Thinkpads Forum

Hi! New here. Just bought a ThinkPad t61 with an XP OS at Amazon. Works like a dream but only one issue--so far.

I keep losing the sound driver, SoundMax, I think it's called, about every 3 or 4 times that I power on. I have to keep reinstalling them on -- I got the drivers Lenovo had on the web site.

After a few start ups, I lose them again and have to either reinstall by removing the SoundMax and then reinstalling the driver OR just install over the driver on the same folder. Either way, I keep losing them after a few times.

I read on other sights that people are complaining about the SoundMax thing, do you people have any idea? Please, I'm not too techie as you can tell. I just want to hear what I'm seeing

Here you are, sir.

Here is a direct link to download the SoundMax (Audio) driver for Thinkpad T61.

I've made this as simple as possible by linking you directly to the driver page for the device you specified, so now all you have to do is just refer back to this post whenever you're in need of the driver download link.

Download:

https://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/p ... a117ww.exe

Thanks,

-TPFL

Thank you, -TPFL

I'll try this one. Maybe they updated it since I re-installed it -again- last night. It only lasted two times since I re-installed it again.

Sadly, it looks like the same one that I got from the Lenovo support site. I'll let you know if this does it.

Everything else seems to be working fine, except this SoundMax thingy. I've already bookmarked the site and download page since I've had to download it so many times. What a shame.

Well, just as I thought. I used the driver at the Lenovo site you graciously sent me and--no dice.

Same thing happened--lost SoundMax after 3rd or 4th boot. It seems this is an issue with some other posts I'm googling. Will keep on searching, though. T hanks again.

Have you tried UNinstalling and deleting the old driver first, then reboot and install the new one?

RealBlackStuff wrote:Have you tried UNinstalling and deleting the old driver first, then reboot and install the new one?

Well, if you mean by uninstalling and deleting the driver, I go to the control panel and remove the Soundmax from there. Then I install the one I downloaded from Lenovo, and re-boot. Is that what you mean? Am I missing something, did I miss a step?

Yes, I've done it several times over, same procedure I think. Sorry for my non techie knowledge about computers in general.

Thank you replying.

When i get odd windows driver behaviour i do the following...

remove all drivers from machine
remove the offending hardware from device manager
reboot & force the hardware to detect itself again
reinstall driver as needed

however it might help to clarify just what behaviour you mean by losing the drivers? if the hardware is constantly being re-detected it could be a mb issue.

After uninstalling hardware drivers I usually perform a quick registry clean with a couple of software utilities, because either one tends to detect stuff the other misses. I use Auslogics Registry Cleaner (FREE) and CCleaner (FREE).

Thanks guys, and gals, but up to now, nothing is working that was recommended. I just powered on the T61 and same thing happened: no sound after I had just done a SoundMax removal from the control panel AND a clean re-install with the same 7ka117ww driver I have downloaded from Lenovo.

Now, after two successful reboots with sound, same thing again. No sound with this third re-boot.
As I've said before, I keep losing the drivers for SoundMax, yet they appear in the hardware device as normal .

Can anyone recommend some really good online tech support that can take over this laptop and see what's going on?

Not knowing which SoundMAX driver you installed...

For what it is worth...

I have been using this SoundMAX driver with 32-bit Windows 7 on my T61 without any problems:

SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio
Provider: AnalogDevices
Date: 10/4/2007
Version: 6.10.1.5510


I installed it from Lenovo's compressed file "7ka213ww.exe"
which becomes SETUP.EXE dated 12/7/2007 10:13

This is the only driver that I found that allowed me to use the built-in microphone port.

define losing drivers?

Okay, one more time...

1-I just bought a T61 Lenovo ThinkPad running an XP Pro OS.

2- After two or three times of turning on the laptop, I no longer have any sound. I've "lost" the sound.

3- I removed the SoundMax via Control Panel.

4- I temporarily disable the anti-vi.

5- I download the 7ka117ww from the Lenovo web site and install anew.

6- I power down, and power back on the laptop.

7- Great! I now have sound! For a couple of more times, then I lose the sound again, and I have to start the whole process again from step 1.

I had to re-stall last night about three times so I could watch something on YouTube. Any ideas people?

You've all been so attentive and helpful, but to no avail. My SoundMax, or whatever, is still not holding...

If it is a driver issue:

Are there any older versions of the XP Soundmax driver to try installing? Lenovo site usually has a list of older versions. Not sure if it'd help or make a difference though but maybe it's worth a try?

checked and there is version 5.10.1.5520 (vs .5710) downloadable from this link https://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/p ... a114ww.exe (114ww vs 117ww)

By any chance does the machine not have the latest BIOS version, if that would have an effect?

Thanks, I'll try anything at this point.

Ladywiz wrote:Okay, one more time...

You've all been so attentive and helpful, but to no avail. My SoundMax, or whatever, is still not holding...

Not being facetious, just trying to make sure it's clear what the issue is.

