Windows 2000 Professional Help includes intuitive, step-by-step Troubleshooters to help you diagnose problems with audio, video, or multimedia, including:
Multimedia and Games Troubleshooter
Directx Troubleshooter
Hardware Troubleshooter
Display Troubleshooter
Sound Troubleshooter
In Windows 2000 you can also troubleshoot multimedia devices using the following procedure.
To troubleshoot specific multimedia devices
In Control Panel, double-click Sounds and Multimedia.
Click the Hardware tab, and then under Devices, select the device that you want to troubleshoot.
To determine the properties of the device, such as the driver version in use, click Properties.
To troubleshoot the device, click Troubleshoot.
Windows Media Player Help also contains a number of troubleshooting scenarios that can assist you in diagnosing and solving problems with playing audio, video, or multimedia.
Windows 2000 also includes the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, which you can use to obtain detailed system and driver information, as well as to test specific devices. The results can be reported to Microsoft Product Support Services to speed up diagnosing and resolving problems. To launch the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, on the Start menu, click Run, and then type:
dxdiag
Correcting Problems With Playing WAV Files
When a multimedia application is unable to play waveform-audio (WAV) files, it is usually caused by one or more of the following problems:
The Sound Card is Not Installed Properly
Make sure that the sound card settings do not conflict with other hardware. Use the Add New Hardware icon in Control Panel to detect your hardware and determine if you have any hardware for which the appropriate driver is not yet installed. Verify port and interrupt request (IRQ) settings.
NOTEIf the sound card can play MIDI files, the card is probably properly installed.
The Volume Is Muted or Too Low
Check to see that the volume in Volume Control is not muted or set too low.
To check the volume
On the Windows 2000 task bar, right-click the Volume Control icon, and then on the shortcut menu click Open Volume Controls. Verify that the Mute check box for Wave Balance is not selected, or raise the volume slider for Wave Balance if it is too low.
NOTEIf the Volume Control icon is not on the task bar, click Start and point to Programs, Accessories, and Entertainment, and then click Volume Control.
A Waveform-Audio Driver or Audio Codec Is Not Installed
If you are running Sound Recorder and there is no waveform-audio driver or audio codec installed, you receive an error message. In this case, make sure that the waveform-audio driver or audio codec is listed; to verify this, in Control Panel, double-click Sounds and Multimedia click the Hardware tab, and then examine the Devices list. Check with the manufacturer of the sound card to ensure you have the proper drivers. If you cannot find the correct audio codec or driver for the sound card in the list, connect to the manufacturer's Web site and download a current driver.
Correcting Problems With Playing MIDI Files
If a multimedia application cannot play MIDI files, it is generally the result of one or more of the following problems:
The Sound Card Is Not Installed Properly
Make sure that the sound card settings do not conflict with other hardware. Use the Add New Hardware option in Control Panel to detect your hardware, and determine whether you have any hardware for which the appropriate driver is not yet installed. Verify port and IRQ settings.
NOTEIf the sound card can play WAV files, the card is probably properly installed.
The Volume Is Muted or Too Low
See "Correcting Problems With Playing WAV Files" earlier in this chapter.
A MIDI Driver Is Not Installed
If you are using Media Player and cannot play a MIDI file, there might be no MIDI driver installed. Try installing the driver that was provided with the hardware.
The Incorrect MIDI Output Device Is Selected
If the selected MIDI device is incorrect, you hear no MIDI output. Choose only External MIDI or MIDI OUT for an add-on MIDI card, or if an external MIDI device (for example, a synthesizer) is connected to the MIDI port of a sound card. For example, if you do not have an MPU-401 compatible synthesizer plugged into the MIDI port, make sure that MPU-401 is not selected as your default MIDI device.
To select a preferred MIDI output device
In Control Panel, double-click Sounds and Multimedia.
Click the Audio tab.
Under MIDI Music Playback, in the Preferred device box, click the instrument that you want to use for MIDI music playback.
Because DVD uses several pieces, the first step in troubleshooting a DVD issue is to determine which piece is not functioning correctly.
Make sure that the DVD drive is displayed as functioning correctly in Device Manager.
Make sure that Windows 2000 can read the data on the DVD by using Windows Explorer to see the contents of the DVD. There can be at least two folders: Video_TS and Audio_TS.
If you are using a hardware decoder with your DVD drive, use Device Manager to verify that the decoder is working properly. To verify that your Hardware Decoder is supported by Windows 2000, check the Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility List link on the Web resources page at: http://windows.microsoft.com/windows2000/reskit/webresources.
If you are using a software decoder with your DVD drive, use Device Manager to verify that the software decoder is working properly.
For additional help in troubleshooting problems playing DVDs, click the Help menu in DVD Player.
Correcting Problems With Playing an Audio CD
If a you are unable to hear an audio CD being played, it is commonly caused by one or more of the following problems:
The CD-ROM Drive Is Not Properly Installed
Place a data CD in the CD-ROM drive, and make that sure you can view the files in Windows Explorer or list the files at the command prompt. If you can, the CD-ROM drive is properly installed. If not, verify your disk drivers—Enhanced Small Device Interface (ESDI), small computer system interface (SCSI), Proprietary, MSCDEX—and then make the appropriate configuration changes so that you can view the files on a data CD.
The Volume Is Muted or Too Low
See "Correcting Problems With Playing WAV Files" earlier in this chapter.
Digital CD Audio for the CD-ROM Device Is Not Enabled
You can have Windows 2000 use digital playback of a CD audio for digital devices, such as USB speakers. This feature works only with certain CD-ROM devices. If you enable digital CD audio and encounter playback problems, such as audio skipping, or cutting in or out, your CD-ROM drive might not be compatible with digital CD audio.
To verify that the digital CD audio is enabled
In Control Panel, double-click Sounds and Multimedia.
Click the Hardware tab. Under Devices, select the CD device, and then click Properties.
Under Digital CD Playback, select the Enable digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device check box to send the playback for the CD Player to a digital device, such as USB speakers. Selecting this check box disables audio output from the headphone jack on the CD-ROM drive.
The CD-ROM Is Not Connected to the Sound Card
If the CD-ROM is playing and there is no sound coming from the sound card speakers, try plugging the speakers or headphones into the audio jack on the face of the CD-ROM drive. If you hear sound, check the internal or external audio connection between the CD-ROM drive and the sound card.
If headphones are connected directly to a sound card, verify that the headphones are plugged into the line-out or audio-out connectors and not, for example, to the line-in or microphone-in connectors.
If the headphones are connected correctly and you still cannot hear audio, verify that the sound card is correctly installed by reviewing its properties.
To view sound card properties
In Control Panel, double-click Sounds and Multimedia.
Click the Hardware tab. Under Devices, select your sound card or CD-ROM drive, and then click Properties.
Adjust the volume settings until you can hear output from the headphones.
NOTEIf you have Digital CD Playback enabled for a CD-ROM drive, audio output from the headphone jack on the CD-ROM drive is disabled.