Windows 7 wierd sound problem
Ever since I installed Win 7, I'm having a strange sound problem. Sound is working when I play music, watch DVD, you tube video's etc. But, when I'm in Internet explorer and browsing web pages, you know that "click sound" you hear when you click a web page and back out of a web page? Well that sound is absent unless I have some type of media playing in the backround, such as WMP, iTunes, you tube, etc. As long I have something playing sound in the backround, the IE click sounds work. I have loaded all windows updates, updated my sound drivers to the latest, ran sfc/scannow, I even did a Win 7 repair and still no joy. Anybody have a clue how to fix this? I didn't have this problem in Vista. This is more of an annoyance than anything else.TIA!Win 7 x64 UltimateSB Xi-fi sound cardXPS 630i
November 28th, 2009 4:37am

Go to Control Panel, Sound, Sounds Tab, scroll down to Windows Explorer, Start Navigation and see if any sound is associated with it, if it does, turn up your volume and test it. I usually have to turn it up quite high to hear it myself (bad hearing). Personally it would drive me nuts to hear that clicking.MCSE, MCSA, MCDST
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November 28th, 2009 8:29am

Yes, the default Windows Navigation .wav file is associated. Turning up the speakers doesn't help. In fact, clicking the test button doesn't play the .wav unless I have some other media playing inthe background. What's funny is if I change the Windows Explorer start navigation default .wav to any other .wav file, it will play fine "without" having media playing. I've seen a lot of strange problems, but this one has me stumped.If you're running win7, can you hear the .wav if youclick test"without" any other media playing in the backround?
November 29th, 2009 3:04am

I hear it without other media playing. It's delayed a fraction of a second after I click the mouse, which seems normal.-Noel
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November 29th, 2009 3:47am

Hi tburton, Please see if the issue occurs in Internet Explorer 8 (IE 8) with No Add-ons mode. To do this, please perform the following steps: Start Internet Explorer 8 (IE 8) with No Add-ons mode ========= To do this, Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Internet Explorer (No Add-ons). Note: If the issue does not occur after you use this method, use the Manage Add-ons option in the Tools menu to determine which add-ons are causing the issue. If the issue persists, please test in Clean Boot. If the issue disappears in the Clean Boot environment, we can use a 50/50 approach to quickly narrow down which entry is causing the issue. Also, please download the Windows Navigation Start.wav file from my Skydrive. Go to C:\Windows\Media\Festival and replace the Windows Navigation Start.wav file with the newly downloaded one to see if the issue can be resolved. Hope this helps. Regards, Linda
November 30th, 2009 8:28am

Linda and Tburton,I am having the same problem and it is driving me crazy!!! Every "windows navigation start" sound under every theme works fine -EXCEPT for the windows default theme. I can hear the "festival" click with no problem - it's just the standard under windows default theme that will not play. This problem has been driving me buggy!! Is there any way you can put the "windows default" windows navigation start.wave file on your skydrive, and I can try to download that right into my C drive??Thanks for your help!
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December 2nd, 2009 5:52am

Hi Daniel, I have uploaded a file named "Windows Navigation Start (Default).wav" to my Skydrive. Please download and save it to C:\Windows\Media. Rename the file to Windows Navigation Start.wav and see if the issue can be resolved.
December 2nd, 2009 6:17am

I am trying to do that but the computer wont let me. It says I need permission - I am the only user on this home PC. I do not have great working knowledge of Win 7 yet so Im not sure what to do to copy and paste the file into the drive. Anyhow, I renamed it windows navigation start 2.wav and still no sound! I guess I will try your ideas above and see what happens.
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December 2nd, 2009 7:37am

Linda,I tried also running IE with no add-ons. Still no sound. I will read about how to do "clean boot" try it, and post again tomorrow when I tried that.
December 2nd, 2009 7:57am

Sorry for the many posts; when I examined the article for "clean boot" it did not discuss instructions for Windows 7 operating system. Is there anything else you would suggest? If not, I guess I will choose a different win navigation sound under a different scheme to get it to work. Can't think of anything else.
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December 2nd, 2009 5:41pm

