Sound gone suddenly, t40

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eddiearniwhatever · #1 Post by **eddiearniwhatever** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:07 pm

My T40 was working fine for a year but then suddenly I lost all sound, even system sound (the little beeps the computer makes starting up and when the power cord is plugged or unplugged).

Last night I noticed that the volume was notably low playing music, realplayer streams off the internet, etc.

I put the computer on "hibernate" mode (I run the Linux distribution Ubuntu, Gutsy Gibbon) and closed the lid. A minute later the computer started making a high pitched feedback sounding whine, waking me up. I lifted the lid, and the noise stopped. I put the lid back down and went to bed.

In the morning, no sound! Reboot, adjust sound levels, check for muting, test system beep, no sound.

This seems like a hardware problem, but I wonder if there's anything I can do in BIOS to troubleshoot. Could it be nothing more than busted speakers? I tried the headphones but no dice there, either. Any suggestions appreciated.

aaa · #2 Post by **aaa** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:33 pm

Wild guess:
Turn it off, unplug, and pull out the battery. Then put everything back at try again.

PH0ENIX · #3 Post by **PH0ENIX** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:38 pm

What does the Device Manager say?

http://people.ubuntu.com/~mako/docteam/ ... ce-manager

eddiearniwhatever · #4 Post by **eddiearniwhatever** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 4:21 pm

powering down then up does nothing, I looked at the device manager, what should I be looking for? NEW INFO the microphone works.

PH0ENIX · #5 Post by **PH0ENIX** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 4:48 pm

I don't run Ubuntu, so I can't help you from personal experience. It could be a hardware or software issue. If it's a hardware issue, I'm not sure what your options are (have you checked the BIOS to see if the sound card is recognized and enabled?). If it's a software issue, then these links may be of help to you:

Comprehensive Sound Problem Solutions Guide
Debugging Sound Problems

Sorry I can't be of more help.

#6 Post by **BillMorrow** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:08 pm

/begin guessing

another wild guess here but it sounds like hardware to me..
unless you made som OS changes/additions/etc just before this occured, its GOT to be hardware..

the whine sounds (pun sorta intended) like feedback and that might have overstressed a component..

/end guessing

eddiearniwhatever · #7 Post by **eddiearniwhatever** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:31 pm

I know I have the soundcard and it's drivers all sorted out, I could in fact use the microphone to talk to a friend via skype. Just no audio. So I'm wondering, does the soundcard that comes packaged with the T40 also handle input? Is it possible that the mic was left on from a skype session, and created so much feedback when I closed the lid that it blew out the tiny speakers? Is the fact that the headphone jack doesn't work an indication that there's a problem with the soundcard and not indeed the speakers alone?

I'm determined to keep this machine running... thanks for the advice.

soundcard: Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)

#8 Post by **Harryc** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:21 am

I really doubt that closing a lid with turned up Mic would blow the internal speakers. I'd try booting up a knoppix CD to eliminate Windows/drivers as an issue. If it fails on Linux your systemboard needs a new one

.

eddiearniwhatever · #9 Post by **eddiearniwhatever** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:05 am

Would I be better off getting an internal sound card, or an external PCMCIA sound card for a problem like this? Or does this warrant more extensive trouble shooting?

#10 Post by **Harryc** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:10 am

There is no 'internal sound card' on a T40. It is built into the system board. A PCMCIA sound card is a good idea to avoid the cost of a new system board. Did you try a Linux live CD as suggested? PC-Doctor is another good diag tool. Search the Lenovo support site for it.

yak · #11 Post by **yak** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 2:34 pm

You could try running diagnostics in PC Doctor for DOS. There is an image of a bootable CD on Lenovo's site. Unfortunatelly, you need a Windows machine to decompress the ISO file.

Here's the link:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-56222

eddiearniwhatever · #12 Post by **eddiearniwhatever** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 2:24 am

I tried a USB headset so i could skype from my computer. It worked. But only for system sounds and Skype. Then as I was skyping I noticed something strange: the on board mic was on, picking up sound and also playing what it was picking up. So touching the mic hole caused feedback. Then I noticed that when I put on an audio file it would play the file, but through the mic! Nothing from the speakers. And meanwhile the usb 'phones functioned for skype and system sounds but nothing else.

Is it possible that in the event of speaker failure the mic would act as a de facto speaker? I realize that the usb / no sound file issue might be a Linux/ ALSA issue (and I'm consulting other forums for advice on that one) but from a hardware standpoint, has anyone seen anything like this?

djThinkbad · #13 Post by **djThinkbad** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:46 pm

I HAVE THE ANSWER!!!

This just happened to my computer this morning and the only way I came to fix it was to go to Start >>Search>>then search for "SYSTEM RESTORE"

do the system restore and set your system to a previous date
PICK THE DATE WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAD SOUND LIKE TWO WEEKS AGO!!!

Boom sound's Back!!!

eddiearniwhatever · #14 Post by **eddiearniwhatever** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:31 pm

So I can't system restore. I think the issue might be fixable through ALSA, but that's a whole other forum in and of itself.

Sound gone suddenly, t40

Sound gone suddenly, t40

tried both...

hardware for certain...

internal or external sound card?

tried a usb headset... complicated issue

i'm not running windows...

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