Hi.
First of all let me tell you that this question is not closed after I
post this first answer. You are free to ask for as many clarifications
as you need until you get your problem solved, by using the
clarification request button.
If you don't know how to do that, please visit
http://answers.google.com/answers/faq.html#furtherclarification
Now, I will tell you my own little story with the C-media driver
update provided by Microsoft.
I was -- just like you were -- recommended to update my driver to the
new 1.7 MB 2002 version.
In my case though, I had no problems with the download. However, when
it started to actually install the drivers, it kept on asking me for a
file named "cmaudio.cat".
I skipped the installation of that particular file and thus the whole
installation was -- obviously -- unsuccessful. And just like you, I
lost the sound on my computer. So I had to uninstall this new sound
driver and install an older version: the newest on the C-media
official website. And I was successful. I got the sound back.
All this happened about a month ago.
Now, I went again through the whole process (installing the faulty
update), just to make sure I would provide you with the best answer
that I could.
First I will instruct you on how to remove the C-media sound drivers
that you currently have on your computer, if any.
Click the famous "Start" button (lower left on the desktop), select
Settings and then click on Control Panel.
In the Control Panel double click on "System".
A new window should appear having a few tabs at the top. Choose
"Device Manager".
In the list that will appear choose "Sound, Video and Game
Controllers" and/or "Others".
Look for anything that contains C-media or CMIxxxx and such (xxxx are
numbers such as 8738).
Select each CMI or C-media driver and remove it by clicking the
"Remove" button (lower in the window).
If you are lucky enough the system will display a message to tell you
that it has found new hardware (a PCI device = your sound card) and
then reinstall your old drivers. If this happens, let it reinstall the
drivers and then restart your computer. Then the sound should be OK.
If the sound is not OK or if the system doesn't display the "New
Hardware" message, don't worry.
If that happens or if you don't find any CMI or C-media driver in
"Sound, Video and Game Controllers" or in "Others", then do this:
Visit C-media's official site and go to the drivers download page.
Here's a direct link to that section of the site:
http://www.cmedia.com.tw/e_download_01.htm
Select the type of sound card that you have on your computer (mine was
CMI8738). Find the manual that came with your computer's sound card to
find out what type of sound card you have.
Then select your Operating System (Windows 98) and then the newest
driver you can find, but take care not to select an upgrade. Select a
complete driver install. (If you will tell me exactly what type of
C-media sound card you have, I can guide you through this process in
more detail.)
Then simply download the file that contains the drivers. Save the file
in a directory (folder) that you can remember (C:\ might be a good
choice).
The file is in "zip" format. All you have to do is unzip it with a
program such as Winzip (go to http://www.winzip.com and download the
free evaluation version). Unzip it in a new directory (folder) such as
c:\cmedia
Then go to c:\cmedia (if that's where you unzipped it's content) and
run Setup.
Take care to select the right type of card when the program asks ("in
mother board" if the sound card is built-in the mother board or "in
sound card" if you have a PCI sound card). (If you need further
information on this feel free to ask.)
Then click Install and after the program installs the needed drivers,
restart the computer.
Most likely the install will work like a charm and the sound should be
just fine. :-)
Now, just to let you know, I found a few good (related) discussions on
the Internet:
Experts-Exchange - "Problem with c-media sound card and audio program"
asked by el_jaguar
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/Win98/Q_20630736.html#8615719
Experts-Exchange - "Soundcard driver problems" asked by chrb8
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Miscellaneous/Q_20644729.html#8702331
Again, if you encounter difficulties, please ask. I'd be happy to
offer you the needed assistance.
Regards,
ldcdc-ga |
