Troubleshooting Wave Sound File Problems in Windows 95/98

ID: Q140334

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article lists troubleshooting steps to help you troubleshoot problems playing wave sound (.wav) files in Windows. The following possible problems are addressed in this article:


MORE INFORMATION

Program-Specific Problems

If you cannot play .wav files from a specific program that you use in Windows, check to see if the same problem occurs when you play the file from another program. For example, if you are attempting to play the file from a third-party program that is not included with Windows, try playing the file from Media Player or Sound Recorder. To start Media Player or Sound Recorder, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Multimedia, and then click Media Player or Sound Recorder.

If the problem occurs only with one particular program, the files associated with that program may be damaged, or the program may not be configured correctly. To resolve the problem, contact the software's manufacturer. If the problem occurs with multiple programs, the problem may be caused by one of the other issues addressed in this article.

Playback Device Not Configured Properly

If you cannot play .wav files in Windows, or if .wav files are not played at the proper volume, you may not have a playback device selected, or the playback device that you have selected may not be configured properly. To select and configure a playback device, follow these steps:
  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Multimedia icon.


  2. In the Playback box, click the playback device that you want to use in the Preferred Device list, and then move the Volume slider to the value you want.

    NOTE: If you are using Microsoft Windows 3.1 drivers with your sound card, the sound card should still appear in the Preferred Device list. However, the card will not appear in Device Manager.


  3. In the Recording box, click the playback device that you want to use in the Preferred Device list, and then move the Volume slider to the value you want.


  4. Make sure that the speakers are properly connected to the sound card, and that the speakers are turned on.


Mixer Settings Not Configured Properly

If you cannot play .wav files in Windows, or if .wav files are not played at the proper volume, the mixer control settings may not be configured properly. You can use the mixer control program included with Windows to adjust the volume for playback, recording, and voice commands. If you are using Windows 3.1 drivers with your sound card, you must use the mixer control program included with the sound card to adjust the volume for playback, recording, and voice commands. If your sound card does not include a mixer control program, or for information about using the mixer control program included with your sound card, please contact the sound card's manufacturer.

To configure mixer control settings with the mixer control program included with Windows, follow these steps:
  1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Multimedia or Entertainment, and then click Volume Control.

    NOTE: If you have more than one playback device installed in your computer, make sure that the proper device has been selected before modifying the mixer control settings. To do so, click Properties on the Options menu, and make sure that the proper device has been selected.


  2. Make sure that the Mute All check box below the Volume Control slider and the Mute check box below the Wave slider are not selected, and that the Balance sliders for Volume Control and Wave are in the center of the scale.


  3. Move the Volume Control and Wave sliders at least halfway to the top of the scale.

    NOTE: If the Volume Control and Wave sliders do not appear, click Properties on the Options menu, and then click the Volume Control and Wave check boxes in the Show The Following Volume Controls box to select them.


You may need to adjust the current Volume Control or Wave slider settings to play .wav files at the volume level you want.

Hardware Not Configured Properly

If you cannot play .wav files in Windows, or if .wav files are not played properly, your sound card may not be compatible with the type of .wav file you are attempting to play, or there may be a resource conflict between your sound card and another device installed in your computer. To determine whether your sound card supports the wave sound file format you are attempting to play, contact the sound card's manufacturer.

For information about determining if there is a resource conflict between your sound card and another device installed in your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q133240
TITLE : Troubleshooting Device Conflicts with Device Manager

Damaged Wave Sound Files

If you cannot play .wav files in Windows, or if .wav files are not played properly, the .wav files that you are attempting to play may be damaged. To determine if a .wav file is damaged, right-click the .wav file in Windows Explorer, click Properties on the menu that appears, and then click the Details tab. The Audio Format line should contain information about the type of compression used to compress the file, the sound quality of the file, and whether or not the file is in stereo. If this information is missing, the .wav file may be damaged.

If the information on the Audio Format line is not missing, attempt to play other .wav files that are compressed using the same type of compression as the .wav file you are attempting to play. If you can play other .wav files, the .wav file that you originally tried to play may be damaged. If you cannot play other .wav files that are compressed using the same type of compression, try to play .wav files that are compressed using a different type of compression. If you can play these files, the problem may be related to the type of compression that was used to compress the .wav file you originally tried to play.

Compression-Related Problems

Windows includes 32-bit versions of several common codecs, including Adaptive Delta Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM), Interactive Multimedia Association (IMA) ADPCM, Groupe Special Mobile (GSM) 6.10, Consultative Committee for International Telephone and Telegraph (CCITT) G.711 A-Law and u-Law, and Truespeech from DSP. These 32-bit codecs are installed by default during Windows Setup, and are used by multimedia programs even if a 16-bit version of the same codec is available.

For information about troubleshooting audio codecs in Windows, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q141801
TITLE : Troubleshooting Audio Codecs in Windows 95

Additional query words: 


Keywords          : kbsound kbtshoot win95 win98 win98se 
Version           : WINDOWS:95
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: August 3, 1999