Hi Daniel, If the issue does not occur on other navigation sound files, the issue should be caused by damaged .wav file. You can test the issue by playing the .wav file using Windows Media Player. If it cannot be played, please try using System File Checker Tool to see if the file can be repaired.
December 3rd, 2009 5:24am

Hi Linda, I don't believe the .WAV file is damaged. If I have media playing in background, the start navigation .WAV plays perfect. If I stop playing background media, the start navigation .WAV will not play under any circumstance, that I could find. Yet all other .wav files will play without media playing. It is a very buggy problem. I will try disabling add-ons I have not tried that yet. I have tried in clean boot, same problem. Thanks for your tips.
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December 3rd, 2009 5:43am

Additional note to the problem. I am also running a similar Dell computer (435/Studio XPS 9000) with a SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio card and have upgraded from Vista 64 to Windows 7 64. I have Quicken 2010 Deluxe installed on my computer. I noticed last night that all my quicken sounds are gone. I went into the sounds tab and found while there was a "speaker" icon next to each event, there was no .wav file associated with it. So I went back in and re-associated the Quicken sounds with the event. After a couple tries, most sounds worked - BUT some did not-notably Quicken's "click" sound and a couple of others. No sound when the file is selected, but most worked. I also noticed when the program starts, even though I have selected a Quicken startup sound for the quicken program, no sound comes through. This is now the second instance where some sounds just do not work. Very odd. I wonder if it has something to do with the sound card? Perhaps the driver? When I use windows to check for drivers, it does say the latest is installed, but I cant match up the driver # to creative's driver #. Any other suggestions on what might be causing this problem?
December 3rd, 2009 5:11pm

Hi Daniel, It sounds like since we have the same sound card, perhaps it could be a sound carddriver issue. It might be worth uninstalling the sound card drivers/software andre-install. I won't be near the computer until Saturday so I'll have to report my results this weekend.
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December 3rd, 2009 5:42pm

I have the same problem with my Dell Studio and sound works in CD's and things but not with EI-8. I'am going to try some of the things that you are talking about and will get back with you.
December 3rd, 2009 9:41pm

ggroeneweg, are you using the same sound card we are? The SB X-fi?
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December 4th, 2009 4:26am

Problem solved.This issue may only occur with people that have upgradedtheir system from Vista (x64) to Win 7 (x64)and are using the Creative Labs SB x-Fi sound card. Although it may occur with any Creative Labsproduct,or other sound cards. If you experience this problem you may want to use the following procedure to fix the problem:1. Completely un-install all Creative Labs applications, from Control Panel, Programs and Features. 2. Uninstall the driver from Device Manager, Sound, video and game controller. I initially tried just uninstalling and reinstalling the driver, and this did not cure the problem. 3. AfterI uninstalled everything, I ran registry cleaner to clear out orphaned entriesfrom uninstall. 4. Reboot5. Go to Creative Labs website and run autoupdater. It will find all programs that you had uninstalled, including the driver. 6. Disable anti-virus and firewall. 7. Proceed with installation of applications and driver.8. Reboot.9.Remember to enable youranti-virus andfirewall.
December 6th, 2009 8:55pm

I'm curious why the antivirus and firewall should have to be disabled... Is this on advice from Creative Labs?-Noel
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December 6th, 2009 9:35pm

Hi Noel,It's not required to disable, but it's generally good practice to disable anti-virus and firewall when installing any new sofware as it can interfere with proper installaion.
December 6th, 2009 9:51pm

I don't know what antivirus and firewall software you use, but in my experience it can interfere with virus and malware installation, but I've never seen it interfere with the installation of legitimate software.When you are installing new software is precisely the time you want your antivirus and firewall software on the job!-Noel
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December 7th, 2009 2:42am

