Error Message: "Ctplay2.exe/Eacontrol.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience." This message appears in WinXP after installing a Creative Labs Audigy card and its attendant software.

Translation: Windows hasn't properly adjusted its settings to make the Audigy your new default sound card.

Solution: Go into the Sounds And Audio Devices area of Control Panel. Click Sounds And Audio Devices and then the Audio tab. In the Sound Playback area, use the Default device pull-down menu to select your Audigy card. Click Apply and then OK.

Error Message: "Could not create file for recording, please ensure the recording folder exists." This message occurs when using the Creative Recorder that ships with your Sound Blaster to record a WAV file.

Translation: Creative Recorder defaults to storing files at a specific folder location. If the system can't find the folder, this error pops up.

Solution: Use Windows Explorer or My Computer to browse to the C:\PRO-GRAM FILES\CREATIVE folder. Highlight the Recorder folder and click File, New, and Folder. Give the new folder the name RECORDINGS. This is the specific folder name Creative Recorder is looking for.

Other Sound Errors

Okay, so you've gotten comfortable with the Sound Blaster cards. It's time to look at other types of audio-related errors.

Error Message: "Access to the specified device, path or file is denied." This message can occur in Win2000 OSes when you insert an audio CD for playback.

Translation: When you pop an audio CD into your system, the autoplay function defaults to using the built-in audio player in Win2000. However, if you install a third-party player, and especially if you delete that player, Windows can get confused about the proper path or file with which to play your disc.

Solution: This one is a bit tricky. The system file you need to modify is hidden, so the first thing to do is "unhide" it. From the Desktop, right-click My Computer and select Explore. From the Explorer File menu, select Tools, Folder Options, the View tab, and then Show Hidden Files And Folders. Now uncheck the options for Hide Protected Operating System Files and Hide File Extensions For Known File Types. Click Yes on the warning box that will appear and then click the Apply and OK buttons.

Now click Start, Search, and For Files Or Folders. In the Search For Files Or Folders field, type the name sysoc.inf, confirm that you're searching in the C: drive, and click Search Now. When the file appears in the search results area, double-click it and then select the Notepad application to open the file with. Within Notepad, locate the line that starts with "old base components." You want to remove the command and HIDE characters so that the line goes from reading MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIE, to MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry, multimed.inf,7. Next, locate the line that starts with "AccessUtil=" and delete the word Hide from it. Save the file and close Notepad.

You're almost done. Dig into the Add/Remove Programs area of Control Panel, click Add/Remove Windows Components, Accessories, Utilities, and Details. Check the Multimedia box and then click OK. Click Next and, if prompted for it, insert your Win2000 CD-ROM. Click Finish. When you reboot the PC, everything should be back to normal.

Error Message: "Your Sound Card does not support hardware buffering. Sound will only playback from software buffers."
You will see this when attempting to run the Microsoft DirectX Diagnostic tool (dxdiag.exe).

Translation: This error will appear on systems using VIA's AC'97 audio codec, which you only need to worry about if you're using the integrated audio on a VIA-based motherboard. What the message really means is that your audio system doesn't support the 22,050Hz audio sampling rate, which is one frequency tested for by DXdiag. Microsoft notes that this problem only applies to the WinXP operating systems.

Solution: Relax. The built-in mixer within Windows will automatically switch to a sampling rate that is supported by the VIA codec. Your actual playback or recording will remain unaffected.

Error Message: "Code 28 (The drivers for this device are not installed)." You may see this message in your sound card's device properties after upgrading from Win2000 to WinXP.

Translation: In the process of upgrading your operating system, the WDM (Windows Sound System Compatible) drivers are deleted. WinXP no longer needs these files, so they are eliminated. The problem is that your sound card's software is designed to look for these files.

Solution: Check with your sound adapter manufacturer for new drivers specifically compatible with WinXP. If such driver's don't exist, you're out of luck and your sound card will not work.

Speaker Errors

"Huh," you say, "I've never seen a speaker error message." Quite right. Speakers don't generate error messages. We wish they did! Still, we've collected some of the most common speaker-related glitches you're likely to encounter, and we hope the solutions will be music to your ears.

Error Message: Humming or buzzing gets louder as the volume is raised in your operating system or sound application.

Translation: Often, this is the result of a poor wire connection to the sound card, although it can also result from a lot of electromagnetic interference being pumped out by a poorly shielded component within the system, especially the power supply.

Solution: Unplug and replug all internal and external wire connections to the sound card, making sure that each is firmly seated. Also make sure that in your sound mixer software (in Windows, double-click the speaker icon in your System Tray) you have the CD volume slider set to maximum and the Master/Play Control slider at a lower level. Be sure to mute any devices not in use.

As for buzz from poor shielding, this is a harder item to fix as finding the culprit often involves swapping out suspect parts. You can try unscrewing the power supply from the case without unplugging any wires and let it run outside the chassis to increase distance from the sound card, but this can be a more involved operation than many beginners are willing to undertake.

Error Message: You hear background hiss from your speakers, even if nothing is playing.

Translation: A certain amount of hiss is inevitable in any amplified playback device. This is figured into the specs of your speakers during manufacture. At a reasonable range of volumes and a recommended listening distance range, you should not be able to hear any hiss. With your ear against the speaker, you will hear some. The thing to be aware of is that hiss can increase to noticeable levels because of poor quality components in your sound adapter.

Solution: You may be too close to the speakers. See if there is a way to get them further away from you. Many speaker models can be mounted to a wall, and this may be an option in your environment. Midlevel speakers should be at least 2 feet from your ears, and the high-end equipment (Logitech Z-680, Creative GigaWorks, and so on) should be at least 3 feet away.

A good quality sound card, such as those from Creative Labs or M-Audio, should not introduce additional hiss into your playback at reasonable volume levels. You're more likely to pick up hiss from very cheap sound cards or bottom-quality integrated sound adapters built into motherboards. The easiest way to test this is to plug in a good quality sound card to replace your existing audio adapter. If the extra hiss vanishes, you've pinned your problem.

Error Message: You can hear audio, but not from all of the speakers.

Translation: There are several possible causes for this. The most obvious is that one or more of the speakers is damaged or that the speaker jack in your amplifier/subwoofer is damaged. The only fix for this is replacement, but there are some other more likely possibilities, too.

Solution: Most surround sound speaker sets use three audio cables: green for the front left and right, orange for the center/sub, and black for the rear left and right. Many sound cards use the same color coding on their jacks to make sure that
you plug the right cables into the right
holes. However, some cards don't do this (Audigy cards in particular, which rely on you putting a color-coded sticker on the card's backplane), and some users accidentally mix up the colors anyway. Misrouted speaker signals may not play properly, so double-check your connections.

Next, bring up your audio adapter's channel mixing software. You should see somewhere in the software (perhaps in the advanced settings) a set of sliders or similar controls for your different speaker channels. Make sure that all of your channels are cranked up and not muted.

If none of these ideas works, try plugging the speakers into a different PC. If this works, then your sound card is likely broken.

by William Van Winkle