Lets assume the drivers themselves are fine. I'm assuming the Soundmax drivers come with a mixer? Is the mixer selecting a digital input/output or is it muting the correct output. Is it possible your media player trying the same?

Please, as I explained from step one, I'm not very techie-oriented. I've gone over this issue several times and am not inclined to go over it again. I think my last explanation was quite clear.

Right now, I'm using my T61 without sound at all: the messages I get are these:

"The Sound Max Audio driver did not load. You may need to re-install Sound Max." This I have done several times and still I lose Sound Max.

THE SECOND MESSAGE READS: "The output sound device has not been initialized. Error Code 3"

I have the feeling that as helpful as you all have been, no one even understands what I've explained...as simple as the explanation is... after re-installing the driver from Lenovo, and re-booting 2 or 3 times, the sound disappears after several re-boots.

My suggestion:
- dump XP
- install Middleton's T61/T61p BIOS from here: http://ali.dj/blog/sata-ii-support-for- ... 61-x61-r61
- upgrade to 4GB RAM
- find some W7-Pro Lenovo 64-bit recovery disks (check our Marketforum)
- install W7
- follow this thread before you update W7: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=120270

Thanks guys for your suggestion to dump XP. But I've got too many web design and graphics software that only went up to XP to lose if I did that.

I'll just keep moving along until someone tells me what could be wrong. Thanks, anyway, I appreciate it.

I think it's understood that the problem keeps coming back with reboots. Something wrong with XP or the environment could be the culprit, then. If you could try another Windows or a fresh XP install in another drive, and see if the problem keeps occurring, that would help determine whether the problem is caused by the T61's hardware (bad Soundmax chip?) or by an issue in your Windows environment.

There should be just one screw to the right of the palmrest to remove the HDD and slide in another and install a test environment to that.

Singling out hardware or software issues is something I like to do for troubleshooting, but I'm afraid this advice is all the help I can give at this point. I don't have a T61 or another laptop with this problem.

Considering the machine came from Amazon with an OS already installed, depending on when the seller installed it and how old it's been, how much it's been used, etc. it could have its own issues (reasons for selling, maybe?) and you've inherited them. Just musing here..

Try booting from a life Linux CD and see if it finds sound or not.

TPFanatic wrote: Considering the machine came from Amazon with an OS already installed, depending on when the seller installed it and how old it's been, how much it's been used, etc. it could have its own issues (reasons for selling, maybe?) and you've inherited them. Just musing here..

That's probably the problem TP Fanatic. It's a shame because it runs just perfectly if it weren't for this SoundMax thingy.

RealBlackStuff, I've been thinking about going with Linux and just ridding myself of the M$ sourge, but I don't know if I could do it or not. As said before, I'm not too techie-oriented and XP was just great for the little that I do and that I know.

I've owned Macs before and they were just too expensive for what I do, writing.
TO EVERYONE AT THE FORUM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. YOU'RE SUPER!

If the system hasn't been formatted before, why not just boot into the Lenovo recovery tools and reset it to the factory XP installation?

Thanks for the tip, I might just do it.

I just dug out a T61 that had a sound issue back about 2014 or so. Actually, I ran across it in a box and it had a note on it "No Sound" "Bad Board". My memory recall , the past several months, seems to have deteriorated a bit, and I couldn't recall just what the deal was with it, so I dug it out. Apparently I had researched and tried this, that and the other, appealing to the forum as well, before finally just giving up and writing it off. Well, tonight I have spent another several hours repeating all that stuff. According to my controls, I'm getting sound from my speakers, but I'm not. There is no sound from the speakers. I plugged in headphones and there is no sound from there either. I've re-installed drivers, or tried to, re-booted, etc., etc.,. One solution I read that worked for some people, was to pound on the volume up button at the top of the keyboard. Supposedly , the speakers plug in under the bezel near where the memory is located. My wires are plugged in. One guy wrote something about when you install the driver, you need to go back to that file and install it a second time for it to take effect. I sure don't understand that or how to do it, but that is what I recall reading. Seems I recall that from when I was messing with it before. Anyway, everything I did, was stuff I had done before. So, now, I'm going to put it back in a box and forget about it for another year or two. It's a shame- it's a nice little computer and everything is fine except "no sound". If someone gets it figured out, please let me know.

@Donal

1. Instead of hijacking the thread, you could have started a new one, since your problem is different from the original poster.
2. In any case, check the headphone jack. It's possible that a foreign object is lodged inside and forcing the output to switch to the headphone jack instead of the internal speakers. There's an older thread that had that particular issue.

My sincerest apology to you and anyone else I may have offended. It was not my intention to hijack a thread. For some reason I thought the thread had to do with no sound on a T61. I will certainly try to be more careful with my posts/ replies in the future.

Well it is audio chip related so I do not see much of a problem with it. Also there are so many forums on the internet, that think resurrecting threads older than a year is a crime worthy of public humiliation and hanging.

Well, the symptoms are different (no audio VS disappearing drivers).

The latter is possibly a hardware issue (test on Linux just to make sure), while the former could be a wonky WIndows installation (as suggested by previous posts).