You can do a System Restore to the day before your sound disappeared.
Start - all programs - accessories - system tools -
system restore.

You can go to control panel - Open system icon - Hardware Tab - Device manager - Right click your sound - properties -
click update - you will need the CD that came with your computer.
The sound drivers are probably listed on your CD, they are on
mine.
On some of the newer computers like my emachine.
Start - all programs - system recovery - 3 listings and one of
the listings has the Drivers on it.

2 Tools to use.
1. Start - my computer - Right click Local Disks C - Properties - Tools Tab - Error Checking Section -
Check Now - Check mark both boxes - Click Start.
This will start when you Restart your computer. It take about 35 minute on mine. 5 parts and the last 2 takes
the longest.

2.The second thing to try is -
Start - Run - type - sfc /scannow - OK
Don't forget the space between c and /
You need the Recovery CD that came with your Computer if it finds anything wrong.
Don't insert unless asked for.
Takes about 35 minutes.

Thanks. I tried all those things and they didn't work. Does XP start to fail after so many years? It didn't recognize my printer a week ago so I had to do a reinstall on the printer. Now I have no sound. Thanks again.

(Does XP start to fail after so many years? It didn't recognize my printer a week ago so I had to do a reinstall on the printer. Now I have no sound. Thanks again.)

I'm great at tearing my computer up but not so hot at
fixing it.
If you think your hard drive or mother board is acting up,
Take some CD's and make backups of your Documents and pictures.
I bought Acronis True Image 10.0 (They now have 11)
to make a complete backup of my hard drive and I used it
to clone a second hard drive as a spare.
I removed the clone and put it away.

I will give you more places to check on your sound problem
that I have stored.
First right click your speaker Icon and open Volume control
and make sure your sound is not muted. Located on your lower right.
If you don't have a speaker Icon go to the Control Panel and check your sound
Windows XP
See if your sound has been stopped in Services Under
Windows Audio.
Start - Control Panel - Open Administrative Tools - Open Component Services - Click Services (Local) and Scrowl down the list to Windows Audio to see if it says - Started. If stopped
Left click Windows Audio and click restart. -
Or
Right click Windows Audio - left click Properties - Left click Start

Start - Run - Type - dxdiag - OK
Wait for it to load. Here you can test Sound Tab - Music Tab - and at the end click More Help Tab
to trouble shoot sound

Do you hear the beep during the POST at startup?
Have you installed or removed anything that might have caused this?
Have you tried a music CD in the computer?
You say you do not have a virus, how about malware?
What safety programs do you run besides your anti virus program?

You could go to the computer manufacturers site looking for updated drivers.

I would approach it a different way.
My direction would be to go to Control Panel-->Add/Remove Programs--->Add/Remove Windows Components. Find Media Player, uncheck and click Next and finally Finish. Then repeat and add the check next to Media Player. Just my 2 cents.

Pam

I can play a music CD. I have a firewall. I have checked for spyware and have found nothing.
When this happened, nothing had been installed or uninstalled.
In the DirectX Diagnostic, in the Sound 1 tab, it says the device is "Modem #0 Line Playback (emulated). There is no Device ID , it says it is the default device.
In the Sound 2 tab, it has the soundcard info and says "no" for default device. When I test it , I can hear it.
Should the soundcard be the default device?
When I go to Control Panel-Sounds and Audio Devices in the Volume tab it says "No Audio Device". In the Sounds tab, when I click to listen to a sound it says
"Windows cannot play the sound. Your sound card may be in use."