Hi, just yesturday i reformatted my computer and there was no sound. i Reintalled Windows XP and all, and now i have no sound. i have quite a bit of knowledge in computers (the basics) and i would really apreciate every piece of help. thank you

try installing the onboard sound drivers for your mobo

How do u do that?

Sorry i could not answer in more detail yesterday i was very busy and had to race off halfway through the answer. When you bought your computer it would have come with some restore disks try checking on there and seeing if there is an all-in-one driver on that disc. If so install that. otherwise if your network port is working and you have access to the internet then try using windows to search and install the drivers for you. To do this:

1. click start
2. Right-click on my computer->Go to properties
3. Hit the hardware tab up the top
4. Then click on device manager
5. Go down to sound,audio and video controllers
6.double click on anything that has a yellow question mark next to it and use windows to search the internet for the correct drivers

No need 2 be Sorry, well ok.. umh when i go to device manager, nothing has a yellow mark next to it. i see the following :

Audio Codecs
Legacy Audio Driver
legacy video capture device
media control devices
video codecs

Hwever, there is a yellow exclamtion point on
Other Devices...
Multimedia audio controller

As for the system Restore CD... i dont know which one it is cuz i have a bunch of CDs that came with my comp its a Dell Intel Pentium 4 w/ home edition XP 2.0Ghz (i baught it 4 years ago)

oh and if i try to reinstall or update "Multimedia Audio Controller" it says "the hardware was not installed because the wizard cannot find the necessary software"

Are you selecting the search for correct files using the internet option on there. If not make sure u are connected to the internet. otherwise it might be a good idea to call Dell customer support and see what they say about your sound drivers they might acctually have a website that you can download the audio controller from.

yea i did that... so i should call Dell? thers no other way?

Cant Call them because i dont have a "Express Service Code" or something

Check the sound device in device manager. Also run dxdiag and see if there are any problems. When ur computer is booting up check if the sound device is listed. Lastly uninstall and reinstall ur drivers. If this doesnt work check if the volume settings are correct.