sound refuses to work

So I inherited a computer that I would like to use to play music in my living room. The problem is that the sound does not work on the computer. My brother said the sound used to work, then it stopped working, then he somehow fixed it, then it stopped working again. He is not sure how he fixed it the first time. The computer had Windows 98SE.



I reinstalled the drivers a few times. One way by deleting the drivers, restarting the computer, and allowing them to install themselves. Another way by using the CD to remove and reinstall them. I was able to obtain and identical sound card and i tried that with no luck.



I then decided to format the drive and install Windows XP. Once again the sound still does not work.



Any suggestions??

Did XP install drivers for the sound card, or did you have to manually install them once again? Have you checked device manager for any errors or what not?

It's not totally uncommon for sound cards to fail. I got a computer that worked great until it tried to play audio running any OS. I disabled the onboard sound, and it worked great.

XP installed all drivers fine, but I did think about reinstalling them from the CD to double check.



I just thought it was wierd because both of them don't work. It could be possible though because they are both old.



What do u mean by onboard sound??



Thanks for the response.