I want to put in a new sound card, how do I disable the onboard sound? Tks.....
Hi! Removing the drivers for the onboard sound before you disable it would be a good idea. When you've removed the drivers, restart and enter Dell system setup. From there you should be able to disable the sound. I think the option to disable the onboard sound on most systems is labeled as "onboard AC'97 audio" or something similar. If you can't disable the onboard sound, leave its drivers in place and simply install the new card per the instructions that came with it. Then go into the Windows multimedia control panel and pick the new card as the "preferred device" for recording and playback. Also choose to "use preferred devices only" so no sound will end up going through the onboard audio. William...
*Also note that if you purchase a (non-Dell) retail PCI audio card, you may possibly lose front audio jack/headphone function. Earlier Dell systems had a proprietary cable that connected directly to any PCI audio card to provide the front audio function, and retail cards did not have such a connector. However.... If I recall correctly, the 23XX/24XX/3XXX/46XX/47XX boxes have a two cabled system that has ONE plug that connects directly to the motherboard for both USB and front audio function. It could be that this design might work with a PCI audio card for front audio function, but I haven't verified it. Further, you might not give a flyin' crap about headphone function. Anyone tried this and gotten it to work? Stew