If the audio driver you tried to install is the Sigmatel R171789 then try this first. Open Device Manager and find the PCI Device entry with a ? next to it. Go to the properties and choose to update the driver. Choose to manually find the driver but do not allow Windows to look for it. Browse to c:\dell\drivers\R171789\WDM, then reboot the laptop.

If that does not work then do this:

1. Open Windows Explorer and go to c:\dell\drivers\R171789 and delete the R171789 folder.
2. Go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888111 and get the UAA hotfix. Install it and restart the computer. The hotfix is a patch that helps SP2 deal with HD audio. The patch was incorporated into SP3.
3. Install in this order:

a. Dell Notebook System Software. Download, install and restart.

b. Intel Mobile Chipset software. Download, install and restart.

c. Start installing the Sigmatel audio driver R171789

4. After it finishes extracting the files and begins to install, cancel the installation.
5. Open Device Manager and expand System devices near the bottom. Find the 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.
Browse to c:\dell\drivers\R171789\WDM then reboot the laptop.

Also note
There is some Creative Labs Audigy software available on the M1730 M1710 drivers & downloads page. Never attempt to install it before the Sigmatel audio driver is installed and working properly. An attempt to install the Creative Labs software before the audio driver can cause Windows Audio Service to permanently shut down. 

After attempting both forms of the process, there is no R171789 driver folder name. Only NN9X1, R114079, R116101, R120775, R122161 and R127097.

R122161 is a Sigmatel driver. It is older than the R171789. You can use the older one, it will work okay.

Hardawre update wizard fails to complete update. Error Message.

The hardware was not installed because the wizard cannot find the necessary software.

Hi. I could use a little more detail to follow what is happening there. You mean you deleted the Sigmatel folder named R122161, installed the UAA hotfix, restarted, installed the Notebook system Software and the Intel Chipset software with starts in between, downloaded (or used the Utilities cd to obtain) the R122161 and unzipped it into the default location of c:\dell\drivers\R122161, cancelled the installation, then "updated" the device in Device Manager by pointing the updater to the folder c:\dell\drivers\R122161\WDM, and it said it could not find the software?

If that is not what you did then try doing it. If you have already done all that and have the UAA hotfix installed then try the following.

Boot the laptop into Safe Mode. While in Safe Mode go to the drivers folder, c:\dell\drivers\ , and expand all subfolders completely. Delete all folders (the entire folders) that have a subfolder named WDM. Those are all the audio driver folders that you have unzipped to the dell/drivers folder. There might only be one, the R122161 folder but look for others. Then reboot the laptop into Safe Mode again and try again to install either the R122161 or R171789. Just try letting the installer do it -- don't use the "update" method. Then reboot into normal mode.

[The main difference between the drivers is that R171789 has stereo mix and R122161 does not. Also R171789 is supposed to have improvements in the installer but I don't know what was improved upon. Both drivers have been widely used and there aren't any serious flaws known about either one.]

I deleted the Sigmatel folder named R122161, installed the UAA hotfix, restarted, installed the Notebook system Software and the Intel Chipset software with starts in between, downloaded the R122161 and unzipped it into the default location of c:\dell\drivers\R122161, cancelled the installation, then "updated" the device in Device Manager by pointing the updater to the folder c:\dell\drivers\R122161\WDM, and it said it could not find the software.

I then

Boot the laptop into Safe Mode. While in Safe Mode go to the drivers folder, c:\dell\drivers\ , and expand all subfolders completely. Delete all folders (the entire folders) that have a subfolder named WDM. Then reboot the laptop into Safe Mode again and try again to install either the R122161 or R171789. Just try letting the installer do it -- don't use the "update" method. The installer again said that it could not find the necessary software.

I then

Tried the process again with the installation CD

Same problem.

Sorry that none of my suggestions are working. You did not try to install any Creative Labs Audigy software at any point while the Sigmatel driver was uninstalled, did you? A failed attempt at installing that software -- and it will always fail if the Sigmatel is missing -- will sometimes mess up Windows audio functioning entirely.

I'll try to think of something else tomorrow.

Jim

Which Sigmatel version(s) did you find there?

Both, the 17 one was there under an N9C.... folder. The R1221 one was there as well.

Jim

Which driver did you try to install?

I went through the process of deleting everything then installing the r1221. When I came back to normal mode it tried to complete the installation but said I did not have the correct driver. I then repeated the whole process with the R1717 file and the same thing. When I came back to normal mode it tried to complete the installation but said that it could not.

Does it matter if I am running SP3? As I am, sorry, checked and I was wrong.

Yep XPS M1710

Windows audio status "started"

'Plug and Play Software Device Enumerator' is present and shows no error.

It doesn't matter about SP3, but SP3 already has the UAA patch incorporated.

I'm getting stumped. I have never seen this "can't find the necessary software" wording before. It is not unusual to get an  "incorrect driver" if the Notebook System Software & Intel Mobile Chipset are not installed, because those are how the operating system is able to identify which hardware is on the motherboard, but you have installed those.

You have an XPS M1710, right?

Did you attempt to install this Creative Labs Audigy driver at any point while the Sigmatel driver was uninstalled?

Check the Windows Audio Service and if it is not running try to start it. 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.

Also check that 'Plug and Play Software Device Enumerator' is not missing. It should be listed alphabetically in the Device Manager under System Devices.

17 one was there under an N9C

Dell drives me nuts sometimes. After years of naming the folder R171789 it has now changed it.

Also, in control panel, when I click on Sigmatel Audio it says "the driver is inaccessible"

That is another error message that is unfamiliar to me after years of doing this. Wonder if there could be a virus causing this behavior in Windows. Why were you uninstalling things when this problem happened -- were you having other issues?

Yeah, I was having issues with windows media player. It had started to not associate the correct extensions to itself and was having audio issues.

Couple other things to try.  I found in my notes where someone long ago wrote that In the 122161 folder, the HDAQFE  sub-folder, click or double click the setup.exe file. That worked for him. The R171789 setup.exe file is not in the HDAQFE subfolder, but in the parent folder.

Another file that I have seen mentioned a few times as being helpful is the suhlp.exe file. I don't know what it does but think that the letters stand for setup help. It is in the WDM subfolder.

In the BIOS, if there is a setting for modem make sure it is on.