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  1. Member
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    Wondering if I can post a problem to do with no sound on my Lenovo T61 laptop that's been going on a few weeks.
    Sound program is SoundMax (5.10.1.5710 the latest driver I believe), and ADI UAA Function Driver for HD Audio (yes that's the MS UAA that generates a lot of complaints).
    No sound at all, not even Windows sounds.

    I've posted this in other forums elsewhere, no solution yet. One person said to go to safe mode, remove the MB chipset driver, all audio programs, then reinstall them in the order chipset driver- UAA - Soundmax - audio drivers, codecs etc. Seems a bit extreme.

    Any advice or need more details, please reply, thanks.
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  2. Banned
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    Yes, you can post that here. Now let me ask you a question - did you make some kind of major change around that time that you aren't telling us about? Did you reinstall Windows from scratch? Did you add some kind of hardware via USB to the laptop that might possibly use the sound card?

    You definitely need to understand that Lenovo laptops have a ton of proprietary drivers on them. I worked on my nephew's laptop a few years ago and it was a real bitch to find and install all the various proprietary drivers. Your laptop won't work as well or at all without those proprietary drivers. You were given advice by someone who has definitely never worked on Lenovo laptops before.

    Since it's a laptop it is going to be incredibly difficult to troubleshoot if the actual sound card stuff is actually dead. One easy thing you might do is check the volume icon at the bottom of Windows that looks kind of like a horn speaker and make sure that the volume isn't actually turned off or the device was accidentally placed on mute. If it's one of those things then it's a piece of cake to fix.
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  3. Did it EVER work?

    Did you mess with it? Drop it, spill something, let a teenager borrow it, virus infection, updates to windows, updates to any audio or video drivers, updates to a media program, have you tested from the sound icon in control panel?

    Describe audio connection type.

    Without knowing some basic info, anything would be a guess. If you did anything with an HDMI connector, the audio device might change from RCA output to HDMI, or vice versa.

    Really need some useful info, other than "it seems to be broken", you have given nearly nothing at all.
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  4. Lenovo T61 laptop...
    I would rather suggest un-installing all arbitrary installed sound-drivers, and installing the one officially available from Lenovo Support Site. With some hardware identification utility like system information you can identify chipset pin-point.
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  5. Member
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    Sorry for posting this. Maybe it's asking too much considering the complexity of the sound issue. It's getting late so I'll try to post some details of what I have tried to do to fix it tomorrow.

    Yes it did work. No I did not do any bad things to it that I know of. No one else uses it.
    I do not have the CD-Rom for XP Pro. The Lenovo site for my T61 does not have all the drivers, only some updates.
    I have checked the Windows Audio service and dependencies, they are all enabled.
    And checked the master volume controls.
    And checked the Sounds and audio devices properties. Soundmax is enabled for Sound playback and Recording.
    I have run the Sound troubleshooter several times.
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  6. Member
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    Service Windows Audio (AudioSrv) manages audio devices for Windows-based programs. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start .
    Especially often above the fault with the sound happens when you install / reinstall Windows XP, when the motherboard drivers are installed automatically . So - if a problem occurs - it is recommended to install them manually - separately for each device - via a dialog box Device Manager.
    ---
    It seems that the built-in controller MS does not miss the sounds / blocks the driver.
    > In the Device Manager tab "Sound, video and game controllers" to remove Intel display audio and Realtek HD audio. (look at your sound card);
    >> Open the tab "System devices" and remove High Definition audio controller - in times Win XP helped me
    Reload this laptop.
    Then install Intel display audio (find and download driver Intel ® HD Graphics and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator online Intel) and driver Realtek HD audio. (look at your sound card).
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  7. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    I'm moving to our computer section. The audio section is mainly for audio encoding/editing/recording.
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  8. REPEAT - Describe audio connection type. IS IT HDMI??? Does the PC have an HDMI connector on it?

    Also describe speakers or audio output device connected, or, Where does the noise come from and what kind of cable connects it to the PC?

