Install sound card to computer with onboard, integrated sound?

Infopackets Reader James M. writes:

" I have a Compaq Presario 7360 and would like to replace my on-board (integrated) sound card with a third-party, PCI sound board (such as a SoundBlaster). How do I go about disabling the on-board sound so that the computer will recognize and use the new sound card? "

My response:

Typically, this is done by disabling the on-board sound card within the CMOS (also referred to as the BIOS). The CMOS is instantiated by pressing the DEL or F2 key (or some other combination) as soon as you turn your computer.

Once you are inside the CMOS menu, you may need to go into every sub-menu and look for an option that pertains to your on-board sound, and then disable it. Once that's finished, exit the CMOS (saving changes), wait for the computer to reboot, and then power down; insert your new sound card in the PCI slot and power on the computer... boot into Windows and the new sound card should be detected. The old one will no longer appear under Device Manager.

James wrote in again after I sent my response:

" I'm sorry Dennis, but I've already looked in my CMOS and could find no option to disable it. Could there be a jumper on the motherboard that has to be changed? And if so, how difficult would it be to locate it and change it? "

My response:

It is possible that your main board uses a jumper or DIP switch to disable the onboard sound, but this is very unlikely. If in doubt, your best bet is to retain your motherboard manual and look for instructions on disabling the onboard sound. If no motherboard manual is available, visit the manufacturer's web site (HP) and look to see if there is a downloadable manual / search the site for related information.

If that fails, try disabling your onboard sound card using Device Manager. To do so: ensure that the new sound card is not plugged into your computer, launch Device Manager, and scroll down to the sound options, disabling everything related to the sound card. In theory, this will disable all I/O ports on the onboard sound, thereby freeing up any resources that may be needed by the new sound card.