Dell Latitude E6400 Audio Issue - Windows XP

Question

I am trying to get a Dell Latitude E6400 laptop running again under Windows XP SP3 Professional.

Yes, the E6400 had Windows XP available as a downgrade option and Dell has Windows XP Drivers on the support page.

It has the more common 1280x800 screen. It is setup with 1TB SSD, 8GB RAM, docking station, and a DVDRW drive. I have ordered a 3.0GHz T9900 CPU as it have a slower 2.4 GHz CPU in it now.

I can NOT do a clean install of Windows XP. There is an installed app I purchased back around 2012 that the vendor no longer will authenticate on-line and will not do it manually. Their solution is for me to buy a new copy that I do not need or want. The installed copy is running fine. I have backed up the image using Macrim Reflex. Once I have all the drivers sorted out I will install Linux Mint 22.2 and let it dual boot the WinXP partition. All internet access will be done using Linux Mint and there will be a shared NTFS data partition between the systems.

Please, no "do not use WinXP, it's not safe" ect. replies. I have 30 years+ in technology and retired as a CIO. I understand the risks. Linux Mint will do the heavy lifting.

There are three entries in Device manager showing a missing driver:

The IDs are:

1. HD Audio device (Intel):

HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_76B2&SUBSYS_10280233&REV_1003

2. Unknown device (Smart Card/Fingerprint Reader):

USB\Vid_0a5c&Pid_5800&Rev_0101&MI_01

3. COM1:

*PNP0501

The COM1 port is part of the docking station.

I did a Windows XP Repair Install (not the Recovery Console) with the E6400 in the docking station so I do not understand why the PLug & PLay Com1 port was not found and activated. It found a number of other missing drivers but I am left with these three. BTW I used a genuine Dell XP re-install CD not a generic ISO one.

The Smart Card /Fingerprint Vault device puzzles me as well. It does not have the fingerprint option and I had used an external USB Smart Card Reader with it in 2011 & 2012 when I was still the the military. Since I will not be using these devices I really don't need to get the entry resolved. I did try driver R257269 but it did not work as it is for a keyboard that has a build in Smart Card reader.

This brings us to the major issue and that is with sound. There is none. Nada. I have spent the last week trying to get the sound resolved with no luck. I have hunted all over the net without any luck. Intel has removed all their XP, 7, and 8.1 Windows files from their site.

The driver from the Dell site is IDT_92HDXXX-HD-AUDIO_A03_R297613.exe (R297613 for short). First you can not unpack it under Windows XP - I had to use a Win10 machine to extract the drivers and put them on a thumb drive. Secondly, I was not sure where to put the files as some of the error messages indicate that pathing might be an issue. Here's what I am getting:

I also tried some Intel drivers that are supposed to work but they don't:

It would have been helpful if the error messages had included what hardware was FOUND. I could not find a copy of the Intel DSA that would run under Windows XP. Does anyone know if they made such a utility?

As a test, I put in a hard drive that has Windows 7 64bit on it and I got loud beautiful music out of it so I know the sound system works. Just not with XP.

At this point I need help in what my next steps should be. I am thinking I should put a spare drive in it and do a clean install of WinXP to see if it loads the sound drivers. Any other ideas?

Thanks!

Aoresteen · Accepted Answer

Well, what a long strange trip it was been!!! I have had a couple of long nights and I have finally solved the audio issue.

I verified that I had the Windows sytem HD driver installed:

So the issue was with Dell's driver.

1. None of the Windows XP audio files listed for the Latitude E6400 will work on my E6400. Period.

2. The CORRECT Windows XP Audio file for MY E6400 is found listed for the Latitude E6410. It is R273994.exe.

3. The audio hardware listed in my E6400 BIOS is IDT 92HD71.

Searching for IDT 92HD71, I stumbled across this Dell community posting from May of 2012:

https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/locked-topics-laptops-general/latitude-e6400-driver-refusal-to-install/647f22bff4ccf8a8de695acd

There must have been a change in manufacturing the E6400 motherboard at some point as my E6400 motherboard has the IDT 92HD71 chip that the E6410 does. That is why I kept getting the error message that the driver would not work on my hardware.

I never knew how sweet the Window's startup sound was until I finally heard my E6400 chime!!!

Thanks again for your help!

anne_droid · Answer

Hi

Well I always like to list all the Licence details using Belarc Advisor.

AND a good internet search offers this................

For a Latitude E6400 on XP with no sound, the fix is almost always driver‑related plus one or two XP‑era quirks on this platform. The steps below are the usual working recipe.

1. Check what XP currently sees

Open Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers and System devices. If you only see generic audio codecs and no IDT/Sigmatel device, the proper driver is missing.
In Control Panel → Sounds and Audio Devices, check the Volume tab. If it says “No Audio Device”, XP has no working driver bound to the audio hardware.

2. Install the correct XP drivers (order matters)

On the E‑series Latitudes, XP audio usually will not install or work correctly unless the chipset and UAA bus driver are in place first.

Install the Intel chipset driver for the E6400 (XP version) and reboot.
Install the Microsoft UAA Bus Driver for High Definition Audio (KB888111) if it is not already present. Some Dell XP driver packs include this; otherwise install the hotfix, then reboot.
Install the IDT/Sigmatel HD Audio driver for Latitude E6400 specifically for Windows XP (from Dell support; labelled IDT 92HDxxx HD Audio, XP).
Reboot again, then verify that an IDT High Definition Audio CODEC entry exists under Sound, video and game controllers and that you can select a default playback device in Sounds and Audio Devices.

3. BIOS and hardware checks

Enter BIOS (F2 at boot) and confirm Audio is Enabled; if it was disabled, re‑enable, save, and boot back into XP.
If you only have sound on headphones or only on internal speakers, reseat the audio jack by plugging/unplugging a few times; if still no joy, completely reinstall the IDT driver as above.

4. XP mixer and service checks

In Sounds and Audio Devices → Volume → Advanced, ensure Wave, SW Synth, and Master Volume are not muted and are turned up.
In Services.msc, make sure the Windows Audio service is set to Automatic and is Started; restart it if needed.

5. Extra E6400‑specific quirks (if audio is distorted or intermittent)

These do not usually cause total silence, but are worth noting for later:

Updating the Intel Matrix / Rapid Storage (SATA) driver or switching SATA mode (IRRT ↔ AHCI/ATA) has resolved crackling/latency issues for many E6400 users on XP/Vista.
Disabling eSATA in BIOS has also helped with odd audio glitches on some E6400/E6500 systems.

Aoresteen · Answer

anne_droid,

Thank you so much for your very detailed reply!

1. I will double check but I am certain that I applied the Intel chipset update. I normally due the chipset update as the first patch that I do.

2. I last used Belarc Advisor 13 or so years ago. I found a copy of Belarc Advisor version 9 that I *think* will run on XP. Current version 13.1 doesn't list XP as a supported system.

3. I did do a complete fresh install of WinXP SP3 on a test hard drive. It came up with 7 missing drivers including the sound drivers.

4. I will re-install the SSD and work down you list. I *think* I found the MS KB888111 hotfix here:

https://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/fix-for-no-hd-audio-in-windows-xp-sp3/#rating

Once I try the hotfix I will report back.

5. I printed of your list and will work through it step by step.

Thanks again!

anne_droid · Answer

Prego.

Latitude