I installed a sound card with SPDIF after i got a new 5.1 mini-amplifier. Since i did't want the onboard sound to use any resources, i disabled it in BIOS. And I did probably uninstalled the onboard sound in device manager before i actually put in the new sound card.

Anyway, I use the sound card line-out for head-phones sometimes... and now, the sound from line-out is really distorted. That's why i want to re-enable the onboard sound!! I enable it in BISO (there's only 2 options: Auto or Disable). I don't know why it's Auto instead of Enable!! Anyway, WinXP won't detect the onboard sound at all. Of course i can always try to unplug the sound card, and then XP should detect the onboard sound. But i'm worrying that it will be back to "undetectable" once i plug the sound card back in!! Cause i used "devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices" and show all hidden devices in Device Manager and still cannot find the onboard sound anywhere!!

thx 1st...

so no one use multiple sound devices here??

I do, but have never had this problem.. Perhaps you are not quite clear enough.

You have a secondary sound card? Are you sure you re-enabled the sound card in the bios (auto, if I read you correctly..)

Did you try updating ESCD parameters afterwards?

My Terratec EWX 2496 lives in peaceful coexistence with my nVidia onboard soundchip ...

You could try the following:

1) Uninstall all the drivers and software of your new card
2) Disable the onboard chip in your bios
3) Re-install the drivers & software of your new card
4) Enable the onboard chip

I've never had this kind of problems, but I've heard that sometimes problems occur when the onboard chip is enabled during the install of new drivers.

It sounds like he has a board similar to mine. My Asus K8V Deluxe has onboard audio, and the BIOS menu setting has "Enable" and "Disable" settings, but "Enable" behaves like "Auto".

It would appear the only way you are going to get that onboard sound working is if you yank that sound card. Maybe it will work again if you install the onboard audio software and then plug the sound card back in.

Onboard sound and a PCI sound card... yes, i have re-enabled the onboard sound in bios!!

What are the ESCD parameters?

thx!

Unplugged the sound card, start XP, onboard sound detected, installed the latest driver, everything is working fine!!

Plugged the sound card back in, detected with no problem!! But now the onboard sound device is "GONE"!! The onboard sound is now a hidden device in device manager and cannot be enabled!! Just as i expected

Does anyone know if i can force XP to enable/use it!! Or i should just give up cause it's a motherboard thing??

any help is appreicated...


*** onboard sound is C-Media CMI9738 (AC97 - 4ch)

If the mainboard is in fact automatically disabling the onboard sound chip whenever it detects the presence of a PCI sound card, then I doubt there is anything that can be done from within Windows.

I would go to the manufacturer of the mainboard and see if a BIOS update is available that resolves this problem. If that fails, I would search for forums that are devoted to the mainboard, and ask around for unofficial (user-made) BIOS revisions or hacks.

This may be a (good old) IRQ issue. You have to assign another IRQ and memory page to your sound card, and it should work, then.