Audio is on then off - windows sticky

[OneOneOne]

Hi guys,

My audio settings stopped loading - took out the sound card I had and reverted back to the audio onboard. That worked once, then on reboot - never reloaded. Went into control panel/audio - everything was greyed out. Device Manager didn't show any conflicts or disconnects.

Then windows started freezing and getting sticky. Intermittently, I would shut down - the audio would come back. Shut down and the Logging Off window would stay put till I pulled the plug, replugged, rebooted and the audio came back on again. This has been going on now for a few days.

I'm on a really bare bones machines - nothing fancy and no name brand - using a generic power supply 600v. It's been cleaned from malware, spyware and the gamut of whatever could possibly interfere software-wise.

What's going on? Any ideas?

One

[seanc]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

Your 'generic' 600w PSU is may well be part of the issue. I've been happily chugging away on a Seasonic S12 430w for a few years now.

What model of PSU, motherboard, sound card.
What version of Windows?

Any blown caps in the PSU?
Any blown caps on the motherboard?

[OneOneOne]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

Hi!

Well, here's what I'm working with -


Motherboard:
CPU Type DualCore Intel Pentium E2140, 1600 MHz (8 x 200)
Motherboard Name Foxconn 945G7MD Series
Motherboard Chipset Intel Lakeport-G i945G
Multimedia:
Audio Adapter Realtek ALC861 @ Intel 82801GB ICH7 - High Definition Audio Controller [A-1]

PSU - P4-500w (not 600v!)
Windows XP Pro S3
Have no idea about the blown caps.

One

Your 'generic' 600w PSU is may well be part of the issue. I've been happily chugging away on a Seasonic S12 430w for a few years now.

What model of PSU, motherboard, sound card.
What version of Windows?

Any blown caps in the PSU?
Any blown caps on the motherboard?

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

I don't think it's the PSU (but you should replace it anyway). Either bad caps or bad soldering on the onboard audio codec, it may need a reflow.

[OneOneOne]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

I don't think it's the PSU (but you should replace it anyway). Either bad caps or bad soldering on the onboard audio codec, it may need a reflow.

Is this typical behavior of blown caps or shoddy soldering?

Does a program exist that can benchmark your MB connections and locate any short circuits or blown caps?


ne

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

Erratic behaviour is typical of both, this is why it requires so much work to find the cause. And unfortunately, no such software program exists.

[OneOneOne]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

Hi,

I appreciate what you're saying - and would look into that possibility. But what if that is not the problem at hand - what could be other reasons for audio loading/not loading at start up and windows that hang?


One

[seanc]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

You could also have a faulty hard drive, or a malware infestation.
Have you run TDSSKiller?

[OneOneOne]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

Just did - no infection. Earlier also ran ComboFix today among others. It took out a few .dlls but wasn't the magic bullet either. :/

[seanc]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

I'd suggest checking the caps on your mobo, are the ones near the CPU OST branded?
What's the brand name on the PSU?

[stj]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

Linux live disk is the tool you need.
it will tell you if it's hardware or software related - these disks save a shitload of time with these types of problem.

[OneOneOne]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

I just switched the PSU with an older one I had that worked fairly well and the same thing happened - things were freezing, audio didn't load, couldn't get online etc. etc.
Did a system restore, am back online, audio icon is on the systray but still no audio - it's still greyed out.

Experts - I need your help!

One

[momaka]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

What's the brand name on the PSU?

Yes, definitely get the brand name and model number of the PSU. Even if it turns out that the PSU is not the problem, you should still look into it. Cheap/no-name PSUs are never any good.

[Wrog]

Re: Audio is on then off - windows sticky

Experts - I need your help!

stj probably gave you a good next step: try a linux live disk and see if you have the same issues. If you do, it's hardware. If not, it's software. At least then you'll have the problem isolated.