Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
1 Rookie
•
27 Posts
0
56080
February 23rd, 2012 17:00
Cannot access Dell/Realtek Sound Manager
I have an almost new Dell XPS-17 L702X laptop with Realtek Audio. I'm running Win 7 Ultimate SP1 x64 on it. If I choose to customize my taskbar and place the Realtek Icon on the taskbar it disappears after a few seconds. The only way to access it is to go to my C Drive, Program Files, Realtek and manually open it from there. The Realtech icon then appears on the taskbar; however, if you hover the cursor over the icon for one or two seconds it disappears. If I'm lucky enough to open the Sound Manager application before the icon disappears I must right click on it and select "Open". It cannot be opened by a left single click or double click. Once the Sound Manager window is open it displays nothing. The Sound Manager window can be closed only by using the Processes tab in Task Manager and shutting down the process itself. It cannot be shut down by clicking Realtek in the Task Manager Applications tab.
Dell has tried on three occasions to fix the problem, to no avail, by taking control of the laptop. Realtek Audio has been uninstalled from Programs and Features and then been reinstalled, and the drivers have been uninstalled and reinstalled from within Device Manager. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the OS on four occasions while attempting to fix the problem. I did two reinstalls using the recovery partition, one clean reinstall from the Dell provided OS installation DVD, which contains the OS only (no free third party applications that came with the laptop) and one reinstall from the Dell DataSafe Backup DVDs I made upon receipt of the laptop. A new sound card was installed at Dell's Texas repair facility just last week. The problem remains unsolved.
Thank you in advance for your time and any assistance provided.
psi4000
1 Rookie
•
27 Posts
0
February 23rd, 2012 17:00
Thanks Sqishy. I appreciate your assistance. The issue seems to be unsolvable, although I don't know why. I'm certain it's not a taskbar problem. I would ask Dell to provide me with a new C Drive with the OS and third party software already imaged on it but I don't think my problem has anything to do with the drive image because the problem remains even after reinstalling the OS using the installation DVD, which contains the OS only. As I stated before, Dell has always immediately or quickly taken care of issues with my other Dell computers. That's why I continue to buy Dell products. I've never had a computer with so many different problems in such a short time. It's been a real pain and has probably already cost Dell more in labor, service and hardware than it would cost to simply exchange it for a new one with the same configuration. If I continue to have hardware problems with it I'm going to ask for it to be replaced;however, I don't think Dell would agree to such a request.
I can live with the Sound Manager problem, although I'd like to be able to access it and use it. Dell has already replaced the sound card, which is functioning properly.
psi4000
1 Rookie
•
27 Posts
0
February 26th, 2012 18:00
Sorry about the last post. I assumed I would be able to upload a screenshot of the Sound Manager before it was posted but I was not given the opportunity.
psi4000
1 Rookie
•
27 Posts
0
February 26th, 2012 18:00
I was finally able to once again, after hourse of trying, to open the Sound Manager window. It shows a blank screen, giving me no access to my settings.
psi4000
1 Rookie
•
27 Posts
0
March 3rd, 2012 09:00
Well, a Dell technical support agent spent appx. ninety minutes yesterday trying to get my Dell/Realtek Audio Manager to display, to no avail. This was Dell's fourth attempt. Getting the Realtek HDA Audio Manager to install and work properly is no problem. The problem is that I have the Sound Blaster X-Fi MB HDA on my laptop and it is incorporated within the Audio Manager, probably due to customization by Dell. It is this Audio Manager that has never worked from the day I received the laptop from Dell. Again, drivers downloaded from Dell's and Realtek's websites do not solve the problem.
Any ideas, anyone?
neelpatel
1 Message
0
March 1st, 2015 02:00
I am having the same issue.
The dell audio I updated from the site had Maxxaudio in it. It worked perfectly for few days but then suddenly I cant open it even though if you reinstall.
In background it might be working , but the window where I can use equalizer and customize doesnt open.
psi4000
1 Rookie
•
27 Posts
0
March 1st, 2015 13:00
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the only way Dell was able to solve the problem was to send me a new OS hard drive.