Problems with soundcards range from incorrect setup to component failure with most of the problems in the setup or conflicting device catagory.
As with most computer hardware you get what you pay for when it comes to soundcards. We recommend the Soundblaster range that Creative have on offer, from the 16 PnP to the Ensoniq 32 vioce wave-table. They are very reliable, free of most conflict problems and easy to install.
Anyhow on with the problems.
Make sure that all leads are connected properly and that the speakers are turned on.
The soundcard just stopped working (no sound).
We will go through this problem step by step. The first thing we will check is the
soundcard's settings, check the operating system device manager. If the information you find
is wrong or the device manager tells you that a file is missing or there is a conflict,
of if you beleive that the drivers (DLL files) have been deleted, re-install the soundcard
software.
If you have changed your operating system recently (eg upgrade from Windows 3.11 to Windows 95), then what may have happened is that the soundcard drivers do not work with the new operating system. If you are on the internet, visit the soundcard manufacurer's website, you may be able to download some updated drivers for the soundcard. If new drivers can't be obtained, well looks like you may need to purchase a new soundcard.
Another reason a soundcard may stop working is because you have installed new hardware. The new hardware may be conflicting with the soundcard by trying to use the same reasources, usually the interrupt request or DMA addresses. Resetting the address of your new hardware may fix this problem. When you have conflicting addresses and you are attemting to manually change the addresses be sure to read the manuals of BOTH conflicting devices, you may find that there is no solution to your conflict problem other than buying a new soundcard.
The last avenue once you have eliminated all the preceding causes is to assume that there
is is physical fault with the soundcard. In this case you can either replace the card or
call atechnician.
The soundcard works in some applications but not in others.
This is usually apparent when you run games. Some games require particular drivers in
order to have both video and audio to work right. In a case like this, print the readme file
off the games installation software or go to the application's online help and follow the
troubleshooting tips provided. Try and not to be too dissapointed if the application does not
support your soundcard.
Everything sounds like a jumping record.
The most probible cause is that the sound card is not working fast enough, if you have a
slow computer like a 486 it would be safe to assume that the computer will be the cause of the
skipping and delays in the sound sampling process. If however your computer is a fast one with
plenty of RAM then may be the soundcard is faulty.
Audio CD's are not working.
Go to the Problems with CDROMs section.
Assuming that your settings and drivers are correct, the following are symptoms of a faulty soundcard.
