Some time ago, my sound card stopped working when I was installing a modem. It showed up in the Device Manager with a exclamation mark next to it. I noted that they where both on the same irq, so I reinstalled the modem so it would be on a different irq. This did not work. I tried reinstalling the drivers, downloading new ones, all to no avail. I then bought a new sound card, but this wasn't even being detected at all. The computer acted a if nothing was stuck in it's pci slot. I bought another, in case something was wrong with the first, but it doesn't show up either. Later I bought a different sound card. Same thing. What could be the problem?

Specs:
Compaq Presario 5000us from late 2000
Cheapo BIOS stuck on non-pnp os (irqs can only be change from the bios)
First Sound Card: SoundMax AD1881 according to Windows, AC'97 accoriding to bios.
2nd & 3rd Sound Card: Inland Sound Card Pci Wavetable
4th: Inland ThunderSound Card 4.1 Wave.
I have tried reseating 2 & 3 several times. 2-4 are never detected in Windows or bios.

When you installed the second sound card windows ignored it because you can only use one at a time. If the modem and sound card don't want to play nice together, try this. From device manager, remove all referrences to any sound cards> shut down> remove all sound cards from the computer> re-insert the preferred sound card in a different PCI slot than the original configuration> restart> install drivers as prompted. If this doesn't work, move the two conflicting cards around until you resolve the conflict. All MBs are configured to use a default IRQ for each PCI slot. Some slots share resources with other hardware. Look at your manual for further help with that. Another thing. I see you dual boot to linux. I don't know anything about linux's ability to allot system resources, so if your problem is with linux, consider letting the BIOS configure your hardware.

"When you installed the second sound card windows ignored it because you can only use one at a time."
The first sound card was integrated, so I disabled it from the bios. I never attempted to install two sound cards at once.

"From device manager, remove all referrences to any sound cards> shut down> remove all sound cards from the computer> re-insert the preferred sound card in a different PCI slot than the original configuration> restart> install drivers as prompted."
I did that with the integrated sound card (disabling instead of taking out of course)

"If this doesn't work, move the two conflicting cards around until you resolve the conflict."
I did that, and mentioned moving the soundcards around.

"Look at your manual for further help with that."
Did I mention I have a very, very cheapo computer? The thing didn't come with a mb manual.

"Another thing. I see you dual boot to linux. I don't know anything about linux's ability to allot system resources, so if your problem is with linux, consider letting the BIOS configure your hardware."
The problem occurs with both Windows and Linux. I did mention that I have a bios thats stuck on 'non-pnp os'. It doesn't have an option for enabling or disabling this, just does it anyways. The irqs have to be specifed and changed from the bios, and can't be changed in Windows. If it doesn't show up in the bios, it doesn't show up anywhere else.

Let me clarify a little:
Integrated sound card: Shows up in both os's, doesn't work. Was once the same irq as modem, now isn't.
2 Inland Sound Card Pci Wavetables and Inland ThunderSound Card 4.1 Wave: Just don't show up anywhere, like they're not there.

Windows lets you have multiple sound cards, modems and video adapters.

I have to agree with vern. I have a Sound Blaster PCI 64 and a Sound Blaster 16 PnP ISA on my old Asus P2B board. Both work fine with ME and 98SE and each has it's own controller marker beside the clock.
I can only use one to make sound with windows but I can change in the sound settings which one to use.
I do it to be able to hear musik CD's on all of my 4 DVD/CD devices and I also use the build in IDE connector on the SB16 PnP to connect two additional devices while the SB PCI 64 has the better sound!

987:
Try to install the soundcards without the modem (deactivate the modem drivers and unconnect the modem itself) to see if you can find them without the modem. Looks to me like the modem interferes with the cards somehow.
Also try other slots for the soundcards (and modem if it's internally).

If that doesn't help remove the soundcard (the one you use) and reactivate the build in sound in the bios.
Go to control panel - system and rightclick on the modem and choose properties. Go to resources. There deactivate the automatic configuration and choose a new irq until you get the no conflicts message below. If that's not possible try the same with the soundcard.
Windows doesn't have to use the same IRQ's as the Bios and ME is also able to use them more than once (in my case IRQ 9 is used by the TV, the network card and USB!) but some devices just don't fit together.
There's also a guide for resource conflicts in the help. Try it because it can help!

Good luck!

"Windows doesn't have to use the same IRQ's as the Bios and ME is also able to use them more than once"
How can I get Windows to do that? Right now it's refusing to change the irqs.