Inspiron 2200 No Sound

Diagnosing audio problems is mainly a process of elimination. The problems fall into one of two categories: hardware failure or software issues. (Software issues cause the majority of problems, but to help eliminate the possibility of a hardware problem use Dell Diagnostics as explained below under "Hardware Failure".)

[I compiled this checklist primarily for Dell laptops using Windows XP, Intel processors and Sigmatel audio chips. Dell computers use other Windows like Vista, other makes of audio chips, and a cpu made by AMD. Not all of the checklist will apply to all possible combinations of OS, cpu, and audio chip.]

Software Issues

There are 3 categories of issues: involving the audio driver, Windows, or an incorrect configuration setting.

1. Audio Driver. This is the main cause of problems. It might be not installed, incompletely installed, or corrupted. There is no way to tell if the driver is corrupted except by uninstalling and reinstalling it and then trying to use your audio again. Go to Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager. Find the audio driver under Sound Controllers, right click on the driver, and then click Uninstall. Shut down the computer then restart. Windows should automatically detect your device and display a wizard that helps you reinstall the drivers for it.

Or you can download a new audio driver from your downloads page under 'Audio Drivers'. Your audio driver will be named either Sigmatel, ESS Maestro or Crystal. Don't download anything called 'Creative' or 'Audigy' at this time.

Link to downloads pages


2. Windows. Here are a few things to look for in Windows.

>> Sometimes a problem will occur in the Windows Registry for various reasons. To correct this try System Restore. Go to Start/Help & Support/System Restore and tick 'Restore my computer to an earlier time'. Try to get the Registry back to a time before the problem first occurred.

>> Another thing to try is to check the audio Service. Go to Services (Start/Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services) and check that Windows Audio is enabled, set to automatic, and running. Audio won't work without this Service.

>> If you get a message like "no audio device detected" or "driver is enabled but has not been started", go into the Device Manager (Start/Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Computer Management/System Tools/Device Manager/System Devices) and check that 'Plug and Play Software Device Enumerator' is installed and running. It will be listed alphabetically if there. If not there then you need to reinstall it.

>> As a last resort you might need to re-install your Windows operating system. The newer Dell's have an easy way to do this with a utility called PC Restore that will return your computer to it's original software configuration as when it was shipped to you. To use this, you restart and press Ctrl + F11 during the restart process and it should take you to the PC Restore menu. Then just restore your computer to the factory settings. Test your audio first thing after you restore your computer.

If you perform an Operating System reinstallation in the conventional way - from an installation disk - right after the OS installation you should install Dell Notebook System Software (find it under System & Configuration Utilities), next and most importantly Intel Mobile Chipset (find under Chipset), then the video, Sigmatel audio, and other drivers in that order. (Not all Dell laptops use the Intel Mobile chipset, but if yours does then the audio driver won't install unless the chipset driver has been installed first.) All of these are on the downloads page for your computer model and operating system:

Link to downloads pages

Tip from rpilT2005: If still having problems installing the driver, check in the Device Manager for a "PCI Device" with a yellow question mark next to it, under the "System Devices" grouping. Hit 'update driver' on that one, and it should find a driver.


3. Configuration Settings. Open Audio Properties (right click on the volume icon on the taskbar and click 'Adjust Audio Properties', or go through the Control Panel/Sounds & Audio Devices). Select the Audio tab. Click on 'Volume' under 'Sound Playback'. Make sure volumes are turned up and the mute boxes are not checked.

In addition, each audio application or player you use will have its own settings. Check the volume control on each app and any other settings they might have.



Hardware Failure

1. Motherboard. To check for defective hardware on the motherboard, run Dell Diagnostics audio test. If the test fails then there is a hardware problem that would need to be fixed by Dell. Usually the fix is to replace the motherboard.

