mauna vrata - sound card RIP?

The volume of my PC-speakers has been gradually decreasing until yesterday they went into full mauna. However, when I connected my MP3 player to the speakers there was full blast sound coming from it, so I assume the problem lies with the soundcard. The warranty has long expired and I am not sure what the soundcard looks like; one PC dealer told me that the problem may be with the software, so I checked the sound settings and made them as in the image below. However, the PC is still doing mauna vrata.
Q1: What is 'mute'? Should it be turned on or off?
Q2: If the problem is not a software one, is the card too old to work or broken? How do I recognise the soundcard? Is it a long rectangular green card pinned in the motherboard? I am a bit scared to just start picking cards out of the motherboard because I dont know what they are for.....

Dear friend,

if you put the "Häkchen" on mute, these items go into mauna.
Uncheck all mutes. Thats the safest!

Thanks I just did that but its not working and I never got driver floppies or CDs for the soundcard and the brand driver isnt available on the net through a windows search either...

DanDvats to all VaiSNavas,



Which brand name (& serial no.) is the card of? Try getting that from 'Device Manager'. If you don't know how to get that then right click My Computer & click 'Manage' in the right-click menu. Then click 'Device Manager' in the left pane of the MMC window that appears. Then see which device is your sound card in the 'Sound, Video & Game Controllers' sub tree in the right pane.

If there's a hardware problem then yes, that long rectangular (some times irregular pentagonal) green card pinned on mother board is the sound card. Only the card through which speaker jacks are connected (from outside of System Unit Cabinet) is the sound card. They're, as you know, for providing sound functionality & for making a 'connection' between you're speakers & mother board. I've changed cards in my system many times. Try curing the problem through software first (get me the brand & serial no.) & if that doesn't works then I can tell you directions to change the card with a new one.

Hey, wait, on looking at your screen it looks like you've sound car integrated on the motherboad itself. So, there won't be any such green stick connected (internally) to your speakers when you'll open up the cabinet. So, get me the Motherboard serial no (the brand I could get - it's Intel). I have some drivers of some Intel integrated boards with me. I'll send you the files if I have the driver of your serial no.

Your Servant
Vishwajeet

Dear friends, you have been very helpful indeed. The sound is coming out again loud and clear after I unticked the boxes saying ' mute' at ' volume' at the bottom tray, following Tarun's advice. The question remains, havent these 'mute' boxes been changed by a virus? The speakers were, after all, working for 5 years and now suddenly they quit...
Anyone?

May be. A Virus protector with latest virus definitions ensures future safety. Sometimes while working also it mutes up, eg. in my keyboard there's a mute button which sometimes gets pressed while working even when I don't want. It doesn't matter anyway. Fine, if the problem is solved.