somehow all the sound device drivers have been removed from my pc, there is nothing at all showing up?

It sounds like you're in a bit of fix there, Julie.

As an earlier respondent states, it may well be you have a virus or some malware infecting your system.

I've just been to the Packard Bell website, and located drivers etc. for your particular computer. Unfortunately, you can't install the drivers directly from the site. You have to download them onto your computer and then decompress them before you can install them.

The only reason you're not able to download Windows updates is because Micro$oft thinks that you've got an illegal copy of Windows running. If you're sure that it's a legitimate copy, you'll have to telephone Micro$oft and explain to them that you're being prevented from downloading updates. Obviously, they're going to want to confirm what you say, but, as long as the CD-key with your copy of Windows hasn't been pre-registered on another computer, you should be OK.

If I were you, with regards to you purchasing an adware remover program, I'd send an email to the company concerned and explain to them exactly what happened. Ask them if they'll allow you to re-download the program. There are a couple of free ones that you can get anyway. LavaSoft Ad-Aware Personal (http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad-aware_se_perso... and Spybot Search & Destroy (http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000...

It gets my goat, these companies that want money from people when the things they're selling are freely available, when you know where to look. I'm thinking here of the company you paid good money to for drivers. Try some of the following for drivers. They're free. (You have to register with driverguide.com, but it's free, and they have loads and loads of drivers on their site.)

Unless you really do want a new computer from Santa, bring your present one to my house. If I can't get it working, no one will. lol.

If you're not sure what drivers you actually need, download Belarc Advisor (http://www.download.com/Belarc-Advisor/3000-2094_4... or EVEREST Home Edition (http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Info/Ev... both of which are free. They'll give you a comprehensive breakdown of what components your computer contains.

Sorry to hear your woes. Spybot search and destroy is a perfectly good spyware tool, and it is free. I'd also like to know if you have any anti-virus? If not Avast is very good, and very free. If things are vanishing right in front of you, I'd suspect naughty stuff is afoot on your machine, and getting AV and Spybot on and scanning would be the best thing you could do.

I know it sounds silly,but if they were working before the download attempt, you may be able to get everything back to how it was by using "system restore" feature. I have do do this now and again and it has always worked for me.

First of all it's real hard to lose drivers. Someone has to uninstall them. But in case it is just your Puter not finding them or they have been moved - get this program, checks where they are etc. http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

Free program to help you. But if all fails ... Talk to Santa .. time to update ;-)

Good Luck

try a restore if that dont work put your xp disc in goto start run type cmd then type this or copy and paste sfc /scannow and let it replace all corupt and altered files hope this helps or load windows over its self

if your sound card is on borad u can put the motherboard cd and instal them

I would also suggest, that you remove SP3, it caused me many problems.

sounds like some kind of virus. you may have to format and restore using your restore cd if you have one.

Try This:

re start it....