No sound from my computer. Ideas?

[benoitowns]

My computer got a virus, and it turned out the only way I could figure out how to fix it was to just reinstall Windows Vista (64bit)
I got everything up and running again, but I can't get any sound coming out from my speakers. I am pretty sure I updated all the drivers, and Windows says I have them all. The computer acknowledges that the speakers are plugged in, and it acts as if everything is working fine.
Before anyone asks, I do have them plugged in and turned on. So if that is true, and my computer thinks it is working, what should I do? If it helps, my computer is the Gateway LX 6810. I mean it could just be another problem with the software, this model has a lot of other problems....so if anyone could give me some tips I would be really grateful.

Edit: Also another problem I am noticing is that the computer keeps rebooting randomly. I will be in the middle of nothing and it just turns off and then back on. Why?

[Meem1029]

As far as the speakers go, I would recommend trying plugging in headphones and seeing if sound comes then.

[benoitowns]

Ok, I tried it with headphones and different speakers and both didn't work.
But the shutting down is becoming much more of a problem and I have no idea how to fix it or what to do.

[ajd007]

Next time your computer does this, remember the time, then boot it up again, go to event viewer (Control Panel -> System and Security -> Administrative Tools) and see if you can find out what happened at that time to cause the reboot. You might find an error, or that a certain application crashed, or something like that.

[_Axle_]

For the speakers : Make sure the default sound device is correct. If your MoBo has sound and a dedicated sound card, it might be set to your MoBo. I know I used to have some issues streaming audio out of my laptop to a sound system ( Also 64 bit Vista ).

For Restarting : My first guess on that is usually hardware, but specifically the Power supply. How old is it and has it gone through any brown/black outs?

[benoitowns]

Ok, next time I start up the computer I'll check event viewer. And yes, it has gone through several blackouts/power being cutoff from the room...

[_Axle_]

Ok, next time I start up the computer I'll check event viewer. And yes, it has gone through several blackouts/power being cutoff from the room...

Yeah, it could be the Power supply . . . I lost one that way . Hopefully it is not though

[alexriehl]

My computer got a virus, and it turned out the only way I could figure out how to fix it was to just reinstall Windows Vista (64bit)
I got everything up and running again, but I can't get any sound coming out from my speakers. I am pretty sure I updated all the drivers, and Windows says I have them all. The computer acknowledges that the speakers are plugged in, and it acts as if everything is working fine.
Before anyone asks, I do have them plugged in and turned on. So if that is true, and my computer thinks it is working, what should I do? If it helps, my computer is the Gateway LX 6810. I mean it could just be another problem with the software, this model has a lot of other problems....so if anyone could give me some tips I would be really grateful.

Edit: Also another problem I am noticing is that the computer keeps rebooting randomly. I will be in the middle of nothing and it just turns off and then back on. Why?

Double-check the Windows Volume Control. You can never be too careful about that. The rebooting sounds like it may be a short. [EDIT] on your motherboard, or a loose wire in your PSU or wall outlet. [/EDIT]

[mosc]

Likely causes (ignoring "the volume's off", etc):
1) Improper sound driver install. You probably didn't install the required software/drivers for your sound card.
2) Third-party stuff from the manufacturer that may or may not seem related to the sound card needs to be installed to facilitate compatibility.
3) Operating system incompatibility. You don't have the same version of the OS as you did before. This includes service packs, etc.

[Jorpho]

Silly question, but it hasn't come up yet: Are you sure you're plugging your speakers into the right jack?

In order to rule out hardware problems, I often suggest getting a Live Linux CD (an Ubuntu install CD will do it), which will let you make sure everything is working correctly without making any permanent alterations to your system.