I'm starting to have some problems with my Oblivion install. This would be the second time the below issue has happened, within two months of each other..:

Today, when I started Oblivion, to test out a model I had made, the game naturally first pops up the "Bethesda" logo...but there is no music nor sound whatsoever. When it reaches the Main Menu screen, where you can click on "Options", "Load", etc - I can't click on the buttons, because whenever I hover my mouse over any of the buttons, the screen freezes. I did notice, that if I move my mouse upwards on the screen away from the buttons, after the freeze, that the screen unfreezes...until I move my mouse back over the buttons again. All this time, there is no sound. I always have to use "CTRL + ALT + DELETE" to start "Task Manager" so I can stop Oblivion and exit the game.

I have Windows 7, but the game is not installed in the "C:\Program Files" directory. So UAC should not be causing this.
I tried with and without OBSE. (I manually deleted the OBSE files from the Oblivion directory).
I deleted all OBSE plugins I had and tried again - that did not help. (EnhancedMusicControl and SoundCommands were the only two I had)
I tried to simply load Oblivion, with SI, & no OBSE - no change.
I tried using the Oblivion.exe, OblivionLauncher.exe, obse_loader.exe - all to no avail.
I uninstalled, and then reinstalled, OBMM - this did not fix it.
I had made a backup copy of my Oblivion install, under different name, about a month before. I tried copying key files from the backup location, back into my main working Oblivion install. This did not help.

I can't think of any major software changes I've had done to my PC recently, except for upgrading to Ventrilo 3.0.8, and getting "Dead Island" game off of Steam...

Has anyone else had this issue? Does anyone know how to fix this, without having to reinstall Oblivion/SI all over again?

Koniption

Did ventrillo install any of its own codecs by any chance?

No, I don't think Ventrilo installed any codecs.

But I did solve the issue just now:

I use the retail disc version of the game. I keep my Oblivion disc in my DVD drive, so that I can run the game whenever I need to.

I looked at my DVD drive while Oblivion disc was still in there, and rightclicked on that drive, and chose "Open", to look at the files within the disc.

I suddenly saw that there was a "desktop.ini" file that was "waiting to be written" to my Oblivion disc! I totally don't remember ever dragging such a file onto that drive, or anything like that. I don't know where it came from. So I deleted that "waiting to be written" file from the Oblivion disc's drive. Oblivion then started up normally - music playing and buttons clickable.

I also went into Ventrilo, and changed the "Overlay" setting to have the "Vista on nVidia tweak to force display of overlay" box checked.

I think it was the deletion of the "desktop.ini" file, though, that fixed things.

Koniption

Cool, at least ya got it working.

I'm necroing this thread to use.

I've read a few dozen threads on here that were about sound issues. Recently my game hard drive died. This is after porting everything over to a new operating system (fresh install on new, yet different disc for that too ... Vista 64 to Win 7 64). While the old game drive still worked I had a few oblivion installs that worked (and a few that did not - long story but that drive is gone now).

Anyway I removed all legacy of Oblivion. Uninstalls with control panel, removed all legacy in AppData, My documents.

A new games hard drive and a brand new fresh oblivion install. No mods at all - not OBSE ... nothing. Just the game.

No sound either. The launcher plays music - but launching the game results in nothing being heard: No voices, music, effects ... nothing.

System plays all other sounds from web, CDs, MP3s, DVD, etc. Speakers configured correctly. Sound Blaster Audigy.

I read several posts recommending installing http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm. I did this and the 64 bit version too (just the basic versions though). Still nothing.

what can I do this is draining my soul away!!

[edit] just to be thorough ...

I explored the K-Lite codec thing more and it seems to already address this bit from this forum's FAQ:
K-Lite apears to already have Oblivion.exe on a list of programs that should never use FFDShow.

@Psymon

Let's start off with a bit of clarification. Your gaming computer houses at least two physical hard drives. You install games on a drive that DOESN'T house your Operating System.

At some point you updated your OS from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Some time after that the physical drive housing games went belly-up. You then uninstalled Oblivion, removed all traces of it from your system, installed a new gaming drive, and installed Oblivion on it. Everything now seems to work well except you get no sound (either music or environmental) in-game. Is all this correct?

First, if I read you right, there was an interim period where you had already upgraded to Windows 7 but your game drive had not yet died? If so, during this interim period did Oblivion sound function properly?

