Solving Audio Problems
If the computer has audio features and you encounter audio problems, see the common causes and
solutions listed in the following table.
Table 2-6
Solving Audio Problems
Sound cuts in and out.
Cause
Solution
Processor resources are being used by other open
applications.
Shut down all open processor-intensive applications.
Direct sound latency, common in many media player
applications.
In Windows XP only:
1.
From the
Control Panel
, select
Sounds and Audio
Devices
.
2.
On the
Audio
tab, select a device from the
Sound
Playback
list.
3.
Click the
Advanced
button and select the
Performance
tab.
4.
Set the
Hardware acceleration
slider to
None
and the
Sample rate conversion quality
slider to
Good
and
retest the audio.
5.
Set the
Hardware acceleration
slider to
Full
and the
Sample rate conversion quality
slider to
Best
and
retest the audio.
Sound does not come out of the speaker or headphones.
Cause
Solution
Software volume control is turned down or muted.
Double-click the
Speaker
icon on the taskbar, then make sure
that
Mute
is not selected and use the volume slider to adjust
the volume.
The external speakers are not turned on.
Turn on the external speakers.
The audio device may be connected to the wrong jack.
Ensure that the device is connected to the correct jack on the
computer. The speakers should be plugged into the rear line-
out jack and the headphones should be plugged into the front
headphone jack.
External speakers plugged into the wrong audio jack on a
recently installed sound card.
See the sound card documentation for proper speaker
connection.
Digital CD audio is not enabled.
Enable digital CD audio. In the Device Manager, right-click on
the CD/DVD device and select
Properties
. Make sure
Enable
digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device
is checked.
Headphones or devices connected to the line-out connector
mute the internal speaker.
Turn on and use headphones or external speakers, if
connected, or disconnect headphones or external speakers.
Computer is in
standby
mode.
Press the power button to resume from
standby
mode.
CAUTION:
When attempting to resume from
standby
mode,
do not hold down the power button for more than four seconds.
Otherwise, the computer will shut down and you will lose any
unsaved data.
Internal speaker is disabled in Computer Setup.
Enable the internal speaker in Computer Setup. Select
Advanced
>
Internal Speaker
.
20
Chapter 2 Troubleshooting Without Diagnostics
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