T43 No Sound

[Microspeed]

Device manager does not show a card. I did a restore from the R&R menu back to the factory load of of XP. Aftewards, did the windows updates including service pack 3. Is there a driver I need to re-load? I am a bit puzzled. I Just picked up this T43 2687-D8U so I don't know any history on it. When I first tried to power the unit up it wouldnt boot fully into windows. The machinre would lock up hard before you got past the sign on screen. I then tried an identical T43 harddrive. It booted up fine. Opened windows, even got online. Bought a new harddrive and was going to install it. Tried to boot one more time and it worked. ??? Tried it again and again. Still Booted up just fine. Decided that being the restore partision was there and appeared working I would reload and start fresh. Besides I didn't have any of the pervious owners user passwords. Everything loaded fine without errors, just doesnt have any sound other than the system "beeps" for the volume control. Any ideas on where I go next? Thinking about putting the know good T43 drive back in and seeing if I get sound then. Other than that I am out of ideas.

Thanks

[ajkula66]

Boot from a "live" Linux CD and see whether you have sound there.

If you do, there's a driver issue within XP.

If you don't the sound card is gone.

Any version of Mint works out of the box (for your purposes) on a T43

www.linuxmint.com

Good luck.

[Microspeed]

Thanks I'll give that a try.

[poshgeordie]

Trying a Linux CD is a good idea.

Also in XP, do you have a speaker symbol in the bottom box; also in System > Hardware Devices are there any missing or problems with drivers indicated?

However I'm coming to the conclusion with T43's that the major problem with them is not just the solder problem with the graphics chip but the southbridge (SB) too, which controls the HDD operation, sound (as well as USB etc).

The hard lockup on the HDD is a classic symptom of failing SB solder joints, together with no sound and do sometimes go hand in hand.

Try pressing down on the trackpad area if the HDD stops booting up. If it starts again as you press down then it's probably SB.

Regarding sound issues and SB, sometimes you'll hear pulsing or fizzing sounds from the speakers which is indicative of a failing SB soldering.

Really hope I'm wrong here but I've had so many going through my hands recently with this fault I thought I'd mention it.

[RealBlackStuff]

I had a T43 with similar problems.
GPU Medics did an excellent job in reballing the Southbridge. No problems since.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0544539041

[Microspeed]

Well I tried the Linux CD. Unit booted up and there was no sound.

Also in XP, do you have a speaker symbol in the bottom box; also in System > Hardware Devices are there any missing or problems with drivers indicated?

No, that was the first place I looked. There is an area for sound, but no sound card. Basicly, futher investigation leads me to believe that there isn't a "sound card" anymore. As for HD problems I am not having any problems right now.....
I took the keyboad off, to take a look around. Didn't see anything that jumped out and said "hey I'm broke". Tried pressing on the on and around the track pad. Nothing happened. I have never heard anything from the speakers. I guess I am either looking at replacing the planar or reflowing the SB and GPU. At the very least have checked out. Don't know for sure what I will do with this. I might be better off parting it out and putting the money into a T60 or T61. I already have a T43 I will be replacing the planar, dont know it I want to do 2. For the time being it works.... but I would hate to sell it to someone just to have it fail all together on them.

Thanks for all your help guys