I need some advice on my home computer's audio system. The sound is barely audible. This applies for Windows Media Player, Real One Player, CDs, and all the gratuitous audio signals that the computer is supposed to make. I'm using a Dell computer and an Altec Lansing speaker system with four speakers and a subwoofer. I bought the speakers and computer in 2001, and the audio system worked fine until about a month ago. I've checked the obvious things: Everything is plugged in and the connections feel tight. The subwoofer is turned on. The volume control is set near maximum on the speakers and in all the applicable places (electronic) in the computer. All of the mute boxes in the computer's controls are unchecked. I've followed all the troubleshooting guides that Dell has offered and found nothing amiss. I unplugged the speakers from the computer and connected my headphone to the back of the computer, and – bravo – it sounded great. Can I safely conclude that the problem is the audio card? Could the problem be with the speaker cables or something else I've overlooked? House calls by the Geek Squad are expensive, so I hope that some able techie Mudcatters can solve the problem.