If anyone can offer advice or solutions, I'd greatly appreciate it. I have had my vprMatrix Computer for almost 7 years...it has been great--very few problems for the computer's age and the only hardware upgrade I have made is to add LG DVD Burner a couple of years ago. The system came with OEM Windows XP--I just updated all Windows updates and installed Service Pack 3.

The original OEM soundcard is still on board--it is a SoundBlaster Live 5.1 series card, model SB0100 and it's never given me a problem until now.

I actually took my system to BestBuy's Geek Squad and they couldn't even fix my problem. I even bought a new Dynex PCI sound card while I was there and allowed GeekSquad guy to install it in the same slot where the other card was...still got no sound.

Once GeekSquad and I had essentially given up on the visit (store closing), he decided he would reinstall the original SB Live 5.1 card into another PCI slot rather than placing it back in the original slot. We didn't try it in the store--but he wished me luck on boot-up at home stating that maybe it was a bad slot all along (the Dynex was also installed on the "original" slot which might have explained that it didn't work either).

Once I got home, the computer DID detect new hardware and began installing the sound card. I had to pull out my vprMatrix Drivers disc to find the emu10k1f.sys file that the computer could not locate, but then the installation continued. I rebooted. Still no sound. Hardware Profiles states Creative SB Live! card working properly. Speakers are fine...tested in another location.

Windows Media Player states: "Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device. There might not be a sound device installed on your computer, it might be in use by another program, or it might not be functioning properly."


Here is what BelArc summarized about my system:

Operating System Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3 (build 2600) vpr Matrix, Inc. Personal Computer 1.0
System Serial Number: 02252002
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
2.20 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
8 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache
Board: Intel Corporation D845BG AAA65251-403
Serial Number: IMBG21005111
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Intel Corp. PT84510A.86A.0012.P01.0111131009 11/13/2001
Drives Memory Modules c,d
120.00 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
22.79 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GSA-4166B [CD-ROM drive]
LITEON DVD-ROM LTD163 [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

Canon MP500 Storage USB Device [Hard drive] -- drive 1
WDC WD1200BB-00CAA1 [Hard drive] (120.03 GB) -- drive 0, s/n WD-WMA8C1768538, rev 17.07W17, SMART Status: Healthy
512 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'J5E3' has 256 MB
Slot 'J5E1' has 256 MB
Local Drive Volumes

c: (FAT32 on drive 0) 120.00 GB 22.79 GB free
Network Drives
None detected

DISABLED Marks a disabled account; LOCKED OUT Marks a locked account

Canon MP500 Series Printer on USB001
Microsoft Shared Fax Driver on SHRFAX:
PDF995 Printer Driver on PDF995PORT
Test Fax Driver on USB001
Controllers Display
Standard floppy disk controller
Intel(r) 82801BA Ultra ATA Controller
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller] NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 [Display adapter]
Samsung SyncMaster [Monitor] (19.1"vis, s/n HVEL703388, July 2006)
Bus Adapters Multimedia
Intel(r) 82801BA/BAM USB Universal Host Controller - 2442
Intel(r) 82801BA/BAM USB Universal Host Controller - 2444 Creative SB Live! series(WDM)
Creative SBLive! Gameport
Unimodem Half-Duplex Audio Device
Communications Other Devices
Communications cable between two computers [Modem]
GTW V.92 Voice Modem


1394 Net Adapter #2
Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection
primary Auto IP Address: 10.0.0.4 / 24
Gateway: 10.0.0.1
Dhcp Server: 10.0.0.1
Physical Address: 00:03:47:EA7:08

Networking Dns Server: 10.0.0.1
Texas Instruments OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
Canon MP500
Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Microsoft PS/2 Mouse
Generic USB Hub
USB Composite Device
USB Mass Storage Device
USB Printing Support
USB Root Hub (2x)
Virus Protection [Back to Top]
McAfee VirusScan Version 99.9.99 Realtime File Scanning On


I'm at a total loss for anything else. I have searched the Creative website and they offer very little support for this soundcard device--the Microsoft site wasn't much help either. The GeekSquad rep said his guess that it is a Windows problem or conflict. That poses a problem because my OEM computer did not come with a Windows XP disc...only Recovery Discs. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

have you tried to uninstall sp3? sounds like a driver issue with the new services pack. um and could you clarafy is your SB onboard or does it go in a pci port. you stated that it was on board then you said you replaced it with a different card in the same pci slot. also did you ever think of getting a new computer? 7 years is a long time to go with out a new computer or at lest upgrading. also have you tried googleing your issue. something like: no sound out of soundblaster 5.1.

The sound card problem was there prior to updating to SP3. I actually updated Windows with SP3 this morning and all of the symptoms that I had in my previous post were evident before the update. Are there known problems with SP3?

The SB Live 5.1 is PCI, however, there is a built-in sound card on the motherboard as well. This is the way that I purchased the computer...

And, yes, I know that 7 years is a long time to have a computer, but if there is nothing otherwise wrong with it, why spend the $$ -- besides, I happen to be in the process of getting a new unit, but I would like to give this older one to my 5 and 7 year old kids to play their educational games--but it is pretty much useless for that purpose without sound.

did you try and use your onboard sound? hey i gotta run ill check this thread in the morning.

