Hatrack River Forum: Who wants to fix Hobbes's sound?

This is topic Who wants to fix Hobbes's sound? in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

Anyone, Anyone? Bueller? [Smile]

I'm getting really crummy sound, lots of static, doesn't like anything that's not in a very moderate pitch range. First I thought it was my speakers, but I've tried with headphones and straight from the computer speakers as well and it's still there. I've used different programs and windows itself (the event noises) and the sound still comes through really poorly. Any ideas? Do I have to re-install the sound driver? Am I just permanently screwed? [Confused]

Hobbes

Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :

Add-on sound card, or on-board?

FG

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

No, it came with the computer. Sorry should've given you more specs. To be honest, sound cards are the area I know the least since I never have to program for them. I have a Dell Latitude D600 (1.6GHz Pentium M, 1GB RAM). It's working perfectly except for this. I'll try and find the actualy sound card for you (I know the video card very well, does that count? [Wink]

)

Hobbes

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

code:

Name	SigmaTel C-Major Audio
Manufacturer	SigmaTel
Status	OK
PNP Device ID	PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_24C5&SUBSYS_011D1028&REV_01\3&61AAA01&0&FD
I/O Port	0x0000B800-0x0000B8FF
I/O Port	0x0000BC40-0x0000BC7F
Memory Address	0xF4FFF800-0xF4FFF9FF
Memory Address	0xF4FFF400-0xF4FFF4FF
IRQ Channel	IRQ 5
Driver	c:\windows\system32\drivers\stac97.sys (5.10.3722, 189.30 KB (193,840 bytes), 1/1/1980 00:00)

Hobbes

Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :

Turn off all electrical appliances and lights near your computer. See if that helps. If it does, just use process of elimination to find the source of the distortion.

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

Not really getting anything here Bob. It seems to me that that wouldn't be it anyways, not if all three things were off in exactly the same way, but either way, turning stuff out ain't cuttin' it. I can't live without constant music/voice in the background! [Angst]

Hobbes

Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :

ask your roomate if he's spilled a drink there recently? or, urm, gotten other fluids on your keyboard...

Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :

I see Bob's thinking here though -- and since your PC is a laptop...

Are you using it in the same place you always do? Does the static sound quit if you move the laptop to say, the next room?

FG

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

[Angst]

He's out of the room now so I've hijacked his computer and am playing songs using his speakers (I really can't stand not having something in the background). And Celia, I lock my computer (via Windows) whenever I go out, which makes it far more likely that those other fluids are by his computer ... not that I want to think about it. [No No]

Hobbes

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

Yep, same place as always. Give me a few minutes (I cable lock my computer in my room) and I'll move it some where else and try it. [Smile]

Hobbes

Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :

My roommate's cell phone makes his speakers hiss if he sets it too near to them. Maybe that?

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

Wandered around with my laptop and it doesn't work everywhere. [Smile]

Frisco, niether I nor my roomate owns a cell phone (or anything similar).

Hobbes [Smile]

Posted by luthe (Member # 1601) on :

Do you have a microphone or anything connected to the line in? If so try muting them.

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

No microphone.

Hobbes [Smile]

Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :

You most likely need a new sound card, then, and are screwed. I think most laptops have them built onto the motherboard and are not easily swapped out/ added. But, what do I know? Not everything [Smile]

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

Ohh joy. [Angst]

Maybe I'll try reinstalling the sound card before I scrap this computer though...

Hobbes [Smile]

Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :

*laugh* I'll check Dell support, or would suggest that you do as well.

You'd really scrap your computer because the sound card doesn't work? I always keep my sound muted. *laugh* Perhaps I should buy it from you for cheap [Smile]

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

[Razz]

No I wouldn't scrap it, but I am pretty dependent on it for constant music.

Hobbes [Smile]

Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :

If your onboard audio is shot, you can add a new sound card for about $15. Of course, I don't know if that would conflict with the onboard audio at all. *shrug*

Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :

Dell Latitude Audio FAQs

You can get the latest driver here, although I didn't really see any helpful solutions so far.

Edit: Try checking mute under cd player in audio controls? Some people have had success with this. (they are playing audio cd's though) You could also try muting your microphone or other options to see if maybe one of these is causing interference.

Edit2: Sadly, all the other fixes I can find involve replacing the system board. Sorry! Hope this isn't the case.

[ December 12, 2003, 03:47 PM: Message edited by: Christy ]

Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :

You aren't near a physics lab or giant power plant are you?

Maybe you're being bombarded by secret Soviet-era electromagnetic radiation.

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

Well, they don't seem to have a driver for my sound card. Or I'm just stupid, or both.

I tried the mute thing and it didn't work. [Frown]

Bob, actually under the Purdue Campus there's a very small nuclear power plant. Some how I doubt that's the problem though seeing as how it's worked for a full semester.

Hobbes [Smile]

Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :

What's your operating system? I find one for XP and 2000. You're running 98 or ME? You can try to reinstall it from the Dell cd.

Sorry Hobbes! [Frown]

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

XP.

Hobbes [Smile]

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

I'll look for those CDs, I'm pretty sure I brought them all with me. And don't be sorry, thanks for all your help! [Big Grin]

Hobbes

Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :

driver
I think this should be your driver.

