MMSYSTEM326. No wave device that can... (141749)

SYMPTOMS

When you start Music Central for the first time, you receive the following error message after the Microsoft Home logo appears:

MMSYSTEM326. No wave device that can play files in the current format is installed.

You may also receive this error message when you attempt to play certain sound clips.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use the following methods.

Reinstalling Audio Compression Drivers

Upgrading Sound Card or Sound Driver

Upgrade your sound card to a stereo sound card. If you already have a stereo sound card, install the correct driver for your sound card. Contact your sound card vendor to inquire about obtaining the latest version of the sound card driver.

MORE INFORMATION

Nearly half of the sound clips in Music Central are compressed stereo sound clips. You can play an uncompressed stereo sound clip on a monophonic sound card because the standard Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) converter can convert a stereo sound clip to a monophonic sound clip. You can play a compressed monophonic sound clip on a monophonic sound card because the Microsoft Audio Compression Manager can use the appropriate codec to decompress the sound clip. However, you cannot play a compressed stereo sound clip on a mono sound card, because you cannot decompress a sound clip at the same time you convert it from stereo to mono.

To test if your sound card can play compressed stereo sound clips, play the following two sound clips in the Media Gallery in Music Central:

Stereo: Grandmaster Flash (<cdrom>:\Data\Ctrl\Ctrl4\T419349a.wav)
Mono: Jefferson, Blind Lemon (<cdrom>:\Data\Ctrl\Ctrl4\T419264a.wav)

If you receive an error message when you play the first sound clip, but you do not receive an error message when you play the second sound clip, your sound card cannot play compressed stereo sound clips.