Outdated or Incorrect Sound Driver May Cause System to Hang

ID: Q85307

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows versions 3.1, 3.11

SYMPTOMS

You have a sound card installed on your system, and Microsoft Windows stops responding (hangs) when starting or exiting.

CAUSE

An outdated or inappropriate sound driver may be causing the problem.

WORKAROUND

Disable the system exit sound. To disable the sound, follow these steps:

Choose the Sound icon in Control Panel. In the Events box, select Windows Start or Windows Exit (depending on when the problem occurs).

In the Files box, select <none>.

Choose the OK button.

You can accomplish the same thing by editing the WIN.INI file as follows.

Open the WIN.INI file in a text editor (Windows Notepad, for example).

Comment out the following line in the [sounds] section
```
     SystemExit=chimes.wav,Windows Exit 
```
by placing a semicolon in front of the line, as follows:
```
      ;SystemExit=chimes.wav,Windows Exit 
```

MORE INFORMATION

Updated drivers are often available from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

Windows may also hang on exit if there is a hardware conflict with some other device. Contact the sound card manufacturer to verify your sound card is correctly installed.

Additional query words: 3.10 3.1 3.11 multimedia sounds card crashes crash hung stops stop

Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:3.1,3.11
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :