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This is Horrible - 5/16/2008 4:13:44 AM
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JordanW
Posts: 691
Joined: 4/23/2008
From: Bakersfield, California
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OK, let me tell you how my Thursday night went. First of all, earlier in the day, something caused the electrical outlets in the kitchen to reset, so the T.V. in the living room shut off also, and the cable box. I was trying to figure out what was wrong, because everything else in the house was working fine. I test out other plugs and sure enough the other one works, so I'm assuming the problem is solved, well it wasn't. My Dad then comes home around 7:30 P.M. after he gets off of work, and is looking to see what the problem was, (mind you the problem was already fixed, I just switched where it was plugged in at) so my computer is on, and it's sitting here, then he resets the breakers, causing my computer to shut off. I come in here around 9:00 P.M. to get on the computer and check my e-mail, coming to realize that my computer WILL NOT start. I then frantically search to find the recovery disc and the manual and could not find it. I felt like smoking 3 packs of cigarettes I was SO mad. But, I sat down, calmed myself down, went for about a 30 minute drive and asked God to please help me fix this thing. I come home, find the recovery disc, now I had to re-install EVERYTHING I lost everything on my computer, the sound doesn't work, can anyone help me?
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/16/2008 5:52:53 AM
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iluvatar
Posts: 1317
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quote:
(mind you the problem was already fixed, I just switched where it was plugged in at)
You switched where what was plugged in?
quote:
the sound doesn't work, can anyone help me?
Reinstall the sound card driver.
Did you completely wipe the hard drive (losing all your data), or just install the OS and all the programs on top of themselves? When a PC loses power and fails to restart, chances are that it was just something small that got corrupted. Booting into safe mode will usually let you get around the corrupted drivers to see what's what. When this comes up again in the future, you can probably get away with not wiping everything and starting over. Next time it happens, if you can get to another computer to do some research, you may be able to save yourself some trouble.
Also, if you can spend $50, get a UPS.
-Dan.
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It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/16/2008 1:49:01 PM
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JordanW
Posts: 691
Joined: 4/23/2008
From: Bakersfield, California
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I had to wipe everything. So is there some place online where I can download this stuff?
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Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/16/2008 4:55:29 PM
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psaulm119
Posts: 213
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As far as getting drivers, there are always three good sources online:
1. the OEM site (the maker of the hardware)
2. the site that sold you the computer (for example, Dell has a page where all the drivers for my Inspiron 1501 are located, making it nice and easy to d/l what I need again).
3. www.driverguide.com requires registration IIRC, but they have drivers that some OEM sites have taken down (from older hardware).
EDIT: if you are looking for drivers for a sound card (I'm assuming you didn't replace it)--for anything that came with the computer--try the computer manufacturer site. For peripherals and anything you bought subsequently, then look to the site of teh company that made it.
At this point, I copy all my drivers onto a section of My Documents that I copy every month or so, making sure that if I ever have to reinstall, I can quickly get drivers for all my hardware. It only takes a few seconds and boy it sure can save a lot of time hunting around.
Having said that, let me second everyone else who is questioning whether a complete reformat was necessary. Next time this happens, try some troubleshooting first.
< Message edited by psaulm119 -- 5/16/2008 7:18:25 PM >
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/16/2008 10:15:32 PM
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iluvatar
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quote:
ORIGINAL: JordanW
I had to wipe everything. So is there some place online where I can download this stuff?
What stuff are you missing? Drivers can be found at the web sites of either the computer manufacturer or the respective hardware manufacturer.
quote:
Ok, I don't understand why cutting off the power would make your computer lose all it's data.
It wouldn't. What it could do, though, is corrupt something, making windows unable to boot normally. A full wipe was not necessary.
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And what button was it you push repeatedly in the startup to go to safe mode? F8?
Yes, I believe so.
-Dan.
_____________________________
It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/16/2008 10:57:53 PM
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treeclimber48
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Since I had to reinstall everything onto my computer after somebody worked on it maybe I can help. Everything on my computer worked except for the sound. Do you know the name of sound card or driver? I am not sure what it is called. The guy who worked on our computer left us with disc for the sound. Maybe you can find a disc that will reinstall the sound.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/17/2008 6:48:35 AM
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Strider33
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I'm very sorry to hear that you couldn't reboot your computer without wiping all the data off the hard drive. I've had the computer's power supply go on me, and have to replace it, without losing data off the drive. But that circumstance might have been different from yours.
About the sound card.... Do your speakers plug into power separately from your computer, or do they get power through the same plug as the signal?
Is there a volume control that comes up on your systray when you boot. Is it set to on or off? Do you have a mute button on your computer?
Can you figure out which drivers are loaded from the "properties" box of "My Computer"?
Do you have a friend that knows a lot about computers and is willing to help?
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Not all those who wander are lost.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/17/2008 11:32:10 AM
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wintery
Posts: 895
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From: nw alabama
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JordanW,
Audio is so delicate that it could actually be just fried. Either way running to Wally and getting a new sound card could be a quick fix.
Just plugging and uplugging amps/speakers to the audio ins and outs while the machine is running could be enough to fry it.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/17/2008 12:53:59 PM
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Miss Giggles
Posts: 3638
Joined: 4/18/2005
From: MI
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To answer the other questions, hard drives can crash during power outages and surges.