    Also, run a malwarebytes virus scan, and a chkdsk and defrag to test for any hard drive errors. I would do these FIRST, before any removal or re-installation of additional drivers.

    The drivers for your unit are available online, somewhere. LOOK FOR THEM, if not now, you will need them someday and it won't get any easier as time goes on.
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    No HDMI of any kind on this machine or connected to it. Audio is analog: SoundMax ADI UAA HD Audio.

    Two sets of speakers, the internal ones and the external ones connected by the green headphones jack. The audio problem is the same whether or not the external ones are connected.

    The problem is no sound, there is no noise. No sound from any source: CD, WIndows sounds, online music, music on the PC, nothing.

    I run MBAM at least once or twice a week. Lately, no malware, previous malware was minor.
    Defrag and chkdsk and disk cleanup at least once a month.
    Too bad I can't run sfc /scannow. When I try to run it I get the error message: "Files that are necessary for Windows to run properly must be copied to the DLL Cache. Insert your Windows XP Professional CD_ROM now." I don't have it. Any way to buy it? Borrow it? Download it and copy to CD?
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  10. Member
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    I'm willing to bet its a registry issue. This happened to me on my old Lenovo laptop in 2009.
    I backed up the registry first (always a good idea), used a registry cleaner and the problem
    went away. Driver conflicts (software or hardware) can cause registry errors, usually not fatal
    but always annoying. The clue being even Windows sounds don't work.

    I hope my 2 cents helps.
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  11. The SFC msg indicates SOMETHING is wrong.

    I did not ask if you ran defrag and chkdsk a month ago, I SAID RUN THEM NOW. AFTER the problem has happened. The purpose is to verify that a drive error is not the cause of the problem. What these tests reveal a month ago is meaningless. What they reveal NOW, at this time, AFTER the error, and MOST ESPECIALLY after the "necessary files" warning, may be critical. Corrupted or damaged files could cause EXACTLY what you are experiencing.

    Scan the windows error logs for any problems.

    Run CCleaner for a safe, reversible registry clean.

    The soundmax software should identify when speakers are plugged or unplugged to different jacks, also you should be able to manually run this for speaker setup and tests. Check and verify BOTH of these functions. Note and describe any error msgs.

    The SFC error should have been in your very FIRST post. Are there any OTHER msgs, ANYTHING AT ALL unusual happening on the PC. smoke or actual flame emerging from the box, ANYTHING? Take some time, THINK about it, because if you leave out another important possible clue like the SFC msg I am going to be noticeably unhappy with you.

    XP CD is available for download at a number of locations. SFAIK, as long as you have a valid installation code, and you DL an UN-Modified disk, there is nothing illegal about this, according to Microsoft. GET THE CORRECT SERVICE PACK, or one HIGHER than currently installed. Do NOT use a disk with a lower service pack number. The place I go, I don't send newbies there. Perfectly OK to borrow someone's disk, with the code as above, and TRIPLE-CHECK that service pack number.
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  12. Member
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    Dougster: thanks for the tip. I might try it as Nelson37 has picked it up too.

    Nelson37: You're already unhappy ... from your first post onwards. Please try not to SHOUT.

    Anyway the problem began weeks, maybe a couple of months ago. There's so much that's happened i could write a book, or take up too much
    of the webspace on this site posting all of it. For ex, take a look at this, if you have the stomach for it.

    In other words, having run chkdsk etc since the problem started I have answered your request. But I'll run them again at least once a week.

    Error logs: I'd have to go back weeks for this. Elsewhere I've read that the error logs are not always reliable.

    CCleaner: yes I run it occasionally but have had things happen that I didn't like. I'll do it again just before shutting down tonight.

    Speaker setup and tests: cannot touch the volume controls because that's a related issue: doing so freezes the screen requiring a hard shutdown.

    SFC error: new today.
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  13. Drivers and software - ThinkPad T61
    Official Legacy Driver Support.

