Double click said "volume thing" to open the advanced options and see if maybe the "wave" volume is turned down. In which case anything with direct sound would be mute even if the master volume is turned up. Happens to me all the time somehow. A good way to test it is to play a midi, as they don't utilize direct sound. But there's really no need to test if you open advanced options... Also, I don't think you can "uninstall" a driver. At least not with your typical "Add/Remove Programs" application. So I wouldn't worry too much about that. Though you might also want to check your device manager... (Right click My Computer. Properties. Hardware tab. Device Manager button. See if anything has a warning icon on it or a crossed out thingy or something)