How to resolve No sound in Windows

Step 1: Check hardware

Many sound problems are caused by hardware that isn't set up properly. This step covers checking your sound card, plugging cables into the correct locations, making sure the hardware has power, and checking the volume.

1. Check your sound card

Check to make sure your computer has a sound card, or sound processor, and it's working properly.

1. ‌Open Device Manager by clicking Start, pointing to Control Panel, clicking System, clicking the Hardware tab, and then, clicking Device Manager.
2. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers to expand that category. If a sound card is listed, you have one installed. If no sound card is listed, check the information that came with your computer to see if there's supposed to be a sound card installed. If there should be a sound card installed, you'll need to install one according to the manufacturer's instructions.
   Notes

   • If you think you have a sound card installed but you don't see it under the Sound, video and game controllers category, expand the Other devices category and check the devices listed there.
   • Laptops don't usually have sound cards. Instead, they have integrated sound processors, which appear in the same category in Device Manager.

If there's a yellow question mark next to the name of the sound card in Device Manager, there might be a problem.

1. Right-click the name of the sound card, and then click Properties.
2. Click the General tab, and then look in the Device status box to identify problems with the sound card.
   If there's a problem, you might need a new driver for your sound card. For more information, see Step 3: Update drivers.

2. Check if the cables are connected properly

Speakers and headphones

If you're using external speakers, make sure that they are correctly connected to the computer.

Many computers have three or more jacks that connect to a sound card or sound processor, including a microphone jack, line-in jack, and line-out jack. Your speakers should be plugged in to the line-out jack. If you're not sure which jack this is, try plugging your speakers in to each of the jacks to see if any of them produce sound.

Microphone, line-in, and line-out jacks on a typical computer

If you're using headphones, make sure they aren't plugged into the line out (headphone) jack of your sound card or computer (unless you want to be listening with headphones rather than speakers). When you plug in headphones, most computers automatically cut the sound to the speakers.

USB audio devices

If you’re using a USB audio device and also have an internal audio device installed, try these basic troubleshooting steps:

• Unplug the USB audio device and restart your audio program. Test for sound using the internal audio device. If you hear sound, there might be problems with the USB audio driver or with Windows not using the USB audio device as the default audio device.
• Close all audio programs, unplug the USB audio device, wait for the USB driver to be uninstalled (this should happen fairly quickly), plug the USB audio device back in to the USB port, wait for the driver to load, and then start the audio program and check for sound.
• Check that you have the correct audio device set as the default in Windows and in the program.
• Check the audio device manufacturer’s website for updated drivers.

3. Check power and volume

If you have speakers, make sure they're plugged into a working power source and turned on.

Make sure that your speaker volume or headphone volume isn't muted or turned down too low. This is particularly important for laptops, which often have small speakers that can be hard to hear.

1. Click Start, point to Control panel, and then click Sounds and Audio Devices.
2. Under Device volume, move the slider to the right to increase the volume.
   Make sure the Mute check box isn't selected.
3. Click Speaker Volume, and make sure the sliders aren't set to Low.

Note

• Some laptops have an external volume control on the outside of the case. If you're using a laptop, check the external volume control to make sure it's not turned all the way down.

In some cases you might have several volume controls to check. For example, if you're using Windows Media Player it has its own volume control, Windows has a volume control, and your external speakers have their own volume control. If any of these volume controls are set to their lowest setting, you won't hear any sound.

Step 2: Use a troubleshooter

A troubleshooter is an automated tool that can find and automatically fix some problems with your PC. The audio troubleshooter can diagnose and fix common sound playback and hardware problems.

Step 3: Update drivers

For Windows to recognize your sound card or sound processor, you need a compatible driver. Most sound cards and sound processors require driver software to work properly. Outdated, incompatible, or damaged sound card drivers can disrupt communication between the computer and the sound card.

If you recently upgraded from one version of Windows to another, it's possible that the current sound card driver was designed for the previous version of Windows. If you've had recent power outages, viruses, or other computer problems, it's possible that the drivers have become damaged. Downloading and installing the latest sound card driver for your sound card can help resolve these types of problems.

