I just upgraded to a Soyo SY-K7VTA Pro motherboard with integrated AC97 sound on it. My previous system was a P233MMX with a SB16 on it (with Win98SE as the OS).

I simply installed the HDs from my old system into this new one, and after making sure everything was OK in the BIOS, Win98SE started OK and found most hardware no problem. After a few hours of tweaking I am now functional (I'm able to write this ;-)!).

However, I have been completely unable to get ANY sound out of this system. I followed the Soyo AC97 driver installation procedure and still no dice. Even the Win98 wave files don't work!!

Has anyone else had any experience with integrated AC97 sound - esp. on Soyo Mobos?

I should point out that I did not re-install Win98SE on this new system, and simple re-used what was already there on the P233MMX (note: the PnP correctly eliminated the SB16 from Control Settings).

Should I re-install Win98SE or is there something simpler that I can use. The rest of the system HW seems to be fine (and the system is nice+fast too!!)


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"One good test is worth a 1000 expert opinions!"
- Von Braun

Hi Jonny5
I presume you have unchecked the mute boxes, In the sounds system propeties box.
kfh

Are you sure...did you check in Safe Mode?

If you didn't check in safe mode then the SB could very well be there just not visible in normal mode...also make sure that the drivers from the moitherboard driver disk are installed.

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

Have you check the install/remove software panel in Control panel for the Sound blaster?
If it is listed use the uninstall to remove any thing remaining in the system files.
It also would not hurt to boot in safe mode and remove the sound files from there as well.
Remove Both the SB16 if listed and the ac97 .
Windows will reinstall the ac97 files at boot up.

In your bios check the settings for the on board sound.
I’m not familiar with the exact location of the sound card settings in your mother boards bios.
But you should have 2 settings. One to enable the sound card support and another to enable the dos sound support. ( Dos support isn’t mandatary)

As a final check all connections . At the mother board and speakers.

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To ERR is HUMAN
To REALLY screw things UP, YOU NEED a COMPUTER !

Thanks for all your advice!

I believe I have set the BIOS correctly, but in case any of you have any concrete suggestions here is what I've set:

OnChip Audio = AUTO (default, other option was Disabled)

There's also another section that deals with Legacy Audio, which I have been switching back and forth in desperate attempt to get SOME kind of sound out of my current mute computer!

Legacy Audio Enabled
Soundblaster Enabled
(followed by settings for SB, such as 220H addy, DMA 1, IRQ 3, etc)
MPU-401 Enabled/Disabled
(also followed by settings)

I have to admit ignorance about what MPU-401 is (is this Roland or something).

The Soyo default settings were to have Legacy Audio turned ON, and SB/MPU disabled.

I'm going to try Rick's suggestion next, since I'm about 80% sure the problem is with Win98SE. Oh, and I have checked the HW over and over again.



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"One good test is worth a 1000 expert opinions!"
- Von Braun

Rick (and others)

Now *that* was wierd! I rebooted into Safe Mode and checked the Control Settings. There was alot of duplicate entries in just about every catagory (how does 5 COM1s, 3 LPT1s sound to you?!).

I also found two Creative SB16 entries under Games+Audio (one for the SB16, and another for the Joystick/game port).

I removed these last two - noting the VIA/AC97 "flavors" further down the list. I also removed some of the duplicate HW entries (just the COM and LPTs) then rebooted.

Still no sound. However, is it normal to have duplicate entries in Control Panel - Settings when in safe mode OR is this a major hint that something is not quite right!?

(I can see where this is going - I'm going to have to re-install Win98SE aren't I? Man - it took me most of January just to get Win98SE stable on my previous system!!!)




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"One good test is worth a 1000 expert opinions!"
- Von Braun

Check the cables...and then in sound properies in the control panel, make sure you have the new sound card selected as the playback device...

I would just reinstall...you built a whole new system, but you're going to skimp when it comes to an OS installation?

Although it can be done, and sometimes easily, this doesn't appear to be your situation...in the end, if you can't get it to work, you'll never be sure if it's the board or the OS...

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

Hiredgoonz,

I re-installed Win98SE last night, and then re-installed the AC97 drivers. Still no sound. However, there was one improvement - CDROM playback of Audio CDs is working so at least the physical HW (CD-ROM to Mobo to AC97 chip to speakers) seems to be OK. I was beginning to wonder...

Anyways, after reviewing the Soyo website I am convinced the problem is the driver I'm using for the Southbridge chip, as there was something wrong with KT133A boards versus Soundblaster Live! cards last year that was "fixed" - apparently at the detriment of those who were using onboard audio.

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"One good test is worth a 1000 expert opinions!"
- Von Braun

Originally posted by mjc:
Are you sure...did you check in Safe Mode?

If you didn't check in safe mode then the SB could very well be there just not visible in normal mode...also make sure that the drivers from the moitherboard driver disk are installed.



Boy, and I thought I knew how Windows worked..;-)!

Seriously though - why would there be such a huge descrepancy between what Device Manager shows you in Normal versus Safe mode?!

I would have thought that there would be LESS DM stuff in Safe mode, yet I am seeing precisely the opposite.

Also, after removing everything having to do with Sound and rebooting (have done this a few times now), and after the PnP correctly identifies the AC97 hardware and installs drivers, etc - I once again rebooted in Safe Mode to see what's there (in Normal mode I saw just three things: The AC97 WDM driver, An AOpen Wave Device driver for my modem, and the joystick game port).

In SAFE mode there is quite alot of additional stuff under Sound, Games in DM: Seems to be a whole bunch of Microsoft things (I'm not on the system right now so can't list them precisely). Is this normal - or is this hinting at something (like junk files laying around in the Windows\system directory maybe that need to be removed?)

I guess what I'm driving at is - what should I believe, Normal or Safe Mode DM?!

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"One good test is worth a 1000 expert opinions!"
- Von Braun

Safe mode......in Safe Mode most of the devices are not in use, so all the files associated with will show up and be available for removal (one reason they show up there and not in normal) also in normal mode only they current (or active device) will show up...I have a device disabled (USB controller...I don't have any USB devices so why have it enabled?), in normal mode it is gone but in safe mode it shows up and I can reactivate it there if I need to..

Safe mode also shows the bits and pieces of old hardware drivers, duplicates and all the "other" stuff....for the onboard sound card it is normal to have things like other things listed that don't shoe up in normal (I have onboard sound and have tried to remove just those "extra" devices and Windows just reinstalls them).

Some of the others could probably add a little more about Safe-Mode....

Also go in and remove ALL the duplicates elsewhere (like 4 of the 5 Com1 entries...), they can cause problems.


And finally, make sure that the entries in the multimedia applet from the control panel match your onboard sound....under playback devices it should show something like Windows WDM audio or the name of the sound card....

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.