    You need minimum following three drivers after cleaning up the registry mess, arbitrary installed sound-drivers, or after clean XP install.
    1) Intel Chipset.
    2) SoundMaX
    3) nVIDIA Display Driver (make sure you have nViDIA card before install)
    Probably you may opt for flashing BIOS as well.

    GooD LuCK!
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  14. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    @enim, those are good tips, but only after the OP has done what Nelson37 has suggested.

    @rgb, please listen to Nelson37, as he is an expert at this kind of thing (IIRC, that's what he does for a living, and has shown time and again on this site that he knows his stuff). He may be gruff, but I wouldn't say he's SHOUTING.

    But he probably is a little impatient with you. I can sort of understand why - this is my take on the thread conversation so far:

    You: Something happened and I tried B and H and would have tried L or N, but it said S and Z, so I might try X next.
    Nelson37: Do A, then Do B, then Do C, then Do D. Dont' do any more until you have done those, in order, then get back to me.
    You: OK, so if I do B, but I could also try H, and D sounds like a good idea down the road. I would have tried L or N, but it said S and Z. And, OH YES, it also said OPQR!, should I try X next?
    Nelson37: OPQR means you should have skipped A, but then, Do B, then Do C, then do D, and then get back to me!!
    You: OK, but what if...

    It's all over the place. See what I mean?

    Scott
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  15. Son, you ain't seen unhappy yet.

    Defrag first. This will IDENTIFY serious hard drive problems clearly and obviously. If it runs with no errors, good. If errors, very, very bad.

    Then CHKDSK, with repair options checked. This will both identify, IF you watch the screen or check the logs, errors and correct many of them. Slight odds of making it worse, but if it does, it was really bad anyway.

    Yes, if the problem started weeks or months ago, you will have to go back weeks or months in the error logs. They are sorted by date and problems have bright red "X' marks or bright yellow ones. They kinda stand out. Look for anything that says SOUND or has the brand name of your sound card hardware OR software.

    "Not always reliable" could describe them, but I would say they are BY FAR the most likely place that information about the problem is recorded, identified, and searchable. If you took the comment to mean "don't bother looking at them", then that was very bad advice.

    CCLeaner - have run this Hundreds of times on Dozens of PC's. Other than deleting cookies with recorded passwords, which you can avoid by checking the Intelligent Cookie Scan, this program has Never, Ever caused any problem of any kind, even in the hands of complete novices. It has Solved MANY, many problems in a matter of minutes, plus often boosting performance. Use BOTH temp file cleanup AND Registry cleanup (the blocks).

    The SOUNDMAX software - HAVE YOU RUN THIS?? Critically important, NOT the Windows software, but the software Dedicated to your sound hardware. It has several sections and windows with controls, TRY THEM ALL. What you are looking for here is if the hardware is specifically identified, or if you get a message like "device not present". You are seeking any interaction with the sound hardware which gives a response of any kind, Like the speaker connection change notice. An option which SHOULD give a response but does NOT, is strong evidence as well.

    The lockups tend to indicate either a missing, damaged or corrupted file, possibly registry entries, Especially if there have been ANY updates to sound software, or attempts to uninstall or re-install. The other possibility is a dead sound card, which is built into the mobo and cannot be feasibly replaced.

    AFTER eliminating the hard drive as a probable cause, doing basic cleanup, checking the only place to check for specific, time and date-stamped, red-flagged messages about the error, THEN the next step is to acquire the correct drivers, while noting that BOTH Lenovo and Soundmax may each have slightly different versions, and ONE might work and the OTHER ONE does not, so you get both, UN-install completely, with reboot, registry clean, and manual directory removal, followed by a Second re-boot and registry clean, you pick a driver, install it, and test. If it fails, you repeat the clean and do it again with the other driver, if you found more than one.

    If all that fails, then you spend $20 on a USB sound stick, while also being aware that an integrated circuit on your laptop mobo has failed. Could be fine for years, the whole thing could crap out tomorrow.

    Another option is to get a Live CD for Linux, or a Windows UBCD, boot with that and test. The issue with these is that while the generic sound drivers Usually work, they don't Always.
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