Here are three ways to find and install a driver:

• Use Windows Update. You might need to set Windows Update to automatically download and install recommended updates. Installing any important, recommended, and optional updates can update system features and other software that might help fix your sound problems.
• Install software from the device manufacturer. If your device came with a disc, that disc might contain software that installs a driver for the device.
• Download and install the driver yourself. You can search for a driver on the manufacturer's website. Try this if Windows Update can't find a driver for your device and the device didn't come with software that installs a driver.

Follow the steps below to update drivers.

To automatically update drivers using Windows Update

1. ‌Open Automatic Updates by clicking Start, pointing to Control Panel, and clicking Automatic Updates.
2. Click Automatic, and then select the day and time to download updates.
3. Click Apply.

Notes

• Windows will automatically download available updates and drivers on the next day and time you selected. Check to see if your sound problems are resolved after that first update takes place.
• You might need to update Windows XP to the most current version available before you can use Windows Update. For more information about updating Windows and resolving problems with Windows Update, see Windows Update.

To download and install a driver yourself

If Windows can't find a driver for your sound card or sound processor, and the device didn't come with driver software, you can look for a driver on the manufacturer's website. Driver updates are often available in the support section of such websites.

To locate the driver, find the manufacturer and model name or number of your sound card, and then visit the Hardware and software vendor contact information website. Once you find your manufacturer, go to its website and locate and download the latest driver for your sound card.

If you can't find the manufacturer and model name or number of your sound card, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type dxdiag, and then click OK.
3. Click the Sound tab.
4. In the Device section, next to Name, copy or write down the name of the device. In the Drivers section, next to Provider, copy or write down the manufacturer of the device.
5. Click Exit.
   Once you know the name and manufacturer of your sound card, you can look for a driver on the device manufacturer's website. Driver updates are often available in the support section of such websites.
   If you find an updated driver, follow the installation instructions on the website. Most drivers are self-installing—after you download them, you usually double-click the file to begin the installation, and then the driver installs itself on your computer.

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Missing Driver Detector/identifier for your Pc

Unknown Device Identifier enables you to identify the yellow question mark labeled Unknown Devices in Device Manager. And reports you a detailed summary for the manufacturer name, OEM name, device type, device model and even the exact name of the unknown devices. With the collected information, you might contact your hardware manufacturer for support or search the Internet for the corresponding driver with a simple click. With this utility, you might immediately convert your unidentified unknown devices into identified known devices and find proper driver on the Internet and contact the hardware device manufacturer or vendor. Known devices recognized by Microsoft Windows will also be analyzed independent of the operating system.

Features

- Identify USB 1.1/2.0/3.0 Device
- Identify IEEE 1394 Device
- Identify ISA Plug&Play Device
- Identify AGP Bus Device
- Identify PCI, PCI-E, eSATA Device
- Multilingual interface: English, French
- Find Drivers for Hardware Devices
- Contact Hardware vendor directly
- Save or Print Hardware information

Download  Size: 1061KB (1,087,058 bytes)

Download Size: 1061KB (1,087,058 bytes)

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Graphics Card Problem Solving

When you have problems with your video display, it can be something as simple as having the brightness turned down to a bad controller on the motherboard. If you have not done,first learn to identify the components of the video display system.
When you look inside any open computer,see if you can locate the Video Card. Is your video card mounted in an adapter slot or is it integrated onto the motherboard. If the card is motherboard integrated, locate the jumpers that will allow the card to be disabled should you need to install another card.
The Monitor is the second component in the video display and it must be compatible with your video card. Be sure the maximum resolution of your video card and monitor are the same. Its even better to your a higher resolution display on your monitor.

Nothing on the Monitor
As we first mentioned, check the brightness and contrast buttons on the monitor to be sure they are not turned down. Yeah,we know. This sounds a little silly to think this could be overlooked,but believe me, it really does.
And while we're talking about simple checks,be sure the monitor is receiving power. If the power indicator light is out, remove the power cable and look for any bent or broken pins or connectors.
Try to reboot the computer one or two times to be sure the system did not just lock up. If nothing happens, replace the cable with a known good cable to prove that the wall outlet or surge protector has power.

If the monitor has power but nothing is on the screen, check the data cable going into the rear of the computer. Be sure the cable is secure. If it is,Turn the power off to the system unit, remove the cable and look for broken, loose, or bent pins.
Finally, if you're blessed enough to have two computers, exchange the monitor with a good
monitor to see if it works. Replace the old monitor if the new monitor works. If the new monitor fail as well, remove the system cover to inspect the Video Card.

