System sounds may not work after upgrading to Windows Me, Windows 98, or Windows 98 Second Edition

After you install Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows Millennium Edition (Me), system sounds may not work. Also, the volume setting may revert back to its original position.

This behavior occurs because the sound card is unable to use the installed Windows Driver Model (WDM) driver.

To resolve this issue, contact the sound card manufacturer to obtain the correct driver for the sound card. If the sound card is a Plug and Play card, use Device Manager to manually update a driver by pointing to the driver's .inf file.

Some common third-party sound card manufacturers include:

• Yamaha
• ESS Technology
  http://www.esstech.com/ (http://www.esstech.com/)
• C-Media
  http://www.cmedia.com.tw (http://www.cmedia.com.tw)
• Creative Labs
  http://www.creative.com (http://www.creative.com)
• Addonics
  http://www.addonics.com (http://www.addonics.com)
• WinDrivers (comprehensive list of sound drivers)
  http://www.windrivers.com/ (http://www.windrivers.com/)

Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

During the installation of Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows Me, Setup attempts to detect a better driver for the sound card and a WDM driver is loaded. Because some sound cards cannot use WDM drivers, the sound may not work or may behave erratically.