With the sound device you want to use highlighted in the Playback window,
click the Properties button, and choose the Custom tab, and make
sure the Digital Output Only option is turned off. Then choose the Levels
tab, and make sure all the volume controls here are turned up, and none are
muted. (Muted levels have small red symbols on the blue speaker buttons,
as shown??”albeit in black and white??”in Figure 4-10.)
Figure 4-9. More than one sound device on your PC? If so, you may have been setting the
volume on the wrong card all this time
170 | Chapter 4: Working with Media
Next, choose the Advanced tab. Click Test to play three tones in the left
channel, followed by three in the right (more if you have a 5.1 or 6.1 setup).
??? If you don??™t hear anything, and you don??™t see an error message at this
point, there??™s likely a problem with your speaker jack, cable, or speakers.
??? If you hear only three tones, it means only one stereo channel is working;
either the left or right channel (or speaker) is out. The left channel
tones decrease in frequency (higher to lower), while the right channel
tones increase (lower to higher).
??? If you have more than two speakers, but don??™t hear sound out of all of
them, close the Properties window and click Configure to show the
Speaker Setup page. Follow the prompts to tell Windows how many
speakers you have.
??? If you hear sound in some applications and not others, it could be the
fault of the Exclusive Mode options in the Properties window.
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