[LAU] Are my sound cards really dead?

[Arnold Krille]

On Saturday 08 May 2010 04:05:55 Bob van der Poel wrote:
> I've got 2 dead sound devices and am wondering if there is any way to
> determine if the death is complete or a software issue?
> 
> 1. My Audiophile 2496 has been working for years in my computer. A few
> months ago it just stopped. At the time I figured it was a software
> upgrade issue with pulseaudio, etc. so I pulled the card and ran with
> the on-board sound on my Asus motherboard. Didn't sound wonderful, but
> not to bad ... and I really did intend to upgrade the software "real
> soon" so I just lived with it. Until today...
> 
> 2. the on board sound on the Asus MB decided that "white noise" was
> much more appreciated by me than the Ornette Coleman which I was
> playing. Okay, it might be right ... but several reboots later it was
> still insisting on static.
> 
> So, I reinstalled the 2496 but it refuses to output anything. Even
> tried with the envy24control program and was unable to get any bars to
> show any activity.
> 
> Ended up by installing a cheap soundblaster card from the bottom of my
> junk box. It's playing right now, and it's not great, but not really
> awful.
> 
> So, any way to see if either the on board or the 2496 has any life left in
>  them?

If any of the proposed software-fixes do not help, check the main-board and the 
2496 for blown up capacitors. Normally all should be cylinder-like with flat 
bottom and top. If any have a round bottom and/or top, they are bad. The more 
blown capacitors there are on the motherboard, the worse the supplied power 
becomes, the more capacitors blow...

Have fun,

Arnold
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