Microsoft KB Archive/166715

= DreamWorks: Troubleshooting DirectX issues on ESS Sound Cards =

PSS ID Number: 166715

Article Last Modified on 10/6/2003

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The information in this article applies to:


 * DreamWorks Interactive, Scholastic's Goosebumps Series: Escape from Horrorland 1.0
 * DreamWorks Interactive, The Neverhood 1.0

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This article was previously published under Q166715



SYMPTOMS
When you attempt to start one of the programs listed at the beginning of this article, you may experience any of the following symptoms:

 You may not hear any sounds.

 Your computer may stop responding (hang).

 You may receive the following error message:

Error Initializing Direct Sound





CAUSE
This behavior can occur if the sound card installed in you computer is based on an ESS chip set. On certain computers, you must configure additional settings for an ESS-based sound card.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods.

Install the Latest Version of the Compaq Sound Drivers
If an ESS ES1888-based sound card is installed in your Compaq computer, download and install the latest version of the ESS ES1888 sound drivers for DirectX 5.0 from the following Compaq Web site:

http://www.compaq.com

These updated drivers are designed for the following Compaq computer models:

Select Game Compatible Preferred Audio Device

 * 1) Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
 * 2) Double-click Multimedia.
 * 3) On the Audio tab, in the Preferred Device (Playback) box, click Game Compatible.
 * 4) Click to select the Use Preferred Devices Only check box.
 * 5) Click OK.
 * 6) If the issue continues to occur, repeat these steps to click ESS in the Preferred Device (Playback) box.

If the issue continues to occur, contact your hardware manufacturer for additional troubleshooting assistance, and to inquire about how to obtain and install the latest version of the sound drivers for your sound card.



MORE INFORMATION
For more information about this issue, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

158120 DreamWorks: No Sound With ESS Sound Card

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.

Additional query words: 1.00 kbdw dream-works goose goose-bumps bumps clay someones klay dwi kbfaq aoe fs98 sidewinder msgame

Keywords: kbenv kberrmsg kbmm kbprb kbsound KB166715

Technology: kbDIGoosebumpEscape kbDIGoosebumpsSearch kbDINeverhood kbDISearch kbHomeProdSearch kbZNotKeyword

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