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General discussion

Volume control won't stay put

Dec 16, 2003 7:00PM PST

Win 98 SE, Compaq, ESS Mixer, all updates and patches installed, AVG current, Ad-Aware current (12-6-03).
Situation: When audiofile is played with sound control (in systray) on full as media plays, sound goes back to a whisper. Reset vol control, to highest setting, start mp3 again and vol goes from loud to a whisper. It does it whether speakers or headphones are plugged in or not.

When Vol control (in systray) is right clicked and full volume control panel dialogue box is opened, vol control is at minimum. I set it to full, close the dialogue and re-open and main volume control is back at the minimum again. It won't stay! No errors in the device manager, Multimedia properties show using the ESS.

Go to control panle>sounds and play any sound (exit, start windows, excla., etc) only a whisper of a sound.

Sound was working fine only thing that changed, was I packed up the machine in original computer box with all the proper packaging and shipped it across the country via UPS.
Any ideas what could be causing the dilemma?
Thanks Mike

Discussion is locked

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PART I.
Dec 16, 2003 8:39PM PST

1. Is a Graphic Equalizer (click to see an example screenshot) used?

Note: On the left are ten sliders for some (that screen shot is an example only) which correspond to ten divisions of the audio spectrum. Moving the leftmost slider up increases the power of the lowest frequencies, moving it down reduces them. Similarly, the rightmost slider controls the upper tenth of the spectrum (the highest frequencies). To the immediate right of the sliders are two buttons which turns a graphic equalizer on or off. The bottom button toggles through several presets that are based on popular styles of music. For example, the Jazz preset will boost the middle frequencies more than the Acoustic setting. If you make changes in the Custom preset, those changes will be saved for the next time you use the Player. To the right of those two buttons is a final horizontal slider that allows you to adjust the stereo balance. Moving it to the left increases the apparent volume of the left channel and to the right increases the right volume.

2. Otherwise, I'm sure there is a setting somewhere which causes the volume control applet in the Tasktray to take on its default settings. Please read the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) article, "How to Troubleshoot Wave Sound File Problems in Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium Edition (Me) (Q140334)."

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Re:PART II.
Dec 16, 2003 8:41PM PST
Note: In the Playback box, click the playback device wanted in the Preferred Device list. Set the Volume level (mine is just under the words Playback -- if I click that button).

3. Speakers? You mentioned boxing the computer up but didn't mention anything about using the same ones or.... Do the external speakers have "volume controls"?
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I found that some media players...
Dec 17, 2003 1:55PM PST

alter the volume control when you alter the volume using their control but altering the "master" windows control didn't adjust the media player volume control. Opening the media player would change the windows control to the media player setting. From memory - I think it was Winamp that I noted this on (can't remember what version). Between that and the kids changing the volume controls, I downloaded a utility that took a snapshot of the volume controls and restored it at the click of a button.