Monitor Works But No Display
When the Monitor is known to be good but its screen is still blank, the Video Card is the most likely culprit. First inspect the card to be sure it is fully seated in its slot if it is adapter slot mounted.
Check the jumpers of any motherboard mounted card to be sure a jumper has not been lost
or loose. If you have been inside your system,its always a possibility to have moved the
card.
Monitor Works But Poor Display
If your monitor works but the images appear fuzzy, or flickering often, and the text are hard to read, it may be time to adjust the video card's resolution and the refresh rate.
Right click the desktop, select properties and open the display properties dialog box. Choose the tab for settings and adjust the slider to change your display resolution. Most 17-inch monitors will have a resolution of 800 x 600 but choose the best resolution for your eyes.
After adjusting the resolution, check the display to see if all flickering and other problems have vanished.

If not, optimize the refresh rate. The refresh rate is the rate in which the video card redraws the screen. Lower refresh rates sometimes cause flickering.
To adjust this rate, open the display properties dialog box in the desktop, and choose the settings tab once again. Click the advanced button and choose the adapter tab if you still have Windows 98.
If you have Windows XP, choose the Monitor tab. And from there you can set the refresh rate to about 70Hz or 70 Hertz. Check your monitor's manual or web site to see the maximum refresh rate for your monitor.
To effectively maintain your video display,visit the supporting web sites for updated software patches and device drivers. Watch for new control software for your card that will greatly boost its performance.
Take the time to clean the system unit case which will allow air to flow freely. This in turn
will help keep the video components cool which will allow the card the perform smoothly.

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Defragment Your Hard Drive Regularly

Vista now includes an automatic defragment system that is enabled by default. With XP or Vista (if you want to set it off outside the schedule) defragment your hard drive by choosing  

Start → Programs → Accessories → System Tools → Disk Defragmenter.
This should be done every week if possible and can take several hour, so again do it at night or while you are at work. There are some free disk defragmenter scheduler solutions, so you can "set it and forget it." They are startdefrag, autodefrag and Lexun Freeware Drivecare. There is also a Microsoft article that tells you how to use Scheduler to schedule defragmentation.

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Installing A Sound Card The Easy Way

Sound Card installation is indeed simple and rather straight forward, that is,when you know how to do it. Opening the system unit can be a scary task for some of us, especially if we have not performed this task before.

The key is to be calm,take your time,and make it fun. Look forward to looking inside the computer and see just how many components you can readily identify. Remember to touch a doorknob or any grounded metal object to remove static electricity from your body. To install your new sound card,let's perform the following.

Open The System Unit:
Remove the system unit cover and locate an empty expansion bay. Note that the rear cover
of the slot may have to be removed on most computers. Before touching anything, ground yourself to remove any buildup of electrical static charge from yourself. Touching the computer case or a doorknob will do the job.
With the cover removed from the system unit,lay the computer on its side. You may have to remove other connections or devices to have clear access to the empty card bay. Take notes of any devices or connections that you make so that you can refer to them during installation of the new card.
New sound cards must be installed in the PCI slot. After removing the small rear cover, remove the new card from its protective wrap. This wrap is intended to keep the card away from electrical static charge. 

Installing The Sound Card:
Grasp the card and align it with the PCI slot. Slowly but firmly press the new car completely in the PCI slot. Check to be sure no part of the yellow contacts can be see when the card is pushed in.
Secure the sound card to the system unit by using the screw that you removed when removing the rear cover. Use this screw to secure the card to the case.
If you have on sound installed on the motherboard and you want to install another card, most systems will disable the motherboard integrated sound. If not, consult your computer manual to find the correct jumpers to disable the motherboard sound.

Now the cdrom audio cable must be connected. Insert one end of the audio cable for the CDROM or DVD drive into the CD-IN socket of the sound card. The other end is inserted into
the audio-out socket of the CDROM or DVD drive.
Check and double check all connections before you replace the system unit cover. If all connections are good, replace the cover and reboot the system after all peripherals are reconnected.

Replace The System Unit Cover:
The computer should automatically detect the new card and attempt to install the device drivers needed to communicate with the card. Windows should prompt you to install the software needed to allow the card to communicate to the computer.

