Audio Issues After Installing New Video Card

[en480c4]

PC w/ XP SP2 (Media Center Edition)

2 GB RAM

Fan on previous video card crapped out.

I had been using onboard coax out with ASIO4ALL through foobar.

New Visiontek ATI Raedon HD 3870 512 video card... With onboard HD sound meant to go through HDMI cable to HDMI ready monitor, receiver or HDTV.

Now that my new video card is installed, I'm getting no audio through the onboard digital out. My DAC won't lock on a signal, and as a result, I'm left with no audio here at work. Is it as simple as unistalling the new audio drivers for the video card so it goes back to the onboard sound? Or is there more I need to do?

[n_maher]

If you go into the "Sounds and Audio Devices Properties" control panel what is selected as the "Default device" for Sound playback?

[en480c4]

The new ATI HD Rear Output, and that's the only choice.

It's like the install program uninstalled all previous devices.

[n_maher]

Huh, that is weird. I'd try reloading the driver for the sound card section of the mother board. Or go into the video card's GUI and see if there's a way to disable the onboard sound feature.

[en480c4]

Tried disabling the device, no audio device found. Tried uninstalling the driver, and when I rebooted it, it just found it again anyway, and reinstalled the drivers. And there's nothing related to the audio in the ATI GUI. Downloaded the latest drivers for the system sound... Nothing. Doesn't find a damn thing.

When I check the system, the only audio device it finds is the new ATI HD Audio device. And the new video card has two DVI outputs and an S-Video output, so the only way to get audio from that is with their special DVI to HDMI converter that is able to pass the audio, and then to a receiver or HDTV, neither of which I have here at the office.

Looks like the only way to get audio out of the computer here now is maybe something like a HagUSB to get the coax I need for the Denon DAC, or to switch to iTunes, bring my Airport Express in and run the optical to the DAC.

[grawk]

You can use airfoil to grab any audio from the system and send it to the express

[JBLoudG20]

Ian, are you able to use optical with your DAC?

[grawk]

Midiman CO/2 which sells for $20-50 makes optical->coax and reverse dead simple

[en480c4]

You can use airfoil to grab any audio from the system and send it to the express

Huh... I thought I had read airfoil didn't play well with foobar... I'll have to look into that.

Ian, are you able to use optical with your DAC?

I am, the DA-500 has 4 optical ins, 2 coaxial ins, with an optical out and coaxial out. But the only digital out I currently have (which isn't working) is the coax.

[JBLoudG20]

Want me to send you a chaintek av-710?

[en480c4]

I'm not sure I have another PCI slot

I'll dig in and see what's what.

[Dusty Chalk]

I think I know what your problem is -- are you using 'Windows'?

No, seriously...what was the sound source before you put in the graphics card.

The manual's not on here is it? Is it this one?

Figures it'd have a pretty girl on the cover.

[en480c4]

Hahahaha, that's the one. I didn't even pick it out. I just needed a new video card, and this 512 MB card was less than my boss paid for my 256 MB card a few years ago, so he went with this one. The fan on my old one was making some horrible, horrible sounds.

Before I was just using the onboard sound... The MoBo had a coax out, and using the default output device (Realtek HD Audio), I used foobar with ASIO for bit-perfect output to the DAC. But now there's no signal coming out of the coaxial output on the back of the computer.

And the manuals, online knowledge base, and troubleshooting all are silent on the audio portion of this. If I had an HDTV here, I'd plug it in just to see if it's passing the audio along the HDMI cable. But alas, that isn't an option. The plus is that the computer is otherwise cooperating with the new card, and more importantly, it's sooooooo much quieter. I just need to figure out how to listen to musics.

And yes... Windows. AutoCAD 2008 kind of requires it

[Dusty Chalk]

Computer make & model?

[en480c4]

HP Media Center PC m7360n

They've been great for inexpensive CAD stations.

[n_maher]

I did a couple of quick searches and it seems that issues after installing this card are not that uncommon, specifically with irq requests and with the card screwing with audio drivers in general. Maybe read all of the thread below but the first solution I saw was to go into the bios and make sure that on-board sound is set to ON and not AUTO.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/246318-33-audio-problem-install-radeon-3870

[en480c4]

Thanks, Nate. Why is it that every time I search, I get nothing, but you track down answers?

Well, I got it changed from AUTO to ON, and now I have the default output device as an option. But I'm still left with no digital signal lock. I've wasted enough time on this today... Maybe I'll figure something out tomorrow.

Thanks for the input everyone...

[Salt Peanuts]

Thanks, Nate. Why is it that every time I search, I get nothing, but you track down answers?

Because he's our SuperNate!

http://www.head-case.org/forums/113353-post5.html

[en480c4]

Well, the link Nate provided got me going...

I also downloaded a new Realtek driver specificly for computers with the ATI HD Audio which removed that from my device listing, which was good. Unfortunately it only got me half-way there...

I now have the on-board analog outs working, but still can't get the coax digital out to lock on a signal, regardless of settings, player used, or anything else I can think of.

For now it will do... I'll try to regroup and come up with a solution that will require no additional monetary input. A HagUSB or the like, or pulling some of the PCI components I can live without (I think one is a TV tuner from it's Media Center role, the other is a wireless card, which has yet to be used) and installing another soundcard with a digital out will be the last resort.