Member Avatar for joeacton

Hi there, i hope someone can help me. I have recently reinstalled Windows XP onto my computer and it works fine apart from i have no sound. If i try to get into the Volume Control, i get a message saying: "There are no active mixer devices available. To install mixer devices, go to Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Add Hardware"

I have tried everything i can think of to get the sound to work, but nothing has worked. If i look at my device manager, there are 3 devices under "other" which have yellow question marks next to them:
-Multimedia Audio Controller
-Unknown Device
-Video Controller
I think it may be to do with these somehow.

All i can really tell you about my machine is that it is made by Packard Bell and the information on the back is as follows:
Model/Type: UTOW - C02
MS WHQL No: C5P 879094
S/N: 039245220171
PID: 0392452
Model: IMEDIA 1501
P/N: PB13108701

I have tried to download something from the Packard Bell website but it crashed my computer and i had to do system restore. If anyone can help me it would be much appreciated.

Joe

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Short summary tied to the thread: reported a fresh XP install with no audio and several devices showing as unknown in Device Manager. pointed to Packard Bell driver resources and suggested using the vendor recovery/driver tools and cleaning out existing drivers. Below is a focused, practical troubleshooting sequence and why each step matters.

First priority: chipset/southbridge drivers. On many OEM boards the OS will not fully enumerate onboard devices until the chipset drivers are installed, so install those before audio or video. If the Packard Bell installer crashes, avoid the full installer and install drivers manually by extracting the package and using Device Manager’s Update Driver -> Browse my computer to the extracted folder. Temporarily disable antivirus/firewall and unplug nonessential hardware while installing drivers.

If devices still appear as unknown, gather the device Hardware Id string from Device Manager (Properties -> Details -> Hardware Ids) and use that string to identify the exact audio codec (Realtek, Conexant, SigmaTel/IDT, etc.) and whether it is AC97 or High Definition Audio — the correct driver depends on that. Also check the BIOS to confirm onboard audio is enabled. Install drivers in this order: chipset, video, then audio; reboot between installs.

Other useful checks: confirm Windows Audio service is running; look in Event Viewer for driver-related errors; try Safe Mode to remove problematic drivers before reinstalling; and if uncertainty remains, boot a Linux live CD to verify the hardware itself is functional. If manufacturer recovery tools are missing or installers keep failing, obtain the chipset and audio drivers directly from the component vendor (not a generic driver pack) or from the OEM recovery media.

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Member Avatar for vicec64

Hi. Downloads for you model are here.


Member Avatar for joeacton

I downloaded that driver from the link you gave me, and it was the exact one i had tried previously. It did the same thing. Once installed everything took so long. I tried and press Volume control and it takes 5 minutes to open up and when it does, it's the same old message. Internet freezes and then crashed the computer and all i am able to do is system restore. Which i have now done again.

:(

Member Avatar for fren

Run the Smart Restore utility to remove and reinstall the video and sound drivers. (Start-Programs-Packard Bell Support-Smart Restore). If it doesn't help, reinstall winxp.

Be sure you close all running applications such as antivirus, firewall, etc before starting Smart Restore. Before doing the above process, remove all added devices from the preinstalled factory setup such as extra hard drives, extra cd/dvdroms, etc.

Member Avatar for joeacton

Unfortunately i don't have smart restore on my computer. If i reinstall windows i'm sure the same thing will happen. All i can think of doing is system restoring to ages ago before i installed XP, copying the drivers for the sound card and then reinstalling XP. But that may fail too.

Joe

Member Avatar for fren

Oh I see. So you were using a retail version of winxp in your computer. Am I right?

Do you use winxp cd with or without service pack slipstreamed?

Do you use onboard or pci or agp video card in your system?

Do you use onboard audio or pci sound card?

Meanwhile, remove or uninstall the video and audio drivers in Add/Remove.

Boot to safe mode then in Device Manager delete all items found under Display Adapter and Sound, video, and games controller. Restart and reinstall the video and sound drivers.

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