Fix - For Missing Volume Control

[colley1962]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Hey, I found a quick fix for Windows XP Home edition computers. Go to "Add or remove Programs", then click on "Add / Remove Windows Components". Check only Utilities off, and let it run its check. After you do that, go back into your control panel and click on "Sounds and Audio Devices" and click the box to put it in your tray. Easy Fix for whatever was wrong with me.

:lustig12: BIG, HAPPY THUMBS UP TO YOU, dagda. I have been without my volume control icon for at least 2 months now. I don't know how I made it "disappear," but nothing I tried worked. But your suggestion did. Thank you very much. But I did have to use my Windows XP Home Edition disc to retrieve some files. I'm still so very happy and relieved!

[sirdumas]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

THANK YOU qwecom, you have made my life much better, I have been struggling with no audio for weeks, and I had this problem from a clean install and did everything right, but Windows Audio in services (go to run, type services.msc) was set to disabled, and I alt. clicked on it hit properties and changed the startup type from DISABLED to AUTOMATIC, restarted and heart the sweet noise of windows logging in! Thank you so, so much. I just hope that other people can recover from this damn error "There are no active mixer devices available. To install mixer devices, go to Control Panel, click printers and Other Hardware, and then click Add Hardware."

Thanks a lot,
Sirdumas.

[Terrastorm]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Okay I just accidentely deleted my volume control, and know how to get it back. Unfortunately, I require a disk to restore it. Can someone tell me where I could find it for cheap, thanks. Alternatives that doesn't involve the disk are also welcome.

[|Darkness|]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Here's the fix for a suddenly missing Volume Control I suspect occurred when Windows '98 froze during the process of updating new skin changes into my dAP player.

The "X" and "Y" coordinates that position the volume control window from last opening got trashed in the registry.

START>RUN...type REGEDIT...click OK.

Expand tree for HKEY_CURRENT_ USER
Click Software
Use "EDIT" tab in tool bar...select FIND...type in VOLUME.
Click FIND NEXT.
Browse through registry until VOLUME CONTROL is found using F3 key to scroll with.

Click on VOLUME CONTROL...X and Y should appear in top lines of the right pane window.
Click on X.
Right click X
Select Modify
Type in the number 5
Click "DECIMAL" radio button
Repeat for "Y".

The values my X and Y had changed to from the freeze up were (3000)!

These things happen.

Crazy Curt

OMG! I love you :p i have been struggling for weeks, possibly even months to get my master control panel to open, everything i tried just wouldnt work and most help is for windows ME but i upgraded to XP pro years ago but this HAS fixed it, THANKYOU sooooooooo much. I have no idea what caused this as it was fine for ages, then one day bleh it wouldnt open but hey, who cares cos now its fixxxxxxed :D

[Craze]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

You're welcome.

Wow. I started this thread five years ago when there were no answers posted on the net anywhere for this particular problem,...at a time when many folks were having the problem.
A good friend who manages test parameter software at my work place came up with the answer by one of his experiences when he lost Internet Explorer from a second monitor that he had connected to his system, when the monitor suddenly died. He later figured out that coordinates for this second monitor were off the screen from his primary monitor and reasoned that this could be the same problem I was having. I was thrilled that it worked and my sound returned instantly after weeks of being without it.
I'm glad to see that it has helped so many people over the years,...and that other answers have been found by other members along the way.

Best wishes to all.
Craze

[Nemesys]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Hello frustrated XP/SBlive users.

My gf has had this problem with running XP with a SBlive sound card; sound card and drivers are installed, Windows still BEEPS at me, but no sound from Windows Media Player etc...

When I click on the volume icon, it says 'there are no active mixer devices available'. :S

In device manager, all devices are installed, reporting no prolems... We've had this problem for quite some time now, I've checked out quite a few forums.

The last thread seems to work, kudos to 'qwecom'

If you are having these symptoms:

Just go to 'start'>'run' type in services.msc, and scroll down to 'Windows Audio'. Under the 'status' column, other services should be 'started', but for some reason 'Windows Audio' status is blank :S just right-click and select 'start'. This should solve your problem.

I've been building computers for years as a hobby, and I've seen soo many users with this problem regarding XP/SBlive... I'm not sure what the underlying problem is, but if you ever find yourself without sound, this IS a quickfix.

I hope this helps

PS credits go to QweCom - you're the only one that has provided useful information regarding THIS problem.

[beavisnachong]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Hi,
I recently encountered many problems after doing what I thought would only delete my Outlook Express which no longer worked. Over the next few days I realized Word Pad and Paint were missing. Windows Media Player was missing.
I was unable to fix these using conventional methods but eventually restored them. Then I today notice volume control is gone, not just the icon, and when checking the box to "show volume icon in tray" error message says it cannot find.
Solution: Search for sndvol32 in your hard drive. I found it in C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache. It was executable so I sent a shortcut to the desktop but haven't tried getting into the tray. I may just place it in quick launch. At least it still exists. I thought it was gone. spent at least an hour on this one.
-Dan

[nea1991]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

My windows xp volume control on the task panel has gone missing. Itunes works find, sound is good. However any sound on Mozilla Firefox doesn't work. When i click on Sounds and audio devices under the control panel, then adjust volume and click on the volume tab this is what the screen says:

No Audio Device

The change volume selections under device volume and the place volume icon on task bar is grayed out. I can't click on it. i have tried everything, can anyone help?

[esullivan]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Hi.. My audio stopped working all in a sudden.. Sound device is working properly and enabled. Reinstalled Driver but it didn't bring back sound. "Sound and Audio Device" under control panel is greyed out. I've also tried to look into Window services and can't find "Window Audio" listed. "sndvol32.exe" is not running (not in the active processes list). When I clicked on "sndvol32.exe" it kept telling me there are no active mixer controls..

