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Are you having problems playing sounds on your computer? There's no need to worry. That can be easily resolved by going through a little troubleshooting. Follow the steps below:
Are your speakers on? If you are using speakers, make sure that the power cord is firmly plugged into a working outlet and that the speakers are turned on.
Are your speakers or headphones properly connected? The sound cable of the speakers or headphones must be securely plugged into the appropriate jack on the computer. Look up your speaker/headphone documentation to be sure that you have connected them correctly.
Are the volume settings correctly set? Adjust the volume control to the proper settings on the speakers or headphones and on the computer itself. Make sure that audio is not muted.
Is the source media playable? You may be trying to play a damaged disk or a corrupt sound file. Try a different disk or sound file.
Are your speakers or headphones working properly? Try different headphones or speakers. The ones you are trying to use may be defective.
Is your sound device working properly? Your sound device should be enabled and properly configured. If you have more than one sound device, the device you are trying to use should be the default sound device. The documentation that came with your sound device will provide information on how to enable and configure it.
If your sound device has been properly enabled and configured and seems to be working properly, yet you still can not hear sounds, or if you can not configure your sound device on your system, it is most likely due to not having the correct device drivers.
Device drivers are programs which add functionality to devices. These are software that make hardware devices work. As with all other programs or software, device drivers need to be compatible with the platform or operating system on which they are to be used. A device driver designed for a MAC will most definitely not run on a PC. And drivers made for Windows 98 will not work on Windows Vista. For drivers to make any device function properly, the correct version for the particular system must be installed.
When you buy a computer, the correct drivers are usually already installed on it and a driver installer disk or a recovery disk usually comes with it. There are circumstances wherein the drivers are lost, most of the time because of a system crash. Reinstalling the drivers from the disk that came with the computer would solve this. But what if the disk has been damaged or lost and the computer is already beyond warranty? Or what if the system was upgraded so that the device drivers that came with it no longer work with the upgraded system?
Again, there's no need to worry. That can be easily resolved by using a driver finder program. A good driver finder program will scan your computer, identify hardware devices installed on it, recommend drivers specifically made for the brand of your computer, and download the most up to date drivers for your devices. It should preferably have a feature that will allow you to copy the downloaded drivers to a CD, network drive or USB flash drive. An option that lets you download the program and scan your computer for free would be an added bonus.
There are many driver finder programs on the market. You can search the internet and choose one which will work best for you.
Fara is a consultant engaged in rating the quality of web search results to improve internet user experience. She also specializes in web development, remote business administration solutions, PC technical support and internet security, and is one of the major solutions providers for Clarafaie Solutions. For the past year, she has been working with Affilorama Group Ltd and Doubledot Media Ltd, helping aspiring internet marketers achieve success in their online business ventures. In her spare time, she writes for a few selected clients.
CHICAGO - Strong driver's licence laws have led to fewer fatal crashes among 16-year-olds but with a disturbing side effect — more fatal accidents among 18-year-olds, a U.S. study found.
Many states require young drivers to get extensive experience, including driving with an adult, before getting a full licence. But in most states those laws only apply to those younger than 18. The new study suggests some teens are just putting off getting a licence until they turn 18 — meaning they have little experience and higher odds for a deadly crash.
"There's an incentive right now to skip out and just wait until you're 18," said Scott Masten, the study's lead author and a researcher with California's Department of Motor Vehicles. "In most states you don't even need to have driver education or driver training" if you obtain a licence at 18, he said.
"I was actually bummed by my own findings — to find out we're offsetting the benefits" in young drivers so much, he said. "It was quite unexpected."
The study examined fatal crashes from 1986 to 2007 involving 16- to 19-year-olds. Results appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
Most previous studies have also linked graduated licensing programs with a decline in fatal crash rates among young teens, but evidence on effects in older teens is mixed.
A journal editorial by researchers with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said the potential effects in older teens "is a serious issue deserving attention by researchers and policymakers." The editorial noted that New Jersey is one of the few states where graduated driver's licensing restrictions apply to all first-time applicants younger than 21. That has led to lower crash rates among 17- and 18-year-olds.
Whether these programs should be extended to include older teens merits further study, the editorial said.
Every state has some type of graduated driver's licensing program. These typically allow full, unrestricted licences to kids younger than 18 only after several months of learning while driving with an adult, followed by unsupervised driving with limits on things like night driving and the number of passengers.
The study authors analyzed fatal crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and information on each state's licensing programs.
Comparing states with the most restrictions versus those with the weakest laws or no restrictions, there were 26 per cent fewer fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers; but among 18-year-old drivers, there were 12 per cent more fatal crashes. The differences are estimates, taking into account factors that would also influence fatal crash rates, including seatbelt laws, changes in minimum speed limits, and the fact that 18-year-old drivers outnumber 16-year-old drivers.
The programs appeared to have no effect on fatal crash rates for drivers aged 17 and 19.
Researchers estimate that since the first graduated licensing program began in 1996, the programs have been associated with 1,348 fewer fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers but with 1,086 more fatal crashes involving 18-year-old drivers.
During the 1986-2007 study, there were nearly 132,000 fatal crashes of drivers aged 16 to 19. Nearly 20 per cent involved 16-year-old drivers, while almost 30 per cent involved 18-year-olds.
Evidence suggests that many teens are waiting until they're older to get their licences; in California for example, only 13 per cent of 16-year-olds have driver's licences, Masten said.
In a nationwide survey of almost 1,400 teens published last month in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention, one in four who were 18 and hadn't obtained a licence cited the hassle of licensing requirements as a reason.
Masten said more research is needed to determine why the fatal crash rate among 18-year-olds rose and whether an increase also occurred in nonfatal crashes.
The study confirms that graduated licensing "is doing what it was intended to do — prevent novice drivers from being in high-risk conditions before they're ready for it," said Dr. Flaura Winston, a pediatrician and traffic injury expert at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. But the results also show there's a need for strategies for the novice independent driver at any age, she said.
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Online:
JAMA: http://www.jama.ama-assn.org
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.gov
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AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner
