Inspiron E1505 Audio

If you reply please mention the operating system (XP, Vista, etc.). Here are some things to check.

> System Restore
First try using System Restore to get the Registry back to a time before the problem first occurred. In XP, go to

Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore
and tick 'Restore my computer to an earlier time'. 

In Vista, type 'restore' into the Start menu search box, and System Restore will appear in the start menu.

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> Audio Driver
Often this is the cause of problems. It might be not installed, incompletely installed, or corrupted. Often there is no way to tell if the driver is defective except by uninstalling and reinstalling it and then trying to use your audio again. You said you tried to download to no avail. What exactly happened? The driver would not download or it did download but would not install? If the latter were there any error messages?

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Sometimes your symptoms are the result of a Microsoft "update" and often it can be fixed by doing this if you have XP:

1. Open Windows Explorer and go to c:\Dell\drivers\R171789 and delete the R171789 folder. That is the current version of your Sigmatel audio driver.
2. Go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888111 and get the UAA driver. Install it and restart the computer.
3. Download R171789 again or re-use the previous download if you still have it..
4. After it finishes extracting the files and begins to install, cancel.
5. Open Device Manager and expand System devices near the bottom. If you see a PCI Device entry with a ? next to it. Go to the properties and choose to update the driver. Choose to manually find the driver and don't let windows look for it  on the net or automatically. Browse to c:\Dell\drivers\R171789\WDM

With any luck it should detect some new hardware and one of them should be the Sigmatel.

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If the hardware is damaged you could have those symptoms. Try running the audio tests in Dell Diagnostics. These interactive audio tests are designed to narrow down the problem to either the software or hardware. The tests are independent of Windows and drivers, meaning it doesn't matter if those are working correctly or not. To run Dell Diagnostics

1. Restart the computer and tap the f12 key as soon as it starts to boot up .
2. Select 'Diagnostic' from the boot menu. The computer will run its pre-boot assessment tests (PSA) before Dell Diagnostics starts. During the PSA you will hear some tones through the system speaker but this does not adequately test the audio hardware. Dell Diagnostics plays an instrumental piece of music complete with drums, so if you only hear some tones then you have only run the PSA.
3. Dell Diagnostics should open after the PSA tests, or you should see an option to open it. If you have ever reformatted your entire hard drive then Dell Diagnostics will no longer be there as an option. In that case run it from the Drivers and Utilities (Resource) CD if you have one.
4. Select 'Custom', then the audio tests. (At this point - after you have opened Dell Diagnostic custom - if you can't find the option to select the audio tests that is a symptom of a failed audio chip.)
5. The tests will run. Alternate between using headphones and listening to speakers in case only one signal path is working.
The tests will play some audio and ask you whether you heard it.
6. If you don't hear the music during the test it definitely means there is a hardware failure somewhere in the system. In this case Dell will repair the computer if it is still under warranty.
7.If you do hear the audio during the test but not when you boot back into Windows, that almost always means the hardware is okay but there is a problem with the audio driver or with Windows.
8. Error codes: If you answer 'no' to any question that the test asks you, the test generates an error code that can tell a Dell technician that you answered 'no' to that question. The test does not know the exact component that has gone bad. Before answering 'no' to a question, make note of the circumstances at that point so you will know in general what the error code means.

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If the audio test passes but you get error messages when you attempt to re-install the audio driver, there are a few things to check:


> Audio Service
Go to Start/Run and type "services.msc" then hit the 'Enter' key (or click 'ok'). The Services window will appear. Scroll down until you find "Windows Audio" towards the bottom of the list. Check that it is enabled, set to automatic, and running. If it isn't, double click on it and change the Startup type to Automatic, then click Start, Apply, and OK.


> Software Device Enumerator
 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.


> 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.