Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit 2003
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2005
Pages: 338
Pages: 338
Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center includes intuitive, step-by-step troubleshooters to help you diagnose problems with audio, video, or digital media. To find these troubleshooting tools, open Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center, click Fixing a problem, and then click Games, sound and video problems. The troubleshooters include:
Games and Multimedia Troubleshooter
Troubleshooting DirectX
Microsoft Display Troubleshooter
DVD Troubleshooter
Sound Troubleshooter
A Hardware Troubleshooter is available in Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center under Hardware and system device problems.
In Windows XP Professional, you can troubleshoot digital media devices by using the following procedure.
To troubleshoot specific digital media devices
In Control Panel, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then click Sounds and Audio Devices.
On the Hardware tab, under Devices, select the device that you want to troubleshoot.
Click Properties to determine the properties of the device, such as the driver version in use.
or
Click Troubleshoot to troubleshoot the device.
Several common problems can occur in playing media files. One common symptom is a low volume (or no sound at all) when you play media files. An improperly installed sound card or improperly connected speakers can be the cause of this problem.
You can check to see whether the volume in Volume Control is muted or set too low.
In the Windows XP Professional notification area, right-click the Volume Control icon.
Click Open Volume Controls to verify whether the Mute all check box is clear.
or
Use the slider for Volume Control to adjust the volume.
| Note | If the Volume Control icon is not in the notification area, in Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment, and then click Volume Control. |
You can check to see whether your sound card is properly configured and whether the sound card settings conflict with settings for other hardware.
To check sound card configuration
On the Start menu, right-click My Computer, and select Manage.
Under System Tools, select Device Manager.
In the list of devices, locate your sound card. Right-click the device name, select Properties, and then click the General tab.
The Device status dialog box shows whether there is a problem with the device. If there is a problem with the device, the icon for the device displays with either a yellow exclamation mark or a red X over it.
| Note | If you can play WAV files, the sound card is probably properly installed. |
If headphones connect directly to a sound card, verify that the headphones are plugged into the line out or audio out jacks and not to the line in or mic in jacks.
If the headphones are connected correctly, and you still cannot hear audio, verify that the sound card is correctly installed by reviewing its properties.
| Note | If you have Digital CD Playback enabled for a CD-drive, audio output from the headphone jack on the CD drive is disabled. |
To check speaker connection
On the computer s sound card, look at the jacks that connect the speakers or headphones. Make sure the speakers or headphones are plugged into the line out or speaker out jacks.
Check to see that the speakers are properly connected to a power source and turned on, and that the speaker volume knob is turned up, if there is one.
Windows Media Player Help also contains a number of troubleshooting scenarios that can assist you in diagnosing and solving problems with playing digital media.
Windows XP Professional includes the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, to diagnose problems with DirectX drivers and digital media hardware. You can use the tool to obtain detailed system and driver information, such as the system configuration of anything using DirectX, as well as to test specific devices. The More Help tab provides access to troubleshooters for DirectX and Sound, and to the Microsoft System Information Tool. You can report result to Microsoft Product Support Services to speed up diagnosing and resolving problems. You can also use the DirectX Diagnostic Tool to change system configuration. To open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, in the Run dialog box, type dxdiag.
For more information about using the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, see the DirectX Diagnostic Tool Help.
If a digital media application is unable to play waveform-audio (.wav) files, start by reviewing the troubleshooting guidelines in Common Problems with Playing Digital Media earlier in this chapter.
If you are running Sound Recorder, but waveform-audio files do not play, make sure that the waveform-audio driver or audio codec is installed.
In Control Panel, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then click Sounds and Audio Devices.
On the Hardware tab, and then examine the Devices list to make sure an audio driver or audio codec is in the list of devices and drivers.
If you have a driver installed that is not working, or you want to upgrade your driver, go to the Windows Update site to find out if there are newer drivers available. For more information about Windows Update, see Managing Devices in this book.
