Sounds Disappear - HELP!

Hi everyone

I have a Gateway Media Center with Windows XP. I have DSL but bring my own access to AOL 9.0.

When I first turn on the computer, everything is fine....I hear all of the appropriate sounds; "Welcome" "You've Got Mail", etc.

After 30 mins or so of being online, switching back and forth from other screen names, ALL sounds disappear. No more "Welcome" etc.

I've even tried to play a music CD and no sounds are there. UNTIL I reboot. Then all sound come back fine. Then the same thing happens again.

AOL says it's a Gateway issue.

Gateway says it's an AOL issue.

After spending hours on the phone with Gateway Tech Support (who were so wonderful by the way) I opted to return the computer to Gateway and I ordered a new one.

New computer arrived - all hooked up and wouldn't you know it? Sounds disappear again!

Does anyone have any idea what is going on? No one else seems to know.

I appreciate any help you all can give me.

Thanks very much.
Shaun

did they send new speakers?

Yes. I got New speakers

I hope you get an answer to this. If you do, let me know. I've been having the same problem for months and still have never resolved it:

http://www.ozzu.com/mswindows-forum/losing-system-audio-revisited-still-ongoing-problem-t18534.html

Hi there. Yes, I read your post but we have a different problem I think. With yours, you at least get sounds from media player or cd's etc. I get nothing at all.

In any case, let me ask you this. Do you have AOL?

On ATNO/TW link he posted he said it is the ICQ sounds and ShaunS said it is AOL sounds i did not read ATNO/TW's full topic link but many of you might know that AOL and ICQ have merged meaning that it would be a problem with the AOL software and not the Gateway computer. Just a input dont get flamed please.

I have never built a media center pc but if theres anyway to open it up and put in a new sound card i guess that could possibly work. ONLY if you can. Other wise i'd go with another brand of media center.

SecureITGroup

You may have something there. I do have AIM, but don't use it frequently. I use ICQ regularly, but lately, I've speant little time on my home computer and hardly have ICQ on there. Since then, I've only noticed the problem once. Prior, I had ICQ on continuously. I often suspected it was the culprit, but it happens so randomly, I can't pinpoint it.

And unlike ShaunS, I still retain the ability to play CD's, MP3's mpeg, and all other sounds. The only sounds that seem to be affected for me are wav files, and obviously that would include system audio and the various messaging sounds.

I wish there was a definite answer to this problem. I don't have ICQ. But I do have and use AIM provided by AOL.

I thought for a brief hour or so that my problem was stemming from the AOL Pop Up Blocker. I found that when it was disabled, the sounds didn't disappear. But, sad to say, they finally did. So that's not it I don't think.

About the sound card - I've had two brand new computers ( in one month) that do the same thing.....do you still think the sound card is bad? In both? Or did I misunderstand?

Appreciate all the input and suggestions.

Also wanted to add, it's not only my AOL sounds that disappear, it's ALL sounds. Even a music CD won't produce any sound.

I just thought of something. Could it be a flaw or bug in Windows Media Center. That could very well be. Considering what we're looking at.

I'm not sure twmspro - although I can't recall off the top of my head what my work soundcard is, I know it's different from this one (home). Here I'm using SoundMax Integrated Digital Audio on an Intel board (82815). I do not have this problem on any other computer. Just this one. I know that ShaunS and my problem are different in respects, but they seem related, so I'm just throwing out thoughts as I think of them.

For example, while typing this post I just lost audio again. I have very little open other than a couple instances of Firefox, one Windows Explorer Window (which has been open all night , regedit and ICQ.

Actually on my computer my motherboard has the same audio as you atno. Asus a7v600-x

Antno/tw - I appreciate your thoughts and I think our problems are related as well.

Twmspro - you might be right.

Right now Gateway is researching this and it's been given to the engineers over there. I'll speak to the Gateway lady again tomorrow.
She said she knows of a few others experiencing this same problem but they still feel it's an AOL issue.

They're working on it. Whatever I find out - I'll be certain to post.

atno/tw, what computer are you using, Gateway?