Windows 95/98/ME Sound Troubleshooting
This document is intended to help you with problems that can occur with most of our products in Windows 95. Please also try any available troubleshooting tips for the specific product you are having trouble with.
I can hear sounds and music with other applications, but not in this game.
You probably just need to enable sound in the game or turn up the volume. Check your game's manual for instructions on how to control sounds and music in the game. If you have already done this and still cannot get sound, you may need to update your sound card drivers. For more information on this topic, see the section below entitled "How do I update my sound card drivers?" or check out our How to Update Your Drivers FAQ.
If your game uses DirectX, make sure that you have installed the version of DirectX that is supplied with the game, or the latest version available from Microsoft. For more information on DirectX and DirectX related problems please check out our DirectX FAQ.
If your game was written for the Dos or Windows 3.1 operating systems, you may have to give the game some information about your sound card before it will run in Windows 95/98/ME. Check the game's documentation for instructions on how to do this. To find out how to find your sound card's current settings, see the section below labeled "How can I find my current sound card settings?"
I cannot hear any sounds or music in any application at all.
First, check your computer speakers to make sure that they are turned on and that the volume control is turned up. Also check the volume setting in Windows 95/98/ME by clicking on the speaker icon on your taskbar.
If this doesn't help, you may have a problem with your sound card. To find out:
- Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel.
- Double click on the System icon
- Click on the Device Manager tab to see a list of hardware currently installed on your computer.
- Click on the plus sign next to Sound, Video, and Game controllers. You should see your sound card in the list that appears.
If there is an "!" next to your sound card, then you may have a hardware conflict.
If you don't see your sound card listed, then you will need to install your sound card.
If either of the above is true, you will need to contact your computer or sound card manufacturer for assistance.
If your sound card seems to be working properly, you may need to update the drivers for your card. See the section below on "How do I update my sound card drivers?" or check out our How to Update Your Drivers FAQ.
I can hear sounds or music, but not both.
If your game was written specifically for Windows 95/98/ME, you probably just need to adjust the volume for sound effects or music. Check your game's documentation for instructions on how to do this.
If the game has no option for sound or music volume, You can adjust these settings in the Windows 95/98/ME by double clicking on the speaker icon on your taskbar.
If your game was originally designed to run in Dos or Windows 3.1, you may need give the game some information about your sound card before it will work. Check your game's documentation for instructions on how to set up the game to work with your sound card. To find out how to find your sound card's current settings, see the section below labeled "How can I find my current sound card settings?"
Lastly, if your game uses CD-Audio, you will need to have your game CD in the drive in order to hear music.
The sound effects or music in the game are distorted.
First, make sure that you have no other applications running that may interfere with your sound card. Two or more programs that are trying to share a device in your system will usually cause problems.
If your game uses DirectX, make sure that you have installed the version of DirectX that is supplied with the game, or the latest version available from Microsoft. For more information on DirectX and DirectX related problems please check out our DirectX FAQ.
Next, check your sound card to see if there may me a device conflict within your system. To find out how, see the section above labeled "I cannot hear any sounds or music in any application at all".
If your sound card seems to be working properly, you may need to update the drivers for your card. See the section below on "How do I update my sound card drivers?" or check out our How to Update Your Drivers FAQ.
How Can I Find My Current Sound Card Settings?
- Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel.
- Double click on the System Icon.
- Click on the Device Manager tab to see a list of hardware currently installed on your computer.
- Click on the Plus sign next to "Sound, Video, and Game controllers". You should see your sound card in the list that appears.
- Click on your sound card (only once!)
- Click on the Properties tab.
- In the window that appears, click on the Resources tab. You should now see a listing of your sound card's settings.
- Write down the number in the first column of the first entry in the list. This is your sound card's port address.
- Scroll down and find the Interrupt request and Direct Memory Access. Write these settings down as well.
How do I enter my sound card's Settings into my DOS game?
Using the instructions provided with your game for sound setup, enter the values you wrote down and then try playing the game. In most games, the interrupt request is abbreviated as IRQ. Direct Memory Access is abbreviated DMA.
How do I update my sound card drivers?
Most computer and sound card companies keep the latest versions of their hardware drivers on their web sites for download. If you do not have internet access, you can usually request drivers by telephone, or check out our How to Update Your Drivers FAQ, which includes a list of major sound card manufacturers.
If your game uses DirectX, the DirectX installation process will try to determine what hardware is present in your machine, and install the necessary drivers for your hardware. If the DirectX installer comes across a device it does not recognize, it will recommend that you keep your existing driver installed. If you choose not to do this, a generic DirectX driver will be installed. Either way, the game may not function correctly.
If this is the case, contact your computer company or the manufacturer of the device in question for an updated driver that is compatible with the version of DirectX included with your game. For more information on DirectX, please see our DirectX FAQ.
The game's music skips a lot, or the sound overall is very choppy.
Check the system requirements for the game that you are playing. If your system does not meet the minimum requirements, it may not be able to play the game at normal speed, resulting in choppiness and skipping.
Next, inspect the underside of the game CD for scratches, smudges, etc. These may cause your CD-ROM drive to have trouble reading the CD. Then, check to see that your CD-ROM drive is optimized in the Windows 95 control panel.
Also, be sure to close down all other applications when running the game. Other applications may take away valuable system resources that the game needs to run smoothly. To be sure you have shut down ALL of your applications, follow these steps:
- Find your Windows 95/98/ME taskbar. This is the gray bar where your START button is located.
- For every button on the taskbar except for the start button, right-click once and then left-click on "Close".
- Do the same for each of the icons on the opposite side of the taskbar. If there is no option to Close or Exit the application, don't worry, we'll deal with that in a moment.
- Once you have closed down all of the applications that you can using this method, press <control> <alt> <delete> (only once!) to bring up the Windows 95/98/ME task manager. You will see a list of programs that are still running.
- The only 2 programs that need to be there are Explorer and Systray. For everything else, click once to highlight the program you wish to close, and then click on "End Task". The task manager will close too, so you will need to press <control> <alt> <delete> again if you need to terminate any other programs.
- Once you have closed down all of the applications on your system except Explorer and Systray, try running your game again.
How can I optimize my system for my CD-ROM drive?
Windows 95 needs to know certain information about the speed of your CD-ROM drive and the amount of memory you wish to devote to it for peak performance.
To adjust these settings:
- Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel.
- Double click on the System icon.
- Select the Performance tab, then click on the File system button, and finally select the CD-ROM tab.
The first setting you need to look at is "Supplemental cache size". If your computer has 8 megabytes of memory or less, this setting should be towards the left side of the slider bar. If your computer has 16 megabytes of memory or more, it should be all the way to the right.
Next, change the "Optimize Access Pattern" setting to match your CD-ROM drive. If you have a 4 speed CD-ROM or faster, use the "Quad Speed or higher" setting.
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