Legacy Video Capture Devices
-Media Control Devices
-Standard Game Port
-Video Codes

Not sure which one of those is the soundcard...

[Erik]

Lets see, these are the exanded things that the Sound, video and game controllers bullet said.

-Audio Codecs
-CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device
-Legacy Audio Drivers
-Legacy Video Capture Devices
-Media Control Devices
-Standard Game Port
-Video Codes

Not sure which one of those is the soundcard...

This one:
CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device


It's made by a company called c-media.
Website: http://www.cmedia.com.tw/?q=en/PCI/CMI8738

[Katrina]

Ohhh I see.
Alright, so how does knowing the type of sound card help me figure out how to get my microphone to work. Haha. Hey at least we are one step closer...

[AlfonsoVIII]

Go here: http://www.cmedia.com.tw/?q=en/driver Click on PCI Audio in the first column, CMI8738 in the second column, Windows XP in the 3rd, click Nect, enter your email and download these drivers and install them on the computer.

[Katrina]

Go here: http://www.cmedia.com.tw/?q=en/driver Click on PCI Audio in the first column, CMI8738 in the second column, Windows XP in the 3rd, click Nect, enter your email and download these drivers and install them on the computer.

Alright, I got through all of the steps before Install. When I try to open the downloaded driver and install them, it asks me what program I want to open it with (Gives me a random list of things like Kodak...IrfanView...Paint...you know just normal programs) It won't just like...open. Do you know what I should do now?

Thank you though, you have gotten me very far! SOMEBODYS getting rep tonight.

[AlfonsoVIII]

You do not open the driver file itself. Make sure the file is no in zip or war format, it should be a regular folder with files in it. Go back to the device manager and rightclick on the sound card and choose update drivers, then browse to the correct folder of those new drivers. Then restart and the new drivers are complete.

[Katrina]

You do not open the driver file itself. Make sure the file is no in zip or war format, it should be a regular folder with files in it. Go back to the device manager and rightclick on the sound card and choose update drivers, then browse to the correct folder of those new drivers. Then restart and the new drivers are complete.

When I right click the sound card it only gives me the options of:

• Disable
• Uninstall...
• Scan for Hardwear Changes
• Properties

I didn't see an option for 'update drivers'.

[Aristocrat]

Go Properties, then driver tab then click the update driver option (at least thats how I remember it).

[AlfonsoVIII]

Issue has been resolved.