# PC Wont detect my sound card



## dendanius

So here's the issue.. I've been using this sound card (Creative X-Fi Sound blaster w/e) on this system for months now without any issues, and before now I had been using two sound cards, also without issue. One of the cards was an on board card, which recently seemed to fry.. anything plugged into that sound card would come out with extreme static and whatnot. So I tried to plug ANOTHER card that my step dad let me use, and that failed miserably. The problem now, however, is that now my GOOD soundcard, the X-Fi one, is not working. When I go Control Panel>System>Hardware it's right there, and it tells me it is working fine, but for some reason when I go to ctrl panel>Sounds and Audio devices it tells me I have no audio devices currently plugged in..
I'm using windows XP, and I have the latest drivers for the card. Also, I checked, and it is the only card currently enabled OR put into the PC (besides the on board, which is disabled), and there is no 'conflicts' in the hardware info.. Help..?

(That was the summed up version of my frustrating day today. If you need any more system information to help me fix my sound, I'll be happy to supply it. Really tired right now though, and too lazy to actually go into dxdiag and load it all up.)


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## jdbennet

sp3 or sp2?


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## StrangleHold

dendanius said:


> So here's the issue.. I've been using this sound card (Creative X-Fi Sound blaster w/e) on this system for months now without any issues, and before now I had been using two sound cards, also without issue. One of the cards was an on board card, which recently seemed to fry.. anything plugged into that sound card would come out with extreme static and whatnot. So I tried to plug ANOTHER card that my step dad let me use, and that failed miserably. The problem now, however, is that now my GOOD soundcard, the X-Fi one, is not working. When I go Control Panel>System>Hardware it's right there, and it tells me it is working fine, but for some reason when I go to ctrl panel>Sounds and Audio devices it tells me I have no audio devices currently plugged in..
> I'm using windows XP, and I have the latest drivers for the card. Also, I checked, and it is the only card currently enabled OR put into the PC (besides the on board, which is disabled), and there is no 'conflicts' in the hardware info.. Help..?
> 
> (That was the summed up version of my frustrating day today. If you need any more system information to help me fix my sound, I'll be happy to supply it. Really tired right now though, and too lazy to actually go into dxdiag and load it all up.)


 
Try uninstalling the drivers and any other drivers for previous sound. Restart and see if windows detects the card. If so reinstall the drivers and see if it works. If not do what I said again but this time when its shut down, swap the card to another PCI slot.


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## dendanius

Oh one thing I forgot to mention, the other sound card I have that I took from my step dad's computer IS working in either PCI slot. Also, I'm using Sp2.

(How would I go about deleting all the sound card drivers on my PC? Just sys>hardware> pick a sound card and uninstall driver?)


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## StrangleHold

Control panel/ Add and remove programs


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## dendanius

Alright so..
I tried that..
and when I go to my "Sounds and Audio Devices" it tells me that..
theres this device I have never heard of..
"PnP Audio Device"
and thats whats playing my sound.. apparently..?
And also,
when my comp started after installing the drivers and all that,
it opened the Creative Speaker Connection Wizard, like it should,
and when I hit test, it's telling me that it's playing sound,
and I hear nothing.
(Yes, my headset IS plugged in)

The wizard that ran has a Diagnose button, for any problems encountered,
and when I hit it, an error is encountered, and it needs to close.
Not sure if that is gonna help or not, but w/e


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## jdbennet

PlugNPlay audio device - it means it sees it but its usinga  generic driver atm


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## dendanius

Okay. Well I took my X-Fi out, and it's still detecting that..
so it must have been the on-board sound card (that I uninstalled the drivers for) it was detecting,
and still is not detecting the sound card at all .


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## StrangleHold

dendanius said:


> Oh one thing I forgot to mention, the other sound card I have that I took from my step dad's computer IS working in either PCI slot. Also, I'm using Sp2.


 
If that card is working out of your step dads and the X-Fi isnt, there is a possibility the card went bad. Try the X-Fi in your step dads computer and if it doesnt work then its probably shot.


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