Audio Hardware - Upgrading and Repairing PCs - page 698

simple as rearranging your hardware components. The following list suggests possible solutions to
the problem of scratchy sound:
• Interference from other cards —The sound card might be picking up electrical interference
from other expansion cards inside the PC. Move the audio card to an expansion slot as far away
as possible from other cards.
• Dirty cable connector or jack —Unplug each connector and wipe it, and then reconnect it.
• Interference from CRT display —The speakers can pick up electrical noise from your
monitor. Move them farther away. Never place subwoofers near the monitor because their
powerful magnets can interfere with the picture. Put them on the floor to maximize low-
frequency transmission.
• Some games don't play at all or have poor-quality sound —If you notice sound problems
such as stuttering voices, static, or a lack of audio on some games but not others, check with the
game vendor for a software patch or with the sound card vendor for updated drivers. If you use
Creative ALchemy for 3D audio, look up the settings for your game at the Creative Labs
ALchemy website ( http://connect.creativelabs.com/alchemy/default.aspx ). If the game uses
DirectX under Windows XP or older versions, run the DXDIAG diagnostics program from the
Windows Run dialog. Click Start, Run, type dxdiag , and click OK. (Windows Vista and 7 also
include DXDIAG, but they do not support hardware audio acceleration.) In DXDIAG, click the
Sound tab. Adjust the slider for Hardware Sound Acceleration Level down one notch from Full
(the default) to Standard, click Save All Information, and exit. Retry the game. If the problem
persists, adjust the Hardware Sound Acceleration Level to Basic. If other games have
performance problems after you adjust the Hardware Sound Acceleration Level, be sure to
reset it to Full before playing those games.
Your Computer Won't Start
If your computer won't start at all after you installed a new sound card, you might not have inserted
the sound card completely into its slot. Turn off the PC and then press firmly on the card until it is
seated correctly.
If you can't start your computer after installing a new sound card and its drivers, you can use the
Windows “bootlog” feature to record every event during startup; this file records which hardware
drivers are loaded during startup and indicates whether the file loaded successfully, didn't load
successfully, or froze the computer. See the documentation for your version of Windows for details
on how to create a bootlog when necessary.
Advanced Features
If you are having problems playing DVD audio, playing MP3 files, or using SPDIF connections, make
sure of the following:
• You have enabled the hardware resources on the sound card.
• You are using the correct playback program.
• Your mixer has the correct volume control setting for the device.
• You have enabled digital playback (if you are using coaxial or optical SPDIF output).
• Your cabling is correct for the device.
Other Problems