Help !! Lost Auto Sound capability !!

[fengshui]

WAV file sounds automatically played no longer function (icq, swf files, windows sounds/themes, etc.). I can double click a wav in explorer and Windows Media Player will play it fine. If try to test play a sound in control panel I get the message shown in the attachment to this thread. I checked that one out at MS and the only article they have addressing that message says to remove some 3rd party fax program or driver (I dont have that one anywhere on my system). Another possible hint is the built in (OLD) "Sound Recorder" will only enable the fast forward and rewind buttons when opening a wav file using that application. That might be totally unrelated; part of my troubleshooting was to reset default player for wavs to that program temporarily and I could have messed up the switches somehow on that. Once I determined same error message when trying the control panel sounds test, I put it back to the original WMP default. Running W98SE on Compaq 1600 (3 years old).

Any ideas?
- fengshui

[redcaes]

sounds like you may have messed up your registry settings did you change any of those recently?

[fengshui]

I might have....don't think so though...not intentionally anyways; generally the only thing I've ever done in the registry is remove "unwanted" self starting software from the Run, Run Once, etc. keys. I dont think I got into anything else that would have messed with the sound but anythings possible. If you have any specific keys to check for specific entries (or missing entries) on the sound/auto-sound/wav side of windows, I'm all "ears" so can fix this problem?

I did recently do some purging of unused programs; using the control panel remove programs section but nothing that wasn't third party (installed by me) software that I found I didn't use much i.e. didn't remove any windows programs that I can remember. I take that back, another thing weird that happened the same time as this sound problem cropped up is I get error message everytime I try to do windows update feature at microsoft. In fact, that program itself (auto update) I might have removed with intention of re-downloading it again next visit to microsoft. Hasn't let me into the site since then. Dont think that should have messed with the sound registry keys/settings at all though.

- Fengshui

[fengshui]

Oh well....figured for sure would have someone who had solved this sort of problem before. I've tried "re-installing W98SE; wouldnt let me since already updated from there. When "upgraded" realmedia to realplayerone it tells me some other program is using sound ( not true). No other thoughts here; I'm usually prettty good at this and figuring it out...very unusual I have to go to a tech forum. If anybody has any specific ideas.....anxiously waiting to hear. Thanks.....V/R,
-fengshui