Why can't I hear sound from the speakers on my Windows Server 2003 system, even though the sound device appears to be working?

A. To play sound from your Windows 2003 system, ensure that the Windows Audio service is running. To do so, open a command session, then type

net start

and verify that Windows Audio is listed. If Windows Audio doesn't appear in the list, start the service either from the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Computer Management snap-in or from the command line by typing

net start "windows audio"

or

net start audiosrv

If you want to hear sound every time you start the machine, navigate to the Services branch of the Computer Management snap-in and set the service mode to Automatic start-up.