Thank you all for writing and helping me.

I haven't been able to access Mudcat for a few days, and I was about to buy some new speakers. I'm glad I can read what you've been telling me. I have some more questions.

What is meant by the "power source for the speakers"? I don't have a multimeter. The cables look intact and the connections feel tight, but I don't want to overlook anything. What should I do?

We have a lot of interruptions of power here. I have the computer and some of the accessories, but not the speakers, protected by a surge protector/battery backup. Is it possible that the speakers were zapped?

My current computer and speakers are from Dell, and Dell has given me unimagineable grief about repairing or replacing anything. I will never, never, never buy from Dell again. The speakers are no longer covered by warranty (of course). The speaker system which I bought from Dell is made by Altec Lansing. It consists of 4 speakers and a subwoofer (4.1). I don't know the model number, can't see it written on the speakers, and can't find the original paperwork, so I don't know the model number. Re replacing the speakers: I have conflicts. Music is very important to me, of course, but I am very, very seriously short of funds. If I buy new speakers, I thought I'd buy a 2.1 system. I don't have enough space to put 4 speakers far enough apart to matter (I think). I've done my research on speakers via the Internet, and I have checked CompUSA, Circuit City, Best Buy, Staples, and Computers4sure. I have another complicating factor: I don't have a car. I'm not going to pay for shipping, and I believe that the speakers would be too bulky and heavy for me to hand carry home from the store. I'll try to get a friend to give me a ride home from CompUSA, which is about 1 - 1.5 miles from my home. I've picked out 2 speaker systems which are both in stock at CompUSA. They have very similar specs (Watts in speakers, Watts in subwoofer, and frequency range). One costs $40, and the other, $50.

OK. Now what do you folks recommend?