Did you download and install the most up-to-date Audigy driver for your Audigy? Admittedly, Audigy is some generations old so the current driver might itself be somewhat old. Oh, by Audigy I assume you mean the original Audigy rather than an Audigy_2?

If Creative issues a version of ALchemy for Audigy, do you use it along with an Oblivion profile. (Lack of ALchemy should not cause your issue so far as I know. I'm just curious here.)

It sounds to me like the game simply isn't recognizing your sound card. Not sure why at this point. Hearing music during the game's very first launch screen is normal even with music disabled in-game. That one screen is apparently not effected by the game's sound controls. (I doubt they've kicked in at that point.)

Did you look through your Oblivion.ini for any oddities related to sound? Are the speakers configured correctly in BOTH Windows 7 and the Creative Control Center?

I realize nothing I've said provides any real solution(s). I'm just fishing for something to work with.

-Decrepit-

Yes at least two hard drives (four in total). First I upgraded my OS by adding a new hard drive and installing Win 7 on it. Prior to that I had uninstalled my main Oblivion install (I had about four). With the new OS on a new hard drive I then re-added Oblivion and several other games. I did this by first installing Oblivion then setting up MOM to add in the old installs. Most of them worked (sound and all), but as more thorough testing went along http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1331739-relz-wrye-bash-thread-88/page__view__findpost__p__20124640.

So then tonight I backed up all the AppData and My Documents folders related to Oblivion and other games. This includes making install and load order lists for each install and backing up the installer.dat ans similar files as well. Then I uninstalled Oblivion again (the base install). Made sure no legacy.

Formatted new Hard drive. Installed it, then installed a fresh new Oblivion game. No sound from the game at all!

Oh yes Audigy - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102003 that is right ... I did add it to Alchemy.

Seems odd that it wouldn't recognize my sound card when a previous install of the game did.

Windows says best driver installed. I'm trying to install this one http://support.creative.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?catID=1&subCatID=205&prodID=14257&prodName=Audigy%20SE&subCatName=Audigy&CatName=Sound+Blaster&VARSET=prodfaq:PRODFAQ_14257,VARSET=CategoryID:1 (and no it made no difference).

Just tested Skyrim - works fine.

[edit]
Installed Wrye Bash and tried these ini tweaks:
Sound Card Channels, 32 [Oblivion].ini ... but also tried all the options available. They change the iMaxImpactSoundCount.

Yes bSoundEnabled=1

I wish I could say I knew what the problem was or how it was fixed, but I cannot.

It suddenly started working.

BUMP!!



It is back and now with a vengence. I want to use the MOM utility for multiple installs (as I have in the past on previous hard drives).

It seems any changing of folder names and suddenly all the sound for an install stops working. Nothing - not a beep.

Since this was occuring with the base install I'm convinced this has something to do with the game interfacing with the OS or hardware.

Please - someone - anyone - any ideas? All my particulars in posts right above this.

Maybe Alchemys Oblivion profile uses the full path and moving the folders is causing it to apply the wrong one? Try comparing the working profile to the default to see what's different.

Also, I've heard that Oblivion can have problems with certain sound output settings. Try setting them to 44.1kHz, 16bit, 2 channels, and disabling audio effects like surround and reducing hardware accelleration.

Well even more basic I http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/Oblivion_reinstall_procedure cleaned the registry with CCleaner.

Removed all traces.

Fresh install and again no sound.

This is not in regards to having renamed folders or anything - all vanilla.

Just a day ago when juggling multiple installs I had sound.

Tried the above - still no sound.

And have tried flipping every Oblivion.ini setting I can think of:
bDSoundHWAcceleration=
bUseSoundDebugInfo=
bSoundEnabled=
1 or 0's it is all the same - silence.

Then tried several varieties of channels
iMaxImpactSoundCount=
and using creative control panel to match ... nothing.

Tripple checked all drivers are up to date.

It sounds like it's a problem with the sound card or Alchemy configuration rather than an Oblivion setting, especially since you had it working. That seems to be the common thread I've noticed whenever this problem appears. It always seems to be with hardware accelerated sound cards and/or Alchemy. Have you tried onboard sound or headphones to eliminate that? Or installing the latest complete DirectX9? (Supposedly Win7 doesn't come with the whole thing, especially sound stuff can be missing or incomplete)

Sorry I couldn't be more help

Headphones - same result

Turning on/off hardware acceleration and ALchemy - same result

I'm not going to onboard sound if my sound card works for every other singe application. I like Oblivion, but c'mon.

