No Sound with My Presario F500 DVD Drive

Not being able to hear audio associated with a DVD played in the Compaq Presario F500 notebook can result because the media player you're using doesn't support the DVD's audio codec or file type, or because the media player's or PC's settings aren't set up correctly. Use troubleshooting steps to narrow down and resolve your problem.

Audio Codec Support

The media player in which you're viewing the DVD may be compatible with the audio file type, but the codec in which the DVD audio is wrapped may not currently be supported by the player. Audio codecs are used to compress (and decompress) audio files, reducing the file size as much as possible, and there are thousands of codecs available. Try updating your media player software to update the codecs and see if that resolves the problem. For example, the Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer-3 codec is supported on the most recent version of Windows Media Player, but it may not be supported on previous versions. If the DVD audio still won't play in the media player you're using, try using a different media player, as different players support different audio codecs.

Audio File Type

The audio file type may also not be supported by the media player in which you're currently viewing the DVD. Check the list of supported file types in the specifications for your media player. If the audio file type of your DVD isn't supported by the media player, try viewing the DVD with another media player. For example, if the disc in your DVD drive contains audio files in the Apple Lossless audio format (ALAC), you won't be able to listen to those files in Windows Media Player, as it doesn't support playback of ALAC files.

Media Player Settings

Even if the volume is turned up on your Compaq Presario F500 notebook, if the volume is turned down or muted within the media player you're using to view the DVD, you won't be able to hear any audio. Check the audio levels within the media player and ensure that the audio isn't muted within the player. Also, the audio track you've set the DVD up to play may not have any audio on it. You can test the audio track by trying to listen to any other audio tracks on the DVD to see if they have any audio. For example, when watching a DVD in Windows Media Player, you can view alternate audio tracks by clicking "Alt | Play | Audio and Language Tracks." Empty audio tracks are especially common in homemade DVDs. If you don't hear audio on any of the audio tracks, the media player likely doesn't support either the codec or the file type.

PC Audio Settings

Even if the volume is turned up within the media player, you may not hear any audio if the Compaq Presario F500 is muted or the volume is turned all the way down. You can quickly check to see if the computer is muted or the volume is turned down by clicking the sound icon in the system tray. The system tray is located on your Windows taskbar and looks like a speaker. When the PC volume is muted, a red circle with a line through it appears next to the sound icon; when the PC's audio is not muted, two curved lines representing audio appear to the right of the sound icon.

PC Hardware Problems

The Compaq Presario F500's speaker cable may have become disconnected from the audio board. To fix this, you must remove the hard drive, memory modules, switch cover, optical drive, display and keyboard cover to access the audio board, which houses the headphone input and is located beneath the keyboard in the front middle part of the computer. Don't attempt to access the audio cable if you don't feel comfortable working with computers and without wearing an anti-static wrist strap. The speaker cable has roughly a one-inch wide connector and is the only cable connected to the audio board. Make sure the audio cable connector is firmly connected to its input. If you're hearing small crackles or pops when you attempt to play audio, the speakers may be blown and need to be replaced. Alternatively, if you don't hear any noise at all when you attempt to play audio, the audio board may be defective or damaged and need to be replaced.

References

• HP Customer Care: Compaq Presario F500: Playing DVDs in Windows Media Player Produces No Sound or Displays
• HP: Compaq Presario F500 Notebook PC Series -- Specifications and Warranty
• Microsoft: Windows Vista: Troubleshoot Audio Problems in Windows Media Center
• Microsoft: Information about the Multimedia File Types that Windows Media Player Supports
• HP: Compaq Presario F500 Notebook PC and HP G6000 Notebook PC Maintenance and Service Guide