Page 1 of 1

How to disable Audio devices in Win XP?

Posted: 2003-08-24 12:08am
by Trytostaydead
Mpegs and RM files cannot play on my computer because it says it can't open the audio device. How do I disable the audio devices?

Posted: 2003-08-24 12:57am
by Datana
This sounds more like a misinstalled sound card driver than a hardware issue, but if you want to disable the audio devices for troubleshooting purposes, here's what to do (in Windows 2000/XP).

Start->Control Panel->System->Hardware (Tab)->Device Manager.

Look under "Sound, video, and game controllers." If there are any problematic entries (a red crossed circle over them), you can try disabling them by double-clicking the entry (opens a new window) and setting "Device usage" to "Do not use this device." Of course, you'll lose use of the device until you re-enable it.

You may want to try uninstalling and reinstalling the sound drivers first, though, and see if that resolves your problem. I've found my Sound Blaster Live is extremely picky about system conditions, so this might be similar.

(EDIT: Should this be moved to G&C?)

Posted: 2003-08-24 01:21am
by Trytostaydead
Unfortunately that was the first thing I tried. The audio devices cannot be deleted.

Posted: 2003-08-24 01:27am
by Sektor31
Sounds like a codec problem to me, but if that was the case I wonder why mpegs don't want to play either. Does mpegs only refer to video but not audio (eg mp3/etc.)?

Posted: 2003-08-24 01:50am
by phongn
Try removing all of your audio hardware from the Device Manager and reinstall the drivers. Or simply reboot.

Posted: 2003-08-25 12:08am
by Dorsk 81
Again, I am aware Iam not a mod, but shouldon't this be in the Gaming and Computers section?

Posted: 2003-08-25 12:14am
by Dalton
Dorsk 81 wrote:Again, I am aware Iam not a mod, but shouldon't this be in the Gaming and Computers section?
That does get annoying. PM someone next time.