We're kind of getting off subject, but many software programs (including Microsoft)recommend disabling anti-virus and some recommend disabling both anti-virus and firewall prior to installing software. Do a Google search and you will see the many reason why. Here is one example:http://ask-leo.com/why_do_some_programs_say_to_disable_antivirus_before_installing_and_should_i_turn_it_on_again_after.html
December 7th, 2009 3:28am

Thanks for the follow-up.My position is this: If your antivirus/antimalware software interferes with your legitimate installation activity on your system, it's time to getbetter antivirus/antimalware software -after verifyingthe application you're installing is not actually harboring malware!Regarding learning things from a Google search, my own counsel will I keep on who knows how to run their Windows system well. My opinion is thatvery few people do that particularly well.While people may well advise turning off 3rd party security software in the process of debugging specific problems, it is simply not wise toadvise people in the general case to disable theirantivirus/antimalware during software installs.-Noel
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December 7th, 2009 3:55am

My position is this: There is no antivirus/antimalware products made that are 100% perfect. Theyjust don't exist. Legitimate software, including Microsoft recommend disabling antivirus/antimalware during software installation. No where is it written that you MUST. It's simply a recommendation.By the way, I just had a glanceat my Win 7 upgrade installation guide. Mind you, Win 7 was just released on 10/22/09.Step 7: If needed, first update your antivirus program, then follow these steps:1. Run your antivirus program.2. Turn it off by choosing to disable it.3. After you install Windows 7, remember to turn it on again by choosingto enable it. Or install new antivirus software that works with Windows 7.So I guess it's not just me advising people in the general to disable their antivirus/antimalware during software installs.
December 7th, 2009 4:42am

Hey, what registry cleaner did you run?
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December 7th, 2009 7:20am

ok I tried just what you said above and it does not seem that it worked. I followed all steps until step 5. After my computer rebooted, before I could do anything, it (windows)searched for a audio driver, found it, and installed it. I went to the creative labs site, tried to run autoupdater, where it said it found "Creative ALchemy release 1.25.02. Every time I then tried to click "check for update" I got a message saying the server was too busy. How were you able to install from creative before windows searches, finds, and installs the sound driver? Not exactly sure where I am going wrong. Everything was fine until after the reboot, and when I try the autoupdater all it says it finds is ALchemy. Any ideas?
December 7th, 2009 8:00am

I am having the same problem (clean install of Win 7 x64). I have associated another file with Windows Start Navigation and tht works. I even took another good copy of the wav file and copied it to the C:\windows\media folder and tried to re-associate it and that did not work.I am running the SoundBlaster SB X-Fi as well. Something is wierd...cmcgreanor
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December 10th, 2009 3:04am

Please try the following:1. Open Creative Labs Audio Control Panel. Start, all programs, Creative, Creative Audio Control Panel.2. Click on X-Fi CMSS-3D Tab3. Deselect the Enable X-Fi CMSS-3D check box. 4. Select Close.5. Try testing Start Navigation again. Please report back if this solves the problem.
December 11th, 2009 3:44am

I am going to try this as well. I tried your method above in the problem solved post, but I ran into a couple of problems. One, the creative autodetector didnt find my sound card. So I downloaded and tried to install the drivers myself - however, they wont install! At first, every time I installed them, windows would install its version of the driver when I rebooted. After I told windows to not download drivers anymore, it somehow still installs that windows provided driver anyway, so I dont get it. I cant figure out how to get these drivers installed and STAY installed!!By the way, now that I've turned off windows supposedly automatically installing drivers, is this going to be a problem if/when I install new devices? Should I turn that back on? Do you have any other ideas how I can get the creative drivers installed?? I will also try what you posted above tonight.
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December 11th, 2009 4:38pm