Yes I've installed directly from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=2DA43D38-DB71-4C1B-BC6A-9B6652CD92A3&displaylang=en

This is the damndest thing. I've installed Oblivion dozens of times and never had this issue. It could soundcard though. Maybe I will get a newer one.

After reading your posts I am in doubt that my fix will work for you (the one I PM to you as a reply to your PM). In my case all games had the same issue you are describing not just Oblivion.

One thing however, check to be sure the ONBORD sound is disabled in the device manger. I believe this PC came with on-board sound and was tuned it off to use a PCI sound card. But after the reformat your system went thru this is likely to be on again.

As I PM'd you neither worked. Thanks much though.

This is odd. Maybe I will call bethesda tech support.

My bet is that http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1165423-no-sound-in-oblivion/ I have.

ETPC ... Skyranger ... are you out there?

[edit] Top of page 5 of comments for Fast Exit on Nexus is this cryptic solution:
But I've no isea what he edited? Is it the FastExit3.dll itself or something else? If that then I don't know how to edit that.

Clues?

Why not use Fast Exit 2?

Also, check on the sound channel output in your control panel. It should be something like (going from memory) CD quality, xxx MHz, XX channels. Try a lower setting and see if it helps.

That's probably part of the source code for the FastExit3.dll. waveOutSetVolume() is a Windows API call to control your applications volume, the second number is the volume. 0xFFFF is maximum I think. From what I've found, "::waveOutSetVolume( 0, 0 );" sets the applications wave output volume to zero.

Thinking about this more, it sounds like what's happened is that FastExit3 has set Oblivions volume to zero on exit and Windows is remembering this setting for future runs.

That being so, try this. Go into your volume mixer control while Oblivion is running (windowed or alt-tab) and check to see if any of the volume controls are zero or muted. Look especially for any Oblivion sliders in the applications section. The Oblivion volume slider will only appear while the game is running, but the slider setting is remembered even when it isn't. If it's zero, this is almost certainly the problem.

Otherwise, you might have to change the source code for FastExit3 and recompile with something like the following, though I don't think you'll need it.
Change "::waveOutSetVolume( 0, 0 );" to "::waveOutSetVolume( 0, 0xFFFF);" and recompile to make it max the volume on exit instead of muting it. I think 0x7F7F will set it to 50% if you prefer that.

The author of that quote above sent me an evenmore cryptic reply:
Of course I have no idea how to do that - which is why I contacted him.

How does one edit an OBSE.dll?

My situation is the same as the other thread where I can see sound levels in the mixer but hear no sound.

Anithinks-
I've tried matching all sound channels I could from system settings to Creative control panel to Oblivion.ini settings.

I'm fairly certain that my problem here is the same as http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1165423-no-sound-in-oblivion/ and the post on Nexus Fast Exit comments page.

I'm just missing the fix.

I've found that waveOutSetVolume is a command in the main file in the src folder for Fast Exit 3 just as the person on Nexus said.

So have found what to edit, jut not how to compile it.

Fast Exit 2 does not have this command, so reverting to that is not helping.

You probably need some version of Visual C++, and I'd suggest setting it to 0x7F7F. I believe the Express version is freely available from Microsoft.

BTW, did you try changing the volume settings for Oblivion in the system mixer while the game is running like I suggested?

Your first sentence was 80% over my head.

The second sentence I understood and yes I tried but to note the volume is not low. As I posted above it is just like the other thread where I can see volume levels dance and there is no muting goin on.

[edit] WAIT ... errr ... No I found Oblivion in the mixer and was able to turn it up. Different than the system.

Not sure if this only was possible after reverting to fast exit 2 or not. Will test more.

YAY ... problem solved .. thanks Kirtai ... for being patient with me.

You're welcome, good to hear you got it working

Summary for anyone else who finds this thread while looking for a solution:
Windows 7 keeps track of the volume of individual applications but only shows them in the mixer while they're running, so you can only change that applications individual volume while it's running.

Further note; FastExit3 forcibly sets the volume on exit. If you keep using it, you'll have to readjust Oblivions individual volume slider in the mixer every time unless that function is removed (requires editing the source code and recompiling the plugin)

Yeah I'm not going to use it - unless it gets fixed.

I will warn away other users as well.