Why is it when I load a music cd, the tracks play but I cannot hear any music?

Hi, My name is Curtis.

I am running Windows 95 on a Pentium pc. When I load a music cd, the tracks play but I cannot hear any music. When I use any software with sounds, they play just find. I tried different music cds and still no sound. Can someone please help.

This question was answered on February 19, 2003. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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Check to see if your drivers are installed.Check that you have the drivers for the card installed:

In Windows 95 go to "Start" - > "Settings" - > "Control Panel" and double click the "Multimedia" icon This should bring up the "Multimedia Properties" box

On the Audio tab, you should see two areas: Playback and Recording If these are greyed out and have "None" listed under Preferred device for these sections, then your sound card drivers have not been installed

If you have a device listed here, such as "AWE64 Wave Out" or "Sound Blaster 16" then your drivers are installed Make sure to check the "Show volume control on the taskbar" option.

If you do not have drivers installed.

Consult your sound card documentation or follow this basic guide on how to install drivers for your sound card You will need the disk or CDROM that came with you sound card

Switch to the "Devices" tab of the Multimedia Properties box

Click "Add."

Choose "Unlisted or Updated Driver" and his "OK."

Enter the path to the disk or CDROM that came with the Sound Card and hit "OK."

Select your card and click "OK"

Your machine may need to reboot.

Checking Sound Levels and Speaker Volume

Once you know you have a card and drivers installed, check the volume and make sure it is at an audible level

Go to the system Volume Control by double clicking the small speaker icon next to the "Time" field on the taskbar If you do not have this icon, follow the instructions above on getting to the "Multimedia Properties" box and click "Show volume control on the taskbar."

(Actual Volume Control Options may vary slightly depending on your configuration.)

Make sure the "Play Control" or "Master" and the "Wave" controls are set to a high enough level and make sure that your speakers have the volume turned up high enough

If the sound level available from your card is too low, you may need to use headphones or amplified speakers Before doing this you should ensure that both master volume and "wave" levels are set to their maximum, and not muted if you add speakers be sure the power supply is plugged in, and the power switch is on.

About the author

Posted by Ileen of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on February 19, 2003

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