At first I thought maybe the sound card on the mother board was broken.. so I bought an Audigy sound card (pcmcia slot).. I installed the driver and everything seemed fine and it said it is working properly too.. but still no sound.. all symptoms above still existed.

I also tried the "expand" command with the sndvol32.ex_ file from my XP installation CD.. still doesn't work.

I went to microsoft's support page and tried their suggestion by adding "drivers=mmsystem.dll" into the boot system.ini file.. still nothing works.

I am really frustrated at this point and not sure what else could have gone wrong!

Hopefully someone from here can shed some light.

thanks a lot

[checksappeal]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Crazy Curt
I dont see X & Y in the volume control folder OR in the volume control folder of Sigma Tel Audio. Is there a proper way to insert those?

Thanks
Anin

[Craze]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

I believe the X & Y should show up in your sound card folder which is a subfolder of the Volume Control.

I found it in this string in the Registry.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Applets/Volume Control/Sound Card(Whatever yours is called).

Incidently, my search this evening skipped right over this folder. So I don't know what's changed since I first posted this fix.

Hope this helps.
Best wishes.

Craze

[violetrosewood]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

First try the simple fix

Windows XP

Open the Control panel

Open the "Sounds and Audio Devices" icon.

Verify the "Place volume icon in the taskbar" checkbox is checked. If this option is not available or is grayed out, skip to the next section of this document.

If you were able to check this box, click ok and close out of this window and the Control Panel.

Double-click the sound icon in the systray and verify that all the sound volumes are mid-way or higher
bj

Ok you guys I did that all but it wouldn;t let me click on the "Place volume icon in the taskbar" so what would I do? My brother in law has been trying to download a new volume control on it but so far nothing.....

please, please help me.

thanx,
violet

[Squallman]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Lordy I hope someone can help me. I have followed every step of all the advice everywhere and I can not get my volume control back. The volume tab in audio sounds and devices is grayed out.

I tried the XY thing, I have Creative Audigy Audio Processor (WDM) as my device under volume control in registry. I did the decimal change it took effect and still not working.

I did the extracting of the sndvol32 from my XP cd and it is there but doesn't change a thing.

I have downloaded a new version of the sound device and when I try to install it, says files are missing do I want to continue to install without them, I set the path to the folder where the new files should be found but even with the new download of the audio driver, the files are not all there.

I think this happened when I un-installed service pack 3 to repair my malfunctioning Internet explorer 7, which microsft made it mandatory to do if you want to un-install IE7, what a kick in the head huh?

Anyhow, since re-installing service pack 3 and the internet explorer 7 my other issues have been corrected, but this one, I have no volume.

I have been at this for 2 weeks and I am about to scream :O

If anyone has an idea of how to help me please oh please save my life.

I would appreciate any help at all... Thanks in advance.... Dave

[Craze]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Try going into your device manager and uninstalling your sound device.
Then reboot and let Windows reinstall it. Had this problem ages ago and was down for a couple of weeks with no sound trying to go figure. This actually solved the problem.

Let us know if this works for you.
Best regards.

[Squallman]

Re: Fix - For Missing Volume Control

Hi Craze,

First thanks for replying, I am apprciative for any and all suggestiosn, I have done that a few times, it only reinstalls back to where it was in the midi section of Audio sound devices.

Heres a post with a little more of what is going on.. Thanks in advance for any help... Dave

***********

I have no volume on my computer, I have tried everything I think.

Here's what I have so far. In Sounds and Audio Devices, The volume tab is completely grayed out and can't pick anything as The sound devices.

Under the sound tab I have a theme picked for my computer sounds and it is not grayed out.

Under the audio tab, the drop downs are not grayed out but it has a device selected that doesn't play sound in Sound Playback & Sound Recording, it says Modem #6 Line Playback & Modem #6 Line Record. The device in the Midi Music Playback is my audio device SB Audigy 2 Synth B [DF00], The audio device in this section allows me to hear my mp3 player run through my computer speakers, when I plug it into the headphones on my computer.

In the voice Tab, I again have Modem #6 for both Voice playback and voice record. Again the system tells me that this cannot play sound. However, there is no other option in the drop down boxes where ever Modem #6 is installed.

I have no volume icon on task bar. I have extracted the sndvol32 from my original XP CD, and the files are inside system 32. Yet it still doesn't open up the volume control tab inside Sounds and audio devices.

I have tried changing the decimals to 5 in the sound device through the registry. That did not work.

I believe I need to get the Volume control Tab working so I can pick and audio device. But I have tried everything.

Do I have to redefine the PATH to Volume Control perhaps? And how would one do that? I have tried to reinstall Volume Control going through add and remove programs, but inside the Components Wizard, Multimedia is not there. It says that Volume Control is a component inside Multimedia, but if it's missing how do I get to it?

Any help at all would be appreciated, even if it's only suggestions, I have tried everything I could think of and all the things Microsoft said to do and I can't get my Volume back.

I would try to repair it through my Windows XP CD however, I can not get into it unless I can find a floppy drive big enough to hold the 7.33 MB Sata drive download that the CD needs to find my hard drive.

Big Thanks to anyone that has a suggestion, just so I have something else to try, because I am at a complete loss now...

Additional Information: XP Home Edition, Service Pack 3, AVG Anti-Virus, Windows Firewall, Windows Media Player 11, Dell Dimension XPS Generation 2, Internet Explorer 7

Thanks David