Make sure all your important equipment is plugged into a surge protector.
You can also get a UPS like what was suggested.
Go into control panel, system, properties, device manager.
If you see a yellow exclamation point next to the sound card you need the driver. But it was probably restored when you ran the install cd.
But you probably need to replace the speakers.
Internal Modems are famous for "getting fried" during thunderstorms and power outages. Unplug your phone line if it starts to storm. Some people never learn on that one. My aunt burned out two.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/17/2008 2:04:08 PM
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JordanW
Posts: 691
Joined: 4/23/2008
From: Bakersfield, California
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Miss Giggles
To answer the other questions, hard drives can crash during power outages and surges.
Make sure all your important equipment is plugged into a surge protector.
You can also get a UPS like what was suggested.
Go into control panel, system, properties, device manager.
If you see a yellow exclamation point next to the sound card you need the driver. But it was probably restored when you ran the install cd.
But you probably need to replace the speakers.
Internal Modems are famous for "getting fried" during thunderstorms and power outages. Unplug your phone line if it starts to storm. Some people never learn on that one. My aunt burned out two.
My speakers should be fine though, the only thing that happened was that my Dad flipped the breaker switch.
_____________________________
Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/17/2008 2:32:02 PM
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treeclimber48
Posts: 170
Joined: 8/25/2006
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I'm sorry I wish I could be of more help. We got out disc from the guy who worked on our computer. He took windows xp off and put on windows professional. He took it to his home to work on. I would never advise this as we got a bootleg professional, but didn't find out about it until much later. After we got it back, I noticed that the sound was not working. He had included a disc that would put the sound back on. Is there anyway to learn what the name of your audio is. Maybe you can get a replacement. They must be out there someplace.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/17/2008 2:36:42 PM
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JordanW
Posts: 691
Joined: 4/23/2008
From: Bakersfield, California
Status: offline
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Well all I know is that it's a Gateway model computer, not like if they helps or anything though.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/17/2008 7:02:44 PM
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treeclimber48
Posts: 170
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Maybe you can find what you need at www.realtek.com They have a list of downloads and other things.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/17/2008 8:40:46 PM
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JordanW
Posts: 691
Joined: 4/23/2008
From: Bakersfield, California
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Do you know exactly what I'd be searching for on there?
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/18/2008 12:51:08 AM
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iluvatar
Posts: 1317
Joined: 4/12/2005
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quote:
ORIGINAL: JordanW
Well all I know is that it's a Gateway model computer, not like if they helps or anything though.
The model number should be printed on the case somewhere. You should be able to go to gateway.com, do a search for your computer's model number and find the appropriate drivers for just about anything in your system.
quote:
They plug into the wall, and into the back of my computer. I am not able to open the volume control. It shows the C and D drivers. And no I don't have a friend that can help me, that's why I came here...
If you want to get to the System Properties from My Computer, you need to right-click My Computer and select Properties, not double-click on My Computer.
Once you've got the System Properties box open, click the Hardware tab, then the Device Manager button. Once Device Manager opens, you'll see a list of categories of different types of equipment. Down near the bottom is "Sound, Video, and Game Controllers." The yellow exclamation point Miss Giggles mentioned would be in here.
quote:
My speakers should be fine though, the only thing that happened was that my Dad flipped the breaker switch.
Don't count on it. Test the speakers out with something else, like the headphone output on a cd player.
-Dan.
_____________________________
It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/18/2008 3:20:14 AM
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JordanW
Posts: 691
Joined: 4/23/2008
From: Bakersfield, California
Status: offline
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It says all the sound drivers are installed.
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Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/18/2008 9:41:38 AM
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iluvatar
Posts: 1317
Joined: 4/12/2005
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quote:
ORIGINAL: JordanW
It says all the sound drivers are installed.
Ok, that eliminates that.
Click Start | Settings | Control Panel
Once you've got the control panel window open, make sure you're in "Classic View" not "Category View." (Assuming you're in XP, there's a link in the upper left corner to toggle between them)
From there, open "Sounds and Audio Devices." The two tabs you want to look at are the Volume tab and the Audio tab. Under the Audio tab, make sure that the default Sound Playback device is set to whatever your sound card is. In the Volume tab, make sure that the volume is up and you don't have any option with the word "Mute" checked.
-Dan.
_____________________________
It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
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RE: This is Horrible - 5/18/2008 12:44:07 PM
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JordanW
Posts: 691
Joined: 4/23/2008
From: Bakersfield, California
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: iluvatar
quote:
ORIGINAL: JordanW
It says all the sound drivers are installed.
Ok, that eliminates that.
Click Start | Settings | Control Panel
Once you've got the control panel window open, make sure you're in "Classic View" not "Category View." (Assuming you're in XP, there's a link in the upper left corner to toggle between them)
From there, open "Sounds and Audio Devices." The two tabs you want to look at are the Volume tab and the Audio tab. Under the Audio tab, make sure that the default Sound Playback device is set to whatever your sound card is. In the Volume tab, make sure that the volume is up and you don't have any option with the word "Mute" checked.
-Dan.
When I look at those two tabs, it won't allow me to click anything.
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I've had the power go out on my computer and was able to reboot. Do you have a laptop or a desktop? And what button was it you push repeatedly in the startup to go to safe mode? F8?