To run Diagnostics restart the computer and as soon as it starts to boot up hold down f12. Select 'Diagnostic' from the boot menu. It will run some tests for a couple of minutes before the Diagnostic comes up. When it does select 'custom', then the audio test. This will test your audio system independently of Windows and drivers. Alternate between using headphones and listening to speakers in case only one is working.

[If you have ever reformatted your hard drive then the Diagnostics partition might have been wiped off. If the Diagnostics option isn't shown in the boot menu (f12), run it from the Drivers and Utilities (Resource) CD if you have one. If you don't, you can download the Diagnostic from your downloads page under 'Diagnostic Utilities'.]

Link to downloads pages

The Diagnostic will play some audio and ask you whether you heard it. If you answer 'no' then the test generates an error code that means you indicated you did not hear the sounds it played. It can't pinpoint the exact component that has gone bad but that doesn't matter because the 'repair' is to replace the motherboard with a new one (if you are still under warranty), so all possible defective parts are replaced. If you are no longer under warranty, the best workaround in this situation is to get an external soundcard.

2. Modem. In some models the modem can have an undetectable problem that prevents the audio from working properly. AussieChris, a regular on the Audio board and a technician, first told me about this. Symptoms include inability to get the audio driver to install, getting an error message saying no audio hardware present, and audio properties settings being grayed out. To test this you have to physically remove the modem, not just uninstall the driver. With the modem removed, try again to install the audio driver. If the audio works after removing the modem then you might need to replace it.

3. Headphone Jack. A bad headphone jack can cause problems not only in the headphones or external speakers, but also in the built-in speakers because the audio signal passes through the jack before it gets to the speakers. Unfortunately, the jack is integrated onto the motherboard and is not a replaceable part. The one exception is the Inspiron 9100. Its jack is part of another part, the F2 fan assembly, item # M1306. It costs $14.95 and you have to contact Dell to get it. It won't work in any Inspiron but the 9100.

If you have a bad jack and are no longer under warranty, sometimes you or a technician can get it to work by tinkering with it. If no luck then the only solution could be an external soundcard.

4. Palm rest connection. There is another cause for the speakers not to work: the palm rest connection can come loose. AussieChris has identified this as occurring mainly in the Inspiron 8000, 8100 and 8200, as well as the Latitude and Precision versions. In his words:

"In these models, the connection to the palm-rest often would come loose, or come off. The palm-rest has the speakers, (the headphone socket still works) the touchpad, (the touchstick may not work with out it) and the NVram battery. You can have all go wrong, or if just loose only 1 thing may happen. The connection is beside the KBD connection, 4 screws to take the KBD out. It doesn’t have to be unplugged. It often will happen after replacing the HDD, most likely caused by the thump being placed upside down." You can find instructions for removing the keyboard and accessing the connection in the Service Manual for your model.

5. Broken Speaker Wires. There is a problem with the speaker wires breaking in the Inspiron 700m. Often you can hear some audio through the speakers when the screen is partially closed. For more information post a message on the Portable Audio forum.

6. Wireless Network Card. In the Inspiron E1505/6400 and perhaps some other models, the wireless constantly searches for a connection causing skipping during audio playback. When a connection is made then the searching stops and so does the audio glitching. The solution is to disable the wireless network card. Fn + F2 will disable WLAN.

Jim

"We know it is an inescapable attribute of systems of great complexity that things are likely to go wrong." -- Fred Saberhagen

Rollie,

That's interesting about the IRQ, but how about this reason for failure by the the Troubleshooting Wizard:

"A problem with the signal lines can cause the audio to fail. To remove the modem to eliminate that as a possible cause, perform the following steps:

1. Remove the modem cover from the bottom of the system.
2. Disconnect the speaker leads.
3. Remove the retaining screw.
4. Remove the modem from the system and test the audio."


"A problem with the signal lines ..." ???

We know that the modem can prevent the audio driver from installing, but I wonder why. Neither IRQ nor signal lines suggest any explanation to me for that symptom.

Jim