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 C-6Solving Audio Problems

Cause	Solution

Processor resources are being used by other open	Shut down all open processor-intensive applications.
applications.

Direct sound latency, common in many media player	In Windows XP only:
applications.	1.	From the Control Panel, select Sounds and Audio
	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.

Audio is hidden in Computer Setup.	Enable the audio in Computer Setup: Security >
	Device Security > System Audio.

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	See the sound card documentation for proper speaker
recently installed sound card.	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.