The new card should have come with a cdrom with device drivers and other software for the card. Simply inserted the cdrom in the cdrom drive and select the cdrom installation when prompted.
Test the new sound card by re-booting the computer. You should hear the Windows startup sound if the card is operational. In some cases,the new card will be operational without rebooting your computer.
Installing or upgrading your sound card is that easy. You will need a quality speaker system to take full advantage of your new sound card. Get a speaker system with a super woofer for maximum sound quality.
Those new games and your new music CDROMs will be much more exciting with that new sound bursting from the new sound card.
If you're blessed enough to have two computers,install the card in the other system, at your convenience. This will give you the added training of installing computer components.

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How To Add Random Access Memory To Speed Up Your Desktop Computer

When you purchase a computer, it will come with an adequate amount of RAM or Random Access Memory to run the operating system and all software that is installed.

However,as you install more software, your PC will begin to slowdown. The amount of RAM you need depends on your operating system on all applications you may be running on your computer at any one time.

Installing memory is one of the easiest tasks. Take the time to first be sure you have the right RAM for your computer. If you're in doubt take it back to the place of purchase and be sure you have the right RAM.

After being certain you have the right RAM, you're ready to open the system unit and begin. But first, you need to remove static electricity. Watch this short video about installing RAM Memory on the motherboard.
Remove static electricity before you remove the new memory from its protective wrap. Its best to purchase a Wrist Strap if you plan on working in your PC often. But if not, you can simply touch a door knob or your computer's metal case to remove the static electricity. To install your new Ram, perform the following.
Check to see if you have ample light. You may want to have a container to place small screws in. The system unit cover may have small screws and you don't want to lose them.
After you have plenty of work space and ample lighting, prepare your mind as well. Make this and every other adventure of working on your computer educational and fun.
Take the time to study the actual components inside your computer. You'll be glad you did should something go wrong. Follow these steps to install your drive.
First: Turn off your computer and unplug all peripherals. Take notice of how you unplug or disconnect any devices. Locate the RAM on the motherboard.
Second: Remove the side panel of the tower system or the cover if you have a desktop. Place the panel in a safe place well out of the way.
Third: Before touching anything inside the system unit, remove electrical static charge from your body by touching a door knob or any unpainted metal surface.
Fourth: Remove the new memory from its protective wrapping and locate the sockets or memory banks to install the new memory chips.
Fifth: Notice the type of retaining clips that hold the chips in place. Remove any old chips you intend to move.

Now to be sure you won't damage the chips, ground yourself again to remove any remaining static electricity.
Sixth: Pull the retaining clip open and carefully slide the RAM Chips in their memory banks. Push the clips back over the new memory chips.
Seventh: Check and double check the firmness of the chips by gently trying to move the from side to side. Take a good long look at the chips for anything that looks unusual.
Eighth: Replace the system unit cover and reconnect all peripherals. Reboot the computer and the operating system should recognize your new or added memory without any problem.
Its that easy when it comes to installing new or more memory. Read your computer's manual first to find out what type of ram memory you have and what is needed for upgrades.
Take time to Visit the Kingston Memory site above and use their memory configurator to find out the memory you need to upgrade your computer.
And go ahead and enjoy the faster speed you should experience once your new memory is installed. Don't forget to run scan disk, defragment,and disk cleanup to clean your hard drive of extra space. 

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How to view or show Tamil fonts on your mobile browser WebPages?

Mobile phones uses are mostly useful to worldwide. Mostly they have using mobile browsing. Many mobiles are not supported Tamil language. But sometimes we are going some Tamil websites. This time your mobiles don’t show Tamil fonts its only show boxes this time you feel. But you don’t feel. I give some ideas you can do this successfully.

Steps

• First you have get internet connections for your service provider. Otherwise if you have already GPRS connection is well.         

• Now you go to Applications and check Opera mini browser. If you don’t have go to http://www.operamini.com/mobile/     and download your mobile.

• Then you go to Opera mini browser and type the text for the address bar Opera: config type without ‘www’ and go.

• Now you see the following line ‘use the bitmap fonts for complex scripts’ select the drop down button select ‘yes’ and save after close tab.(if you have any 'No' option to change all select 'Yes' is better).

• Now you go to any Tamil Website (e.g. www.computerbus.blogspot.com).

• You have successfully done!

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Short cut Keys for computer without mouse

• Window key opens start menu.