Posted by Jutsa Notha Name (Member # 4485) on :

See, if it was an apple, you could just throw it away and buy a new one.

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

I'm trying to download but one page seems to not want to open... sigh... well I'm still waiting, let's just hope.

Hobbes [Smile]

Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :

Yeah, Dell's site is a pain. I had to switch to IE because it doesn't work with mozilla firebird. Grrr!

I tried to order a computer off their site on a mac from work and it wouldn't show me any prices. The customer service couldn't figure it out when I called. I think its too complex for their own good.

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

I downloaded, installed and restarted, still there. It does seem like it's the sound card (I don't understand how this happened overnight with basically no movement or use of the computer in between [Confused]

). Should I just start looking at new audio cards now?

Hobbes [Smile]

Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :

You'll need someone more technical to answer that question. I'm not sure its possible to put a sound card on a laptop. [Frown]

I'll point Tom towards this thread. He might have more ideas.

Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :

Christy grabbed me as soon as I got in the door and asked what I thought. [Smile]

It doesn't seem to me like it's a driver issue, since you ARE hearing sound (and since installing the driver didn't fix your problem.) It's also not just a speaker problem, since your headphones also hiss -- and it's not likely to be electrical interference, since it occurs in a variety of locations.

This leaves two possible problems, as I see it, and only one of them is likely. The likely one is that the audio-out jack itself -- the thing into which you plug your headphones and/or speakers -- is going bad. Unfortunately, because you've got a laptop, this means you'll have to send the thing in for service.

I don't see any way around it. [Frown]

Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :

You need a $20,000 line conditioner.

That nuclear reactor had a slight hiccup last night and now you can't have children. Well, you COULD have children, but I wouldn't if I were you.

Sorry.

Should've gone to IUPUI

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

[Razz]

at Bob, don't tell Annie that! [Angst]

Here's what just happened:

Me: Service? Fi on service! It looks like there's a screw there I can take off and screw around with.

*Goes to get multi-purpose bike tool with screw-driver*
*Takes off screw and pulls out card aboce headphone jac*

Me: Hmm, it looks sufficently complicated

*Bumps card and jack around, blows into them in proper techincal fashion and re-inserts card making sure it's fully in*

Me: Let's start the computer back up!

*Starts the computer back up*

Computer: What the heck, I'll work now, but only because his girlfriend is dead sexy.

Me: Sweet Mother of Pearl!

[Cool]

Thanks everyone for your help. [Smile]

Hobbes

Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :

If you're having hardware issues and feel that you can handle any service yourself, Dell will send you a replacement part overnight. However, if you're talking about replacing a female mini stereo output on a modern laptop, you'd better know your soldering stuff, my friend. That ain't coming out easy nor is it going in easy. I'd recommend having the tech who comes to look at it do that kind of work.

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

No, it's fixed. I'm just that good. [Cool]

Thanks though, I'll keep that in mind. [Smile]

Hobbes

Posted by human_2.0 (Member # 6006) on :

quote:
See, if it was an apple, you could just throw it away and buy a new one.

Apples are just as upgradeable as PC's (and in fact use alot of the same sound/video/etc cards as PC's). Rumor mill is that G5 processor upgrade cards are coming out for MDD G4's, but that the changes are so huge that the 3rd party upgrade vendor has to actually replace the Apple motherboard because the motherboard would be the bottleneck.

And I have taken apart many Apple laptops replacing stuff. I only broke one and had to buy a replacement cover off of ebay for $40. Not bad for a major screw up job too (I didn't use instructions, just started unscrewing everything...).

Posted by Jeffrey Getzin (Member # 1972) on :

Are you running any high intensity programs on your computer? Have you defragmented your hard drive recently?

You may be encountering a phenomenon called underflow. Imagine if you worked on an assembly line and someone who works upstream from you is really slow: if his output to you is slow, your production is affected as well. In this case, if for some reason, your computer isn't providing the sound data to your sound card fast enough, the result will probably be drop outs or maybe "static".

Try doing a thorough defrag. Make sure all background programs and threads are gone, and then try again.

Jeff

Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :

Jeff, I think he'd notice that. If his file structure were so fragmented as to affect data throughput to his soundcard, he'd barely be able to open a program- let alone post here to complain about it. He has a fairly new laptop, I'm betting it's got lots of RAM and a shiny new hard drive with pretty good seek time.

Posted by Jeffrey Getzin (Member # 1972) on :

PC,

Possibly, but it can't hurt to ask, right? [Smile]

If nothing else, his answering of the question will help narrow down what the problem is not.

There are other reasons that underflows might occur. For instance, if another device, such as a network card, is generating lots of interrupts, the sound card might be starved for CPU time.

Also, if his sound card is an 8-bit card, say, and he recently reconfigured it as, say, 16-bit audio, he'd be losing the high-order byte.

Jeff

Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :

8-bit? I didn't know he bought his laptop in 1994. [Razz]

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

Ohh I know about underflow, I've done a few sound programs (thought they were all really, really basic). I defragment my computer at least twice a week. It was the hardware, I'm sure, since after basically jiggling it around and putting it back in the sound worked.

Hobbes [Smile]