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I bought a rebulit computer and it was running ME so I formatted and installed 98 SE but now the sound driver's won't work any ideas?

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Dani AI

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Good call by — locating the correct driver is usually the fix, and good to hear got it working. For anyone else who arrives here after swapping Windows ME for 98 SE, the typical root causes and a compact, practical checklist follow.

A few things to know: Windows 98 SE has far fewer built-in drivers than later releases, and many vendors stopped publishing 98/98SE drivers years ago. Onboard audio commonly uses either older AC97 codecs (Realtek, VIA, C-Media) or the later Intel High Definition Audio (Azalia). AC97 chips usually have 98SE drivers available; HD Audio often does not.

Practical checklist (work in this order):

  • Verify hardware: look at the motherboard/sound-card silkscreen or model sticker; if the system was prebuilt, note the OEM model.
  • Check BIOS: ensure onboard audio is enabled. (Enter BIOS at boot — common keys are Del/F2 — and look for Onboard Audio/AC97/HD Audio.)
  • Install motherboard chipset drivers first (Intel/VIA/SiS), then the audio driver. Chipset drivers often fix PCI/bus issues that block audio driver installation.
  • In Device Manager (Control Panel → System → Device Manager), remove any yellow-question “Multimedia audio controller” entries, reboot, then run the vendor-supplied installer for Windows 98/98SE. Do not install XP/ME-only drivers unless the vendor explicitly states 98 compatibility.
  • If no 98 driver exists (common for HD Audio), consider a legacy PCI sound card or a USB audio adapter with 98 drivers, or move to a newer OS that the hardware supports.

Cautions: always get drivers from the motherboard/system maker or the chipset vendor (Realtek, Creative, etc.) to avoid malware. If the machine originally shipped with ME, check the OEM support page for archived 98SE downloads; many vendors keep legacy drivers in their download archives.

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Member Avatar for Zachery

Did you trying googleing for your soundcards drviers?

Windows 98 had very limited driver support out of the box

Member Avatar for HBW

Thanks. That worked

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