No sound from my pc

For some reason I have suddenly got no sound on my PC windows 98SE. I tried to use my Windows Media 7.1 player and for some reason several sounds in there are intermittent. In addition to this on checking the sounds in control panel they are also not there. I have found that by restarting I get some sound but it only has appeared as about half the level of previous. I have also noted that going into multimedia in control panel and thence into devices and audio devices there are two audio for voice modem serial wave devices. Clicking properties on one shows driver disabled, radio button clicked 'do not use audio features' and ticked 'do not map etc'. On the other voice modem serial wave device properties - driver enabled & active, radio button clicked on 'use audio' and there is a tick in 'do not map'.
(what does mapping mean?)
Any thoughts on why the volume is either at half level or nil?
Shall I delete one of the modem serial wave devices?
Regards
canukchuk

 

Check your midi device. If I have my MPU-401 device for midi instead of the MS Wavetable GS Synth, I don't have many of the sounds on mine. When you go into Multimedia, click the midi tab.
See what device is highlighted, and try another one. Hope that helps

 

canukchuck.....no doubt you will have been following this

thread.http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63588

thought i would post it anyway,you never know,your answer may lie in there.
welcome to T.S.G by the way

 

Thanks for the ideas guys, have checked those already but to no avail. As far as the Midi goes I only have the via Fm synthesis in there, nothing else. What is curious is the fact as I said that I have 2 audio for voice modem serial wave devices - not sure about that. I think that possibly by deleting one it may solve the problem but am unsure what that does, and if I want to get it back again what do I do? But why are there two when possibly there was only one before? - I mean what caused that to happen if it did happen? Following the other thread of no sound, I have done all that mentioned previously. So, still looking for ideas out there - might try deletion of the other modem serial wave device though to see what happens.
OK back to any other ideas then
Canukchuk