To install a new soundcard in my pc, do I have to uninstall all audio programs?

Question

It says in the instructions to uninstall existing audio programs, but I don't know what audio programs are used by my original sound card. I honestly don't know how to tell an audio program from others. Can I just leave the programs alone and put the new soundcard in and use the software that came with it?
I have windows xp, and my computer does detect when you connect something new and can connect to dsl if necessary.

Answer 1

try to uninstall the old driver
to do that, right click on My Computer-->Properties-->Hardware-->Device Manager-->double click on the old sound card-->Driver-->uninstall

then take off the old sound card, put on the new one
and install the driver.

good luck.

Answer 2

Go to http://www.download.com and get (for FREE) a prog called Belarc Advisor. Save it as a zipfile. Then get off the net and turn off all your running progs in Start>Run> (type)msconfig>Startup tab, uncheck all checked boxes, click OK to exit. Reboot.

Install Belarc and then RUN it. This will tell you EVERYTHING about your puter.

Then uninstall everything that has the name of your existing sound card in it.

Install new card and it's software.

Turn on the progs you want to run at startup in msconfig (no more than six: preferably only your anti-malware progs), Defrag, set to run ScanDisc and reboot.

BWELAH!

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Answer 3

I'm guessing you had onboard sound, that means you did not have an old sound card on there, just what came with the mother board. IF this is the case, then you are fine installing the new card.

Answer 4

no need to uninstall existing audio programs. just exit out of all open programs and close all open windows before installing new program.

Answer 5

A way perhaps would be a control setting or any configuring associated with the previous sound card. I wouldn't think it would involve programs like Nero, Roxio, etc..