Sound like a resource conflict.

98 was always pants at detecting hardware. Have you added a new PCI card recently or enabled anything in the BIOS recently.

Souncards have hard time with network cards and USB ports. Whenever I have built/rebuilt a machine the soundcard is always the last one to go in due to this problem.

Try these steps (assuming the soundcard is a PCI card):

1. Go to control panel and run the System icon. Check the hardware tab to look at the installed devices. You will probably see an exclamation mark next to the sound card indicating a problem.
2. Power down the machine and if possible remove any other PCI cards other than graphics card.
3. Reboot machine so it detects the removed cards.
4. Shutdown again and install the soundcard.
5. Windows should find the new hardware and install the existing device drivers. At this point sound should be working again.
6. Then one at a time install the other PCI cards. Do each one one at a time reboot/shutting down each time. If sound stops then the last card installed is causing the conflict. If possible try fitting this card in a different PCI slot.

If the sound is part of the motherboard itself you will need to update your BIOS settings. During boot you will see a message something like "Press DEL for setup". Your original manuals should nhave instructrions about your BIOS screens and setting values. You want to disable "OnBoard Sound".

Now one other thought is that you have both! I have seen this before after idiot monkeys form a highv street store sold a fancy soundcard with a machine that already had onboard sound. But failed to disable the onboard sound. Not a lot you can do if you just have the onboard sound other than try moving other PCI cards.

In the BIOS it may be worth disabling stuff you do not use for example parallel ports COM1/2. We tend not to use nine pin mice or old fashioned modems. Obviously don't disable this is you haved a 9oin serial mouse or use a standard external modem.

best of luck
Colin

Posted By: Basingstoke_Canary, Oct 6, 22:55:29