Check with the manufacturer of the sound card to ensure you have the proper drivers.
If you cannot find the correct audio codec or driver for the sound card in the list or on Windows Update, download an updated driver from the manufacturer s Web site.
If a digital media application cannot play MIDI files, start by reviewing the troubleshooting guidelines in Common Problems with Playing Digital Media earlier in this chapter.
If MIDI files do not play, the cause of the problem might be that a MIDI driver is not installed.
To see if a MIDI driver is installed
In Control Panel, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then click Sounds and Audio Devices.
On the Hardware tab, in the list of devices, select your MIDI device, and then click Properties.
Click the Driver tab to view details about the driver or to update, roll back, or uninstall the driver.
If no driver is installed, read the manufacturer s instructions to install a driver for the device.
A MIDI file plays on the default MIDI output device unless you select a different one. For information about configuring and selecting a preferred MIDI output device, see Configuring Sounds and Video earlier in this chapter.
If the MIDI file is still inaudible, MIDI music playback might be configured to use the wrong device. You can check whether the correct MIDI output device is selected and correctly connected.
To see if the MIDI output device is correctly connected
Check to see that the correct MIDI output device is selected, by checking the Default Device in the MIDI Music Playback dialog box, as described in Configuring Sounds and Video .
If you have selected the sound card or the software synthesizer as your output device, make sure the headphones or speakers are connected to the sound card.
If you have selected an external MIDI device as your output device, check the following:
Make sure that the external MIDI device is connected to your computer using the port labeled External MIDI, MIDI OUT, or MPU-401.
Make sure there are speakers or headphones connected to the external MIDI device.
Check to see that those speakers or headphones are turned on and that the volume is turned up.
Because DVD technology uses several hardware components, the first step in troubleshooting DVD is to determine which component is not functioning correctly.
Make sure that Device Manager shows the DVD drive as functioning correctly.
Make sure that Windows XP Professional can read the data on the DVD by using Windows Explorer to see the contents of the DVD. For a video DVD, there should be at least the following two folders: Video_TS and Audio_TS.
If you are using a hardware decoder with your DVD drive, use Device Manager to verify that the decoder is working properly. To verify that Windows XP Professional supports your hardware decoder, check the Hardware Compatibility List link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources
If you are using a software decoder with your DVD drive, try reinstalling the software.
For additional help with troubleshooting problems playing DVDs, in Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center, click Fixing a problem, click Games, sound and video problems, and then click the DVD troubleshooter.
If you cannot play an audio CD, start by reviewing the troubleshooting guidelines in Common Problems with Playing Digital Media earlier in this chapter.
If an audio CD does not play, the cause of the problem might be that the CD drive is not properly installed.
To verify whether a CD drive is properly installed
Place a data CD in the CD drive.
Make that sure you can view the files in Windows Explorer or list the files at the command prompt. If you can view the files, the CD drive is properly installed.
If you cannot view the files, use Device Manager to verify that your disk drivers are properly installed.
Check to see whether the disk is dirty.
Check whether any new software has been installed that might be causing a conflict.
Windows XP Professional can use digital playback of a CD audio for digital devices, such as USB speakers. This feature works with CD devices that support Digital Audio Extraction (DAE), but compatibility problems might exist with older drives. When this option is enabled, you do not need to connect your CD drive to your sound card by using the analog audio cable. If you enable digital CD audio and encounter playback problems, such as audio skipping, or cutting in or out, your CD drive might not be compatible with DAE.
To verify whether digital CD audio is enabled
In Control Panel, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then click Sounds and Audio Devices.
On the Hardware tab, under Devices, select the CD device, and then click Properties.
On the Properties tab, under Digital CD Playback, verify whether the Enable digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device check box is selected.
| Note | Selecting the Enable digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device check box disables audio output from the headphone jack on the CD drive. |
If the CD is playing and there is no sound coming from the speakers, check to see whether the CD drive is connected to the sound card. If the Enable digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device check box is not selected, you must connect the CD drive to the sound card, and you can hear sound from speakers or headphones plugged into the headphone jack on the face of the CD drive.
