Well, I took both the modem card and the X-Fi card out of the PC. I uninstalled their respective software via Add/Remove Programs, then used Driver Cleaner Pro http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=745 to wipe the Creative Audio files (did the RealTek Audio files again at the same time, just to be sure). I then restarted and booted into Safe Mode and performed the DC Pro routine again on the Creative Audio files and rebooted.

Neither the modem nor the X-Fi files showed up in Control Panel under Sounds and Audio Devices nor in Device Manager.

I then shut down and reinstalled my Creative X-Fi sound card and booted to the Desktop. When Windows detected my sound card and the Wizard popped up, I canceled it and installed an updated driver file I had previously downloaded from the Creative web site.

I did a restart and paused to check the BIOS to make sure my onboard HD Audio was still disabled, which it was. I went to Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices, but it still said No Audio Device on the Volume tab. On the Audio tab, under MIDI music playback, my X-Fi card showed up, but under both Sound playback and Sound recording there was nothing — greyed out.

I was hoping that with the modem card and its software absent, Windows would be forced to choose my sound card as the default device for both Sound playback and Sound recording but, it seems that something is interferring with however Windows chooses the default devices for Sound playback and Sound recording.

I continue to search online for some explanation...and a fix.

The Device Manager shows under 'Sound, video and game controllers' a problem with what I believe is a Windows device, MS Kernel DRM Audio Descrambler. My sound card file is highlighted in blue and the properties sheet says that it is functioning properly and all the files listed there are digitally signed.



On the properties sheet for the Microsoft Kernel DRM Audio Descrambler device, it shows the error below:



Both files in the MS Kernel DRM Audio Descrambler device apparently are filters and seem to have come along with SP-2 according to the version histories on them. They reside in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\ folder and I did a search, but could find no other examples of either file on my entire C drive.

Something insists on putting my modem as the default audio device and I haven't been able to find out what is doing it or even how it is doing it. My next step looks like a repair install of Windows to see if I can replace some obviously damaged or missing Windows files and see if that will set things right.

Thanks for replying to my post. I have no other options displayed in the 'Default devices' box and I have no Skype software installed on my machine.



I am trying to find out if there is any way to change the default audio device in Windows, but so far no luck.

I can't get any sound (except Midi playback) from my sound card and I can't get Windows to recognize it even though it shows up in Device Manager  and says it is working properly. My speakers work fine on my other computer with XP Pro.

When I go to 'Sounds and Audio Devices' on the Volume page, it looks like this:



Switching to the Audio page, it lists my modem in the 'Sound playback' and 'Sound recording' slots as the default devices and my sound card only shows up in the 'MIDI music playback' area:



I have tried uninstalling my modem and the drivers and then reinstalling my sound card's drivers and making sure my PC's onboard audio is disabled in BIOS, but I still have no sound except for system sounds from my motherboard and the MIDI music sound. I can't figure this out.

I checked to make sure my Windows Audio Service is enabled and it is. I even completely uninstalled my RealTek (onboard audio) drivers, but no luck there, either. Help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks