How to Find the Sound Card in Windows XP

By Christopher Williams

A sound card may fit in one of your computer's PCI slots, or it may connect to a USB port.
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In addition to physically installing a sound card onto the motherboard of your computer, there are times when you need to check that the card is installed and working correctly within Windows itself. An incorrectly installed or outdated driver can cause problems even if the card is physically installed correctly. Locating your card within Windows takes but a few moments. The sound card, as with other hardware devices, is accessed via the Device Manager.

Step 1

Open the Start menu and click "Control Panel." This will open a window containing various modules for control and configuration of your system.

Step 2

Click "Performance and Maintenance," and then click "System."

Step 3

Navigate to the Hardware section by clicking the Hardware tab near the top of the window.

Step 4

Click "Device Manager." A new window will open listing the types of devices on your system. From here you can edit hardware settings and preferences for your computer.

Step 5

Expand the Sound, Video and Game Controllers section by clicking the plus sign next to "Sound, Video and Game Controllers." A list of devices, including your sound card and associated codecs installed on your system, will now be visible.

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