To see if the CD drive is connected to the sound card
Plug the speakers or headphones into the audio jack on the face of the CD drive.
If you can hear sound, check the internal or external audio connection between the CD drive and the sound card.
One of the first things to do in troubleshooting a problem with CD recording is to check how your CD R or CD RW drive is configured. The Properties page for the CD drive contains information about troubleshooting and fixing problems. To view the Properties page for your CD drive, right-click the CD drive in Windows Explorer and select Properties. The settings on the Recording tab show you how your CD writer is configured. On this tab you can change settings to fix problems and optimize CD writing. If the Recording tab is not present, then the drive is not capable of recording CDs. You can use the following settings on the Recording tab to help you troubleshoot problems with CD recording:
You can see the drive where temporary files are stored when you record a CD, and you can change the location of the temporary image file used to write the CD if you have additional drives available. The location of the temporary image file defaults to the root of the drive, but you can change it by using the drive Properties. This can be helpful when there is not enough room on the default drive to hold both the temporary files (which cannot be moved) and the temporary image file.
You can see the recording speed and change it, if necessary, for troubleshooting or for higher quality recordings, in some instances. The default setting is Fastest .
You can select the option to automatically eject media after recording, which is the default. If you don t want the CD to be automatically ejected after the CD writing process, clear the Automatically eject the CD after writing check box.
If you have trouble recording a CD, you might be able to pinpoint the problem by checking whether any of the following suggestions apply to your situation. These are some general things to look at that might affect the CD-write process:
Make sure that your CD drive is a recording CD drive (CD R or CD RW).
Check whether the drive that will be used for the temporary staging area (typically your hard drive) has sufficient free space. It is recommended that you have 1.3 GB of free space to successfully write to CD.
If you are trying to write to CD, but the Write these files to CD option does not appear on the CD Writing Tasks list in Windows Explorer, try one of the following methods to verify that the correct media is placed in the CD drive.
Make sure that the CD is a CD R or CD RW disc.
Make sure that the CD recording speed is equal to or less than the drive recording speed. Many CD drives are designed to copy files to CD at 4X speed, but some are designed to copy files at up to 10X speed. Higher speed CD drives can write at lower speeds to lower speed discs. The higher speed CD discs cannot be used in a lower speed CD drive. For more information about setting the recording speed, see the information above about setting recording speeds on the Recording tab.
In Windows Explorer, on the CD Writing Tasks list, if the only option is Erase files on CD RW, you cannot write to the CD RW you are using. This is typically either because the disc has been preformatted or it has been previously written to in UDF file format. Windows XP Professional does not support writing to UDF file format on CD. These are your options:
If there are files currently on the CD and you want to keep these files, remove the CD RW from the drive and use a different CD RW for writing your files.
If the CD does not contain any files, it was preformatted in a format not supported by Windows XP Professional. Select Erase files on CD RW to erase and format the CD so you can write your files.
If you close all other programs before beginning the CD writing process, you can maintain a constant flow of data to the CD recorder. This includes disabling any screen savers that might appear during the recording process.
If you are able to copy files to the temporary staging area and to begin the write process, but the CD Writing Wizard stops before you get to the Write CD process, the following suggestions might help:
Check that there is enough free space on the drive where the temporary staging resides.
Consult the vendor of the CD drive to see if an upgrade is available for the firmware of the drive.
If the CD Writing Wizard stops sooner than expected, and the CD is not readable, try the following suggestions:
Find the drive that holds the temporary staging area by looking on the Recording tab on the CD recorder s properties page. Run Disk Defragmenter on this drive.
Lower the recording speed on the Recording tab. The recording speed should not exceed the highest speed possible for your CD drive.