How can the sound drivers just disappear?!

Chamath Herath New Brain

to get missing task bar press ctrl+altr+del in application tab choose "new task" then insert "explorer.exe"

Michael Cooke 1905

Well, consider trying Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntu.com/
It's an open source free operating system and virus' and bugs that torment Windoze, don't touch any linux. You need not give up windows, you can dual boot.

FYI all Linux software is free and very powerful, including Firefox(web browsing), Open Office (powerful and compatible with Microsoft office) and Gimp (Photoshop). With Ubuntu most of it comes with your OS, plus drivers for your computer, anything else you want you download for free with a 'software update' interfect, very easy.

Back to Windows XP:

A couple things could be going on. A virus is possible, a child with root access randomly deleting system files, or even a dying hard drive.

First thing, back up all your important files.

Use a virus checker, this free one, http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage , is better than many commercial anti-virus programs.

Boot from your Windows installation disk or a hard drive repair disk, you want to evaluate your hard drive from a disk check and repair program running from your CD or DVD so the entire hard drive can be checked. If the program reports much of your hard drive is ruined and cannot be repaired, it means you need a new hard drive, not just a fresh OS installation.

Of course the best solution for a clogged WINDOWS system is not just to reinstall Windows, but to REFORMAT the hard drive (which will not fix a dying hard drive, but will destroy incubating computer viruses) and then reinstall Windows. Back up all your favourite files and make sure you have installation files for your important software first.

Any hardware driver you're missing can usually be downloaded online. Type the manufacturer name and then "sound card driver download" in google and it should take you to where you can download the driver directly.

Aaron Jackson 1582

Sounds like a virus to me, I may be able to help you but you need to contact me directly.

Trent Christensen 1691

Time to go out and finally upgrade your system with something that can handle the memory/Hard Drive, and memeory of what it is that you are trying to do. It sucks to say that coming from someone who builds and creates his own computers.

Unknown Brain 1830

Don't listen to all that rubbish about drivers and hardware and whatnot. You need to hire a professional technomancer to re-apply the enchantments keeping the daemons within your computer tethered to do your bidding.

Please see this document as a reference. I can provide contact info for several skilled technomancers if you like.

http://james.hamsterrepublic.com/technomancy/

Jim Williams 2367

Onboard sound or Card?

Onboard.... use XP disc to repair and all should come back. Sometimes the updates frick around with the path and even though the drivers are in your system...they ( the humorous AI ) can't find them.

Card.... reinstall drivers ( similar reasons as above ) or pull the card, restart, shut down and install the card again and restart...it should do a more thorough search to find the drivers.

My system has a freaky input menu that always screws up when I switch from the front inputs to the back. Often the only way I can fix it is to pull, replace and let the system find the defaults. I'm certain this is not the "book" way to do...just the way that keeps all my hair where it belongs. :D

GL my friend