IBM Thinkpad T41.. no sound.. please help.

tweed33

Thanks in advance for your time.

My computer does not seem to recognize any sound device. I've downloaded the proper audio drivers from Lenovo, but when I tried tried going to C:\DRIVERS\WIN\Audio...to run the executable it says:

"Driver Not Found! Reboot your system, and run this setup again."

Unfortunately, I get the same message after rebooting.


Things I've tried include:

- Upgraded all drivers to their current versions using ThinkVantage
Software Installer;

- Flashed BIOS with most recent version;

- Re-set BIOS to default to make sure that audio hardware is detected;

- Manually installed driver using Device Manager.


I tried the PC Doctor hardware check that came with the laptop. It says there is no audo hardware.

On a side note my usb ports are recognized, but do not recognize any peripherals plugged into them (otherwise I would buy a usb soundcard). \\

Computer specs:

Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.101209-1647)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: IBM
System Model: 23737FU
BIOS: Phoenix FirstBIOS(tm) Notebook Pro Version 2.0 for IBM ThinkPad
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1600MHz
Memory: 510MB RAM
Page File: 496MB used, 750MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode

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DxDiag Notes

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DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No sound card was found. If one is expected, you should install a sound driver provided by the hardware manufacturer.
Music Tab: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
Network Tab: No problems found.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

kryyst

For what it's worth. I had the exact same thing happen to a Lenovo T40. The sound chip/card whatever you want to call it on the motherboard simply failed and beyond possibly sending it in for repair it's unfix-able.

fmueller

kryyst wrote:

For what it's worth. I had the exact same thing happen to a Lenovo T40. The sound chip/card whatever you want to call it on the motherboard simply failed and beyond possibly sending it in for repair it's unfix-able.

If that's the problem, you might still be able to output an audio signal via USB. USB/SPDIF converters are available on eBay, and you could feed that signal into a digital input of an AV receiver. Alternatively you could use a USB DAC (more expensive), and feed the signal into any amplifier. Not very portable, but would get your laptop singing again

Tushon

kryyst wrote:

For what it's worth. I had the exact same thing happen to a Lenovo T40. The sound chip/card whatever you want to call it on the motherboard simply failed and beyond possibly sending it in for repair it's unfix-able.

This and because you are asking about a T41, it is probably out of warranty and probably not worth fixing. Audio through the USB is probably your only solution.

drasnor

Don't forget about the PC-Card SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Notebook. I had one for my T42 and it's just about the same as the desktop version (including the Creative driver fun), only portable.

tweed33

Thanks for the prompt replys folks. It looks like I'll be going the PCMCIA route as my usb's don't work either.. haha. Maybe I should just let go of this old thing, but if I can breathe a little life into it with a few bucks... it's worth a go.

tweed33:smiles:

fmueller

I had a Thinkpad A31 some years back. When it was at the stage yours seems to be at now, I took it apart and sold the components on eBay. I made about $160 - more than half the price of the Acer I am using right now :bigggrin:

QCH

Lenovo System Updater is your friend... it will find any missing or old drivers and install them for you. If it fails, it's a bad sound chip... SOL.

Lenovo's T41 Support page is here