I know there have to be some original 8600 guys here who had this problem before and got it solved. Are you guys still having the problem and if not what solved it?
Is the sound card the same as in the 8500s?
My sys info list the following:
Name SigmaTel C-Major Audio
Manufacturer SigmaTel
Status OK
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_24C5&SUBSYS_016A1028&REV_01\3&61AAA01&0&FD
I/O Port 0x0000B800-0x0000B8FF
I/O Port 0x0000BC40-0x0000BC7F
Memory Address 0xF4FFF800-0xF4FFF9FF
Memory Address 0xF4FFF400-0xF4FFF4FF
IRQ Channel IRQ 5
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\stac97.sys (5.10.3943, 257.43 KB (263,608 bytes), 11/15/2004 9:51 AM)
Thanks for taking the time to read these threads and reply. Actually I guess my choice in words was bad. It is more of a hissing noise I guess and I am sure it is like many were experiencing. I tried the new dell drivers first and had the problem. I notice there is a chipset driver to install that is sigmatel and then a sound driver to install as well. I have tried many things since then and installing the realtek doesn't seem to work this time at all. Last time I did this a year ago it lowered the hissing enough that I could tolerate it put now it never goes away even when doing an uninstall of the previous sound drivers and/or chipset (tried both ways). I also tried installing things in different order. Then I also tried the built in AC97 driver and right when it is about to complete it does a memory dump and reboots. I tried this after everything was uninstalled. I don't know that the drivers every truly get deleted from the machine and I am not sure what it does with the registry so I am farily sure that since I have tried so many thing that it is totally hosed. Is there any way to clean all the drivers for sound off the HD and the registry and start from scratch?
You know it never used to be this intolerable for me before but listening to a $5000 klipsch reference system at home for the last year coupled with a new auto equalizing denon 3805 receiver I think has made my ears notice things that never were there before. In some ways I guess ignorance is bliss...
I read the posts you linked to and they seemed to be about hissing, maybe different from the buzzing you're getting?
My understanding is that the hissing comes mostly from the the mic and the phone outputs. Since the Sigmatel control panel gives no way to mute these devices folks try other drivers in order to get more control options. The popular drivers are the Realtec (which I haven't tried) and the Intel AC97 Controller. This last one is already in our computers and it's an easy one to install and uninstall.
Another option is to enable more controls on the SigmaTel by changing some values in the registry. For example you can add a mic volume control and mute box to the panel.
The idea is to mute the mic and any other noise producing devices after you get the controls to do so. Some people say that just using the the AC97 controller lowers the hiss level. I can't personally verify this because my tinnitus is so bad I can't hear the hiss clearly enough. I can only tell that muting the mic makes a dramatic difference.
Bu t like I said all of this applies to hissing. Buzzing seems like a different sort of beast. By the way I have an 1100 not 8600 so of course my experience is somewhat different. For example I don't have the built in mic which can pick up various noises, etc.
I'm going to guess your experiencing the same problem I had when I got my Inspiron 8600 back in August. I was just about to return it when I found this thread:
and in particular telephasic's registry fix involving the "EmulateAllMasters" key. His instructions are toward the bottom of the first page; try them out, reboot, and see if that fixes your problem.
Are you sure the problem is from the sound card or speakers? I guess you have same my problem when I get my new 8600, like many of DELL laptops owners too!. Fortunately I found a suggestion by an end-user that solved the problem. The solution that involves disabling window's power management for USB devices plus more descriptions can be found at:
dan_s_johnson
64 Posts
0
November 15th, 2004 21:00
Manufacturer SigmaTel
Status OK
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_24C5&SUBSYS_016A1028&REV_01\3&61AAA01&0&FD
I/O Port 0x0000B800-0x0000B8FF
I/O Port 0x0000BC40-0x0000BC7F
Memory Address 0xF4FFF800-0xF4FFF9FF
Memory Address 0xF4FFF400-0xF4FFF4FF
IRQ Channel IRQ 5
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\stac97.sys (5.10.3943, 257.43 KB (263,608 bytes), 11/15/2004 9:51 AM)
dan_s_johnson
64 Posts
0
November 17th, 2004 14:00
Is this the same card used in the 8500s that had all the audio problems?
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!
dan_s_johnson
64 Posts
0
November 18th, 2004 17:00
dan_s_johnson
64 Posts
0
November 19th, 2004 13:00
Jim Coates
4 Operator
•
13.6K Posts
0
November 19th, 2004 13:00
I read the posts you linked to and they seemed to be about hissing, maybe different from the buzzing you're getting?
My understanding is that the hissing comes mostly from the the mic and the phone outputs. Since the Sigmatel control panel gives no way to mute these devices folks try other drivers in order to get more control options. The popular drivers are the Realtec (which I haven't tried) and the Intel AC97 Controller. This last one is already in our computers and it's an easy one to install and uninstall.
Another option is to enable more controls on the SigmaTel by changing some values in the registry. For example you can add a mic volume control and mute box to the panel.
The idea is to mute the mic and any other noise producing devices after you get the controls to do so. Some people say that just using the the AC97 controller lowers the hiss level. I can't personally verify this because my tinnitus is so bad I can't hear the hiss clearly enough. I can only tell that muting the mic makes a dramatic difference.
Bu t like I said all of this applies to hissing. Buzzing seems like a different sort of beast. By the way I have an 1100 not 8600 so of course my experience is somewhat different. For example I don't have the built in mic which can pick up various noises, etc.
Jim
hspencer
2 Posts
0
November 24th, 2004 06:00
I'm going to guess your experiencing the same problem I had when I got my Inspiron 8600 back in August. I was just about to return it when I found this thread:
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_audio&message.id=17933
and in particular telephasic's registry fix involving the "EmulateAllMasters" key. His instructions are toward the bottom of the first page; try them out, reboot, and see if that fixes your problem.
Message Edited by hspencer on 11-24-2004 02:32 AM
mh.radan
15 Posts
0
December 13th, 2004 07:00
Are you sure the problem is from the sound card or speakers? I guess you have same my problem when I get my new 8600, like many of DELL laptops owners too!. Fortunately I found a suggestion by an end-user that solved the problem. The solution that involves disabling window's power management for USB devices plus more descriptions can be found at:
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_general&message.id=134149
Hope this helps you.:smileytongue: