I'm having a problem with certain sounds on my system. I have sounds for video games, windows media player files (mpgs and whatnot), but I don't have system sounds anymore, no sounds for AIM, and a lot of videos I view on sites like google, youtube, collegehumor, and other sites, have no sound at all. Seems I only have sound when it plays in media player now. As for the system sounds, I can't even preview the sounds on my system, the little preview tab is gray. I've checked all my system settings, volume settings, and even reinstalled and updated my soundblaster live. Nothing has helped. I'm wondering if it isn't a codec problem, but I'm not sure how you check for that. I've done all the Direct X diagnostics, and they all checked out. And if so, what codec controls system sounds and the other sounds that I've mentioned? I'm really at a loss now. And it's sad not to hear an IM or hear a funny movie clip a friend sends me. So anyone know what I can try? Thanks, oh, and I'm sorry, I'm a new user here, I thought this was the best choice to display this. If not, sorry in advance.
It does sound like a codec issue. In fact, I've experienced similar issues when one custom video application conflicted with another. It not only screwed up my audio but my video capabilities as well. Ultimately, just to get things back to the way they were, I was forced to do a 're-build' of my OS, which fortunately WinXP Pro offers. If you have WinXP Pro and can't solve it any other way, then at least you have that method (I had to search Google to figure out how to implement it). Aside from that, you might want to search for codec tutorials and see what you can come up with. Godd luck!