Have you updated the 'Intel Chipset Device' software recently? If you haven't, that might be causing you some configuration problems.

http://majorgeeks.com/Intel_Chipse [...] d1667.html

Seriously -- I saw no specific reference to this in your original post, and you have an old Intel mobo....

have u tried a different pci slot?

Yes, he did do all of that...its in the OP's original post. The thing that I have not seen mentioned from the OP is what might have happened just prior to the sound failing. An update of some type? Since you are using an SB Live! in XP you could try using the venerable and popular KX Project drivers to see if that offers any relief. Some background: http://kxproject.lugosoft.com/index.php?skip=1 ...the drivers themselves: http://kxproject.lugosoft.com/down.php?language=en

Other than that it would seem that something has changed (or worse, failed) that caused your Windows installation to lose sound. ...and I'm going to infer that you don't really want to reinstall Windows XP to fix this.

i agree with halcyon.

Okay, I've download the latest Intel Chipset for the Pentium 4, but how LONG does this usually take to install??? It has been installing now for almost 24 hours...with no apparent end in sight.

To answer the other questions, I can't remember any specific update or installation prior to the loss of sound. Just one day, the sound was not there. Sorry that I can't be more specific.

I'm also trying the kx Project. Thanks, halcyon.
And I think I'll keep my toes if you don't mind...

Each time I've done an update, installation's taken about 3 seconds. And I've done updates on a regular basis. If your update hasn't finished installing by now, my guess is that it isn't going to finish and you've got another problem.

try going into your volume control settings, then go to properties, and then in the drop box choose your sound card. It probably is defaulted to the onboard audio. Yeah that's what happened to me one time. Good luck!

I have no volume control. When I try to play a song in Media Player, it says Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device. There might not be a sound device installed on your computer, it might be in use by another program, or it might not be functioning properly.

I have since removed the Creative Sound Card to see if I can get my onboard sound to work, but so far I haven't had any luck with that either. The GeekSquad guy seemed to think they maybe the computer mfr. couldn't get the onboard sound to work either and that's why they installed the SB Live! 5.1...? I didn't think that sounded right, but I'm not the expert.

The thing that puzzles me is that we installed a new sound card at BestBuy and it wouldn't work either. It seems like I have a Windows problem..?

Try this

Open control panel > sound and audio device > click on audio tab > under default tab in the drop box click on your sound card (make sure your sound card is already installed prior to this) > then click on OK and see how that works.

BTW, I'm assuming you did try the card in different PCI slots right?

I think that is a good assumption. I like Halcyon's suggestion about using the kX drivers. I use them on 2 different computers but I am not a gamer and you won't have EAX. Also I assume that you will have trouble installing kX if your computer is messing up installing basic drivers for your SBLive.

You could check to make sure that your SBLive does not have a hardware problem by creating a Linux Live CD installation.

Burn a Linux CD on your windows computer.

1.) Disable your onboard sound in BIOS.

2.) Download Puppy Linux 4 (Dingo)
http://www.puppylinux.org/downloads/official-releases

3.) How to burn a Live CD
http://www.puppylinux.org/wiki/how [...] urnpuppycd

4.) In BIOS, make sure your computer is set to boot from a CD.

5.) Boot up to the Puppy Linux CD and see if sound is working.


If you find that you have sound in Linux, then you know that your assumption about a messed up Windows installation is correct, and you can start looking for that, plus you have a new Operating system to mess around with that you can start up by just sticking a CD in your computer.

First, before moving forward, pull the SB Live and put in another computer with XP and see if it works. In other words, make sure the card works. Nothing will help if the card is fried.

If you know the card is good, then proceed. I know I get a problem like this occasionally. Does the card show up in the Windows Device Manager without any warnings but when you go to the Windows Audio Control panel, it does not list the card as a sound device?

This has happened on two different computers I've owned in the past. One had a SB Live Value and the other a SB Audigy2ZS. I figured out its a problem with Windows and Creative's driver packages.

Try this:
Remove he SB Live. Make sure onboard sound is disabled in the BIOS.
Boot into Windows.
Remove all Creative Labs software via the Control Panel (Add / Remove Software) Make sure to do it through the XP Control Panel.
Reboot without the card again.
Google for Driver Cleaner Pro or Driver Sweeper and use that to make sure all Creative and other soundcard drivers are gone.
If the system if finally clean, shut down and put the SB Live into the original PCI slot that it worked in before.
Reboot and see if Windows can auto detect it. If not, shut down and try the other slot.

If Windows detects it. Just cancel the install and install a from Creative CD or download a driver package and use that install. Things should work.

If none of these work. I would say reinstall XP, but you have an OEM version, which you can't reinstall without new a license/COA key from MS. OEM versions are install only once. Sometimes you can call MS and they will given a new COA key for the OEM versions. You can buy the media for $10 to install, but the COA needs to be good. OEM versions can be a pain.

If none of this works, the hardware is likely bad. Don't invest more money and buy a newer one.