The audio on my computer, (C.D.,or, streaming audio,on Windows Media,or,Realplay),sound as if the voice(spoken word),or,singer,have inhaled helium.Since this happens if I play a C.D. I think is is a problem with my settings,or, the sound card. I have checked with my local computer club,but no help there. This is my first post at answerpool.com.I appreciate any suggestions.Thank You.

First, is this a Desktop computer, with attached speakers playing two channel sound? If so, can you try another set of speakers to see if the sound quality changes? If you can't just borrow a set for testing purposes, you might inquire at a computer store. Tell them what you're doing and make arrangements to bring the new speaker set back for a refund if replacing your old doesn't solve the problem. In my experience, most stores will agree to take back their product if testing shows the speakers are not the problem.

If this doesn't help, try:

Click Start
Click Run
Type in: dxdiag
Click OK
OK the WHQL prompt

This will run the DirectX diagnostic utility. The latest dxdiag version is DirectX 9.0c
If your installation is older, you can get the latest at Windows Update:

Internet Explorer/Tools menu/Windows Update

The dxdiag utility is pretty straight forward. Note if it shows any "problem" files. If so, you can post again and we can assist you with finding new ones to download. Run all the tests. Note any problems. Use the Extra help.

If you have eliminated the speakers and not found any obvious problems with the dxdiag utility, then I suggest you try new audio drivers for your sound card.

PC Wizard 2006 is a hardware detection utility that you may find helpful with identifying your sound card: Click here.

Once you've identified what audio card you have, let us know and we can help direct you to a driver download page for your system. Knowing what Operating System and computer brand/model your system is will help. You can get some assistance with assembling the information at http://dwightblackburn.com/help.htm

Dwight

Dwight,
Thank you for your promt reply. I do have a desk top PC with external speekers. I borrowed a pair of speekers,up-graded to DirectX 9.0c,and ran all tests.
The only information I gleened was"Your sound card does not support hardware buffering. Sounds will only play back from software buffers."
Name: AC'97 Sound Card
Device ID:PCI\VEN_8086DEV_2445SUBS_00BE1028REV_1
Mavufacturer ID:1
Product ID:100
Type:WDM
Default Device :Yes
I can't control the volume from the tool-bar at the bottom of my screen, nor can I mute the sound there.I can't find any control for base,or treble any where, so female singers all sound like Butterfly McQueen, and Milt Rosenburg speeks as if he is breathing in helium.
As you can tell I am new at this;computing,and posting on a sight such as this. Please feel free to point out any infractions of etiquette,and the most rudimentary computer tip will be helpful.

Very good reply! One piece of missing information is the Operating System (Windows 98, WinME, WinXP, etc) that you're running and the computer maker's name (Dell, HP, Compaq, etc.)

If you're not running Windows XP, please let us know what OS that you have. Also, please install the PC Wizard 2006 software as noted in my first post. Once installed, look for the audio card that is installed in your system. Let us know the card name/model number. Also, the computer maker's name.

If your computer is running Windows XP, you can follow these steps to reinstall the audio card sound drivers:

Here are the steps to reinstalling the audio sound card driver:

First, close all windows.
Right-click on the "My Computer" icon. (This can be either on the Desktop or in the Start Menu.)
Choose Properties
In the System Properties window, click the "Hardware" tab
Click the "Device Manager" button
Scroll down to the "Sound, video and game controllers" entry.
Click the + sign to left of the entry to expand the view
Right-click on the "Realtek AC'97 Audio" (if it is not "Realtek" note the name of the card)
Choose "Properties" from the right-click menu
See this picture: Click here Note the name of the card. If you see a model number listed, take note of that as well.
Once the information is noted, right-click on the "Realtek AC'97 Audio" (or whatever the name is). See this picture: Click Here
Choose "Uninstall" from the right-click menu
OK the notification dialog box
Once the uninstall is complete, restart your computer
During the restart, Windows will see the sound card and automatically reinstall the driver file.
If Windows fails to find the card, or if the reinstall doesn't fix the problem, you can download a new driver file. Once we have the name of the audio card, we can direct you to a download site. If a new driver doesn't solve the problem, you will most likely need to buy a new sound card and install that. We can get into that once we know the results of the driver reinstall.

Dwight

Dwight,
I am sorry for the delay in replying to your last post. It has been said"life is what happens...." As I was working on my sound problems, my computer was over run with POP-UP ads! Three anti -spy programs wern't enough. Now I have five.
I did get the sound card problem solved in the process. A down load from Dell was needed. I'm sorry ,but that is all I know. The young man at the computer store seemed to be speeking english,but...
Thank you for your help.
P.S. I have a Dell,running windows 2000 xp

Glad to hear that your system is working correctly again. Please post again if any other problems or questions "pop-up".

Dwight