• Arrow keys to select start menu icon.

• Alt+F4 Exits the program.

• Shift and Space to 'select' and 'enter.'

• Alt key or Windows key + Tab switches between programs.

• Windows key + D switches between the desktop and a window.

• Control+Alt+Delete Runs Task Manager.

• Control+Z Undo the last action.

• Control+X Cuts.

• Control+C Copies.

• Control+V Paste.

• Control+S Saves current document.

• Control+W Closes open tab/window.

• Control+P Prints current frame.

Utilize these browser shortcuts.

Control+I opens Favorites.

o Control+H opens History

o Control+N opens another of the same webpage.

o Control+O opens another document or webpage.

o Press Alt and letter underlined on desired menu to open menu i.e. Alt+E opens Edit, Alt+H opens Help.

o Control+E Go to search box.

o Alt+Tab opens search query in new tab.

o Control plus - or + zooms in or out.

o Control+Number switches to specific tab on Internet explorer.

o Control+Alt+F4 closes all other tabs.

o Alt+D selects the text in the address bars.

o Control+Enter adds www. and .com to the text in the address bar.

o F4 opens list of websites you've typed.

o Tab moves forward through items on a webpage.

o Shift+Tab moves backward through items on a webpage.

o Alt+Home goes to your homepage on Internet Explorer.

o Shift+F10 opens a shortcut menu for an Internet link.

o F6 or Control+Tab moves forward between frames.

o Control+Shift+Tab moves backward between frames.

Utilize these navigational shortcuts

o _ and _ keys scroll.

o Page Up scrolls up in larger increments.

o Page Down scrolls down in larger increments.

o Control+F Find something on the page.

o Enter activates selected link.

o Tab switches between active and passive panel.

o Control+\ goes to your root/home directory.

o Control+U swaps active and passive panel.

o Control+PgUp goes to the parent directory.

o Control+PgDn goes to the child directory.

Utilize these functional shortcuts

o F1 Opens help for many programs.

o F5 refreshes webpage.

o F11 toggles full screen and regular views on Internet Explorer.

Windows logo with short cut

• Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)

• Windows Logo + BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)

• Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)

• Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)

• Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)

• Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)

• Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)

• CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)

• Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)

• Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)

• Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)

• Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

• Start.

• Control Panel.

• Ease of Access.

• Ease of Access Center.

• Under "Explore all settings", select "Make the mouse easier to use".

• Under "Control the mouse with the keyboard", select "Turn on Mouse Keys".

• Under "Keyboard shortcut", turn on Mouse Keys with ALT + SHIFT + NUMLOCK.

Shortcut Keys Description

Alt + F File menu options in current program.

Alt + E Edit options in current program

F1 Universal Help in almost every Windows program.

Ctrl + A Select all text.

Ctrl + X Cut selected item.

Shift + Del Cut selected item.

Ctrl + C Copy selected item.

Ctrl + Ins Copy selected item

Ctrl + V Paste

Shift + Ins Paste

Home Goes to beginning of current line.

Ctrl + Home Goes to beginning of document.

End Goes to end of current line.

Ctrl + End Goes to end of document.

Shift + Home Highlights from current position to beginning of line.

Shift + End Highlights from current position to end of line.

Ctrl + Left arrow Moves one word to the left at a time.

Ctrl + Right arrow Moves one word to the right at a time.

Computer short cut keys

F1

would open the Microsoft Windows help and support center.

F2

Ctrl + F2 displays the print preview window in Microsoft Word.

F3

Shift + F3 will change the text in Microsoft Word from upper to lower case or a

capital letter at the beginning of every word.

F4

Alt + F4 will close the program currently active in Microsoft Windows.

F5

In all modern Internet browsers pressing F5 will refresh or reload the page or

document window.

F6

Ctrl + Shift + F6 opens to another open Microsoft Word document.

F7

Shift + F7 runs a Thesaurus check on the word highlighted.

F8

Function key used to enter the Windows startup menu, commonly use to get into

Windows Safe Mode.

F9

Opens the Measurements toolbar in Quark 5.0.

F10

Shift + F10 is the same as right-clicking on a highlighted icon, file, or Internet

link.

F11

Full-screen mode in all modern Internet browsers.

F12

>Shift + F12 save the Microsoft Word document.

>Ctrl + Shift + F12 prints a document in Microsoft Word.

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