Many XP users experience problems with no sound in Windows even when a sound card is installed. This problem is not program-specific, if you are experiencing sound problems with just one program, then it is likely to be a settings issue with that program. More often than not, the root cause of multi-program sound loss, is missing or outdated sound drivers.

Sound drivers allow your operating system to recognize and work with the installed sound card. Sound-related issues occur when there is some problem with the sound card.

Before we discuss how to resolve such sound-related issues, let us take a look at the common situations in a Windows XP computer when problems are likely to occur due to one or other issues with sound drivers:

• You’ve upgraded your computer to Windows XP, but not the sound drivers, and the previous sound drivers are incompatible with the XP operating system
• You or some other program, such as a virus program, has deleted the driver files mistakenly or deliberately
• You’ve installed a new sound card, but not the drivers present in the CD that came with the hardware device

There are other possible causes for sound drivers problems but most sound driver errors occur due to one of the above reasons.

To fix the issue of ‘no sound’ when a viable sound card is installed, you would need to update your sound drivers, a task that can be completed in four different ways.

How to update windows XP sound drivers

• Windows Update

• Download and install the latest Windows updates. Often updates related to built-in drivers can be found in new Windows updates. So there is every chance that the issue may get fixed after installing the latest updates. If, for some reasons, it doesn’t, move on to the next

• Install drivers from the driver CD

If you’ve installed a new sound card, you might have received a CD with it. This CD is likely to contain drivers for the sound card. If you have not run the CD already, insert it into your CD/DVD ROM, and install the latest drivers from it.

• Install drivers manually

Those who do not have a driver CD with them, or those who did not receive a driver CD, will need to download and install the drivers manually. Manual updating a driver can sometimes prove tricky, especially when you don’t find the required drivers on the manufacturer’s website.

• Use a driver update application

The fastest and easiest way of updating drivers is to use a driver update tool. Such tools are easy to use and, most importantly, can install new drivers in less than a few minutes.