17.8 Configuring a Sound Card Under Windows 95/98/2000/XP
Configuring a
sound card requires similar steps in Windows 95, 98, and 2000/XP,
with minor differences in the names and sequence of dialogs. To
configure a sound card under Windows 9X or 2000/XP, take the
following steps:
After removing the existing sound card and drivers, if any, verifying
that all vestiges of the old sound card drivers are gone, and
physically installing the new sound card, restart the system. Note
that the drivers supplied on CD-ROM with some sound cards must be
present in the CD-ROM drive when you start the system. Windows should recognize that the new sound card is present and
display the Add New Hardware Wizard. Although Windows 9X includes
drivers for many sound cards, you are usually better off using the
Windows 9X drivers supplied by the sound card manufacturer. To do so,
mark the Search for... option button and click Next.  |
Windows 2000 and Windows XP include drivers for relatively few sound
cards. The drivers they do include often have limited functionality,
such as supporting only two-channel sound on a four-channel card. We
strongly recommend downloading Windows 2000/XP drivers from the sound
card maker rather than using those provided with the operating
system. Install Windows 2000/XP drivers in the same manner described
for Windows 98 drivers.
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When Windows
displays the next dialog, either specify the location of the drivers
or tell it which drives to search for them. Click Next to continue. Windows should locate the proper
drivers and load them. When the process completes, reboot the system.
Most sound cards include an automated installation procedure for
bundled applications, which usually autoruns immediately after the
system restarts. Follow the prompts, and provide any necessary
information to complete the installation. For Windows 98, right-click the My
Computer icon, choose Properties, and then click the Device Manager
tab. For Windows 2000/XP, right-click My Computer, choose Properties,
click the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager button.
Then, for either version, expand the Sound, video and game
controllers branch and verify that the sound card is installed
properly and that no conflicts exist. Most sound cards also have a
test utility that you should run to verify that all aspects of the
sound card hardware and drivers are operating properly. From the Control Panel, double-click
Multimedia to display the Audio page of the Multimedia Properties
dialog (Windows 9X) or the Sounds and Multimedia Properties dialog
(Windows 2000/XP). If you have more than one audio device in your
system, use the Preferred device drop-down lists in the Playback and
Recording sections to select one of the installed audio devices as
the default for each. Click the Advanced Properties buttons in the
Playback and Recording sections to configure driver-specific options
for such things as degree of hardware acceleration to be used, sample
rate conversion settings, the type of speakers you are using, and so
on.
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