Try this -

Display the volume control icon in the taskbar

That control is only to tell Windows what sounds to play -- for example the crumpling-paper sound you get when you Empty the Recycle bin or the Windows Startup sound. It doesn't turn all sounds on or off.

You should be able to find the surround mixer, etc. in your Start\Programs menu. Look for a "folder icon" for Creative or Soundblaster.

But Donald and I seem to be in agreement that you'll probably have to get rid of those bad drivers and install the original drivers before you'll have success. The reason to uninstall them in Safe Mode is that if any are in use while booted to normal mode, they may not be uninstalled and may conflict with the drivers you're trying to install. In Safe Mode, this won't be a problem.

morning,jenny!

i found the eax and mixer,and when i tried to run a diagnostic, it requested to send an error report and shut down the process.

as for the re-install,i already did that. didn't help.

also, had an update from micro that it had not shut down auto.run properly at some point - don't know if that helps any one.

If this just occurred, you should try to restore the system to a state prior to installing the updates.

How to restore Windows XP to a previous state

Depending on your A/V Software, you may need to disable realtime protection while you do this.

thanks ,inland - again, i have done - am just going to take it to the "dr'" this week.