Member Avatar for Delisha

I have a very strange problem! I have an almost brand new Dell Computer running Windows XP. I have been using Windows Media Player quite happily to listen to my CDs. I copied a couple of DVDs yesterday and now, when I play a music CD, it shows as playing, but no sound comes through the speakers or headphones! There's no problem with these, as I can hear all other sounds. Is it a coincidence, or could it have something to do with the copying of the CDs. I'd be very grateful for any assistance. :rolleyes:

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Dani AI

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This thread already shows the two most common, quick fixes: a player-level mute/low slider and an output-device mismatch (good catches by , and ). For anyone arriving later with the same symptom—WMP says "playing" but no sound while other system sounds work—try the short, ordered checklist below to isolate and fix the issue.

Try this sequence:

  1. Narrow the scope: play an MP3/WAV from disk and also try a different player (VLC/Winamp). If only audio CDs are affected the cause may be CD-path related; if all files are silent the problem is system- or driver-related.
  2. Check player vs system mixers: confirm WMP’s internal volume and the Windows mixer sliders (Wave/CD Player/Master) are not muted or very low.
  3. Confirm WMP is using the actual hardware device, not a generic or virtual device; switch to the real soundcard and restart the player.
  4. Verify drivers and Windows services: open Device Manager to ensure the sound device is enabled and without errors, update or reinstall the OEM driver (Dell/Realtek, etc.), and make sure the Windows Audio service is running.
  5. Look for software side effects: recently installed burning, virtual-drive, or codec software (installed while copying DVDs) can add virtual audio devices or change defaults—temporarily disable/uninstall anything added recently.
  6. Hardware/legacy checks: on older machines a CD-ROM-to-soundcard analog cable might be loose; also confirm speaker jack and front-panel wiring.
  7. If nothing works: test with an alternate player, reset WMP settings or reinstall WMP, and consider restoring the system to a point before the change if the problem began after installing software.

These steps expand on the quick fixes already posted and cover the usual follow-ups that resolve stubborn cases.

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Member Avatar for zoned

Delisha,
I know it might sound daft but check the volume controls in Media Player. I have found that the wave volume can be low in the settings.
regards
Zoned

Member Avatar for Delisha

Ohmygawd ,,, what an idiot ,, the sound was muted!!!!

Thanks a mill

Regards

Delisha

Member Avatar for Paradoxicon

Ohmygawd ,,, what an idiot ,, the sound was muted!!!!

Thanks a mill

Regards

Delisha

I had this problem, but it was not the mute button. It ended up being that the Media Player has an output setting that had switched to "Default Direct Sound Device" On my system it should have been realtek
To find this it is located in:
tools : options : devices : speakers : properties
if you don't see the tools menu, then right click on the toolbar next to "Now Playing" and select "Show classic menus"

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