It is normal for Windows to install a default sound driver after you remove Creative Labs driver. It sounds like something is interfering with the Creative Labs Autoupdate function. I did not have any problems. Make sure your firewall is not blocking the inbound request to scan your system, and make sure to respond to IE request, i.e., active x, etc. Lastly, be sure you have removed all Creative Labs software through Programs and Features before running Autoupdate. This is what I did and it worked fine. I would leave Windows Automatic updates Enabled.
December 11th, 2009 5:47pm

well you're not going to believe this but that worked. I can now hear the default windows navigation click. Weird! How the heck did you figure that out? And what does that CMSS 3D tab do anyhow? Am I losing anything decent by not leaving it clicked?Thanks!!!
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December 12th, 2009 9:14pm

It seems Creative Labs and Win7 are not playing well together. I suspect the problem is with the Windows Audio Service as this problem was not apparent in Vista.You have few options: 1. Leave CMSS-3D disabled.2. Wait for Microsoft/Creative Labs to correct problem.3. Replace sound card with different manufacturer.I will open case with Microsoft for investigation since this problem is repeatable.Btw, brief explanation on CMSS-3D:X-Fi CMSS is basically a voice extraction technology that redirects center-panned sounds into the front center speaker without altering the stero balance. Supposed to give you the feeling you are listening to the band on stage.
December 12th, 2009 10:12pm

Another thing to add to this thread: I have done some experimentation with the settings on the Creative panel. It seems that when I had CMSS-3D enabled, the "upmix" mode selected (where the surround button is)was Stereo Xpand. I did not realize this could be changed. I re-enabled CMSS-3D and chose the upmix mode "Stereo Surround." Well, not only does my computer sound 1000% times better (especially music)it seems all sounds are coming through fine.I also enabled the X-Fi Crystalizer. Sound is fantastic, and like I said, all sounds seem to come through great. Also, no more popping of speakers. Thankas for opening my eyes to this setting. Seems the answer was right there all along!!
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December 15th, 2009 5:51am

Yes I am, My problen was fixed my uninstalling all sound drivers. Then turning off McAfee and reinstalling all sound works great. Thanks for all your help.
December 22nd, 2009 4:22am

Hi people. I know it has been about 2 weeks since the last post but I wanted to say that this same issue is somehow caused by the Creative software for all creative products. I am sure that this will be fixed in due time but what I did to fix it originally was to disable all the soundblaster enhancements. To get there right-click the sound icon(bottom right corner) and select "sounds" from there select playback, then double-click "Speakers". Then select "Sound Blaster" and check "Disable Sound Blaster Enhancements". That should fix anyones issue if they have a soundblaster card. BTW my stats :Windows 7 Professional x32Nvidia Geforce 9800 GTX+Intel Dual Core 2 Duo at 3.6 GHz4 GB Ram1 TB HDDSound Blaster Audigy 2 LS Sound Card
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January 7th, 2010 3:42am

Just to let people know I have this exact same problem, I have noticed I can just hear the last millisecond of the sound clip, unless of course media player or something is open in which case the sound works just fine. Unlike everyone here though I am using an Asus Xonar XD sound card, I have noticed that the effect of what is playing with that particular sound changes a lot depending on which dolby settings I am using - it's never right though unless Media Player is open.
November 18th, 2010 6:08pm

I am reading all of your questions and comments on "sounds" in W7. I have a new Studio XPS 8100, 64-bit, and just installed Quicken 2011...and NO SOUNDS associated with Quicken. I assigned the sounds in the control panel, sounds, and as soon as I say "ok"...the speaker icon goes from yellow to white and won't test any sound. This was also true with Quicken 2008. I assumed it was a problem with 2008 version, and thought it would be ok with 2011. I, too, am wondering if something is wrong with the sound card, which I have an "on board" RealTek, Creative Labs. Dell says it's a software problem and won't discuss without $, Quicken keeps saying everything to nothing!!! I have updated the driver, nope, still nothing!!! Why can't someone at Microsoft find a solution in their W7, because all my Quicken programs worked in WXP, and before.
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March 29th, 2011 3:38am

I have exactly the same computer and sound card and cannot get any sounds from Quicken 2011. I've looked everywhere on the internet. Would appreciate any help you all might have. Thanks.
May 12th, 2011 10:34pm

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