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Conflict with Soundmax integrated audio and Vista
I have a Dimension 4600 purchased in 2003 with Soundmax integrated audio. I upgraded the OS from XP to Vista and now most of the features of the Soundmax are gone. The only sliders on the mixer panel are Speakers and Windows Sounds. I have sound from only the left channel. Any stereo signal input to the card records only the left channel. Installing the driver upgrades results in no sound at all. I have right clicked on the volume icon and activated the individual items by selecting and clicking Set Default (the only option available) but nothing changes. Is this an incompatibility between the Soundmax and Vista or is there a way to get it working again? I could install an audio card but would rather get the original working.
Bill
fireberd
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June 23rd, 2010 07:00
Dell does not support Vista on this model and the Dell XP drivers are not compatible with Vista.
Go to the Control Panel/Hardware and Sound and finally the Sound Panel. That is where you can set recording device and playback and set speakers. However, in Vista what you see is standard for most sound systems, even those that have Vista drivers.
The Mic input is mono (single channel) so if you are trying to input a stereo signal to the Mic input you will only get one channel. You have to use the "Line In" to get two channels (stereo).
In most cases only the Dell SoundMax driver will work or work correctly. However do a google search for "soundmax vista driver" and there are several options. You can try one of the listed drivers and see if it helps. If that doesn't fix your problems a Vista compatible sound card is the next step, however ANY PCI sound card you install will not interface with the Dell front panel headphone and mic jacks - you will be limited to the rear panel connections on the sound card only.