No Sound Device, Help Appreciated

[Argo]

(Windows XP Pro SP2, btw)

Device Manager claims i have no sound device.. i don't have a sound card, but i believe an Asus P4c800-E Deluxe has onboard sound. I -think- i have the latest driver, i went to the Asus website, got the Windows driver, downloaded it, searched to update drivers, it said none found more recent than the one i currently use. If this helps, under "Sound, Video, and Game Controllers" i have:

-Audio Codecs
-Legacy Audio Drivers
-Media Control Devices

..as far as sound goes.

Is this a hardware problem, or a driver problem? Would i need to connect anything on the motherboard, as this is an assembled PC? My speakers are plugged in. Thanks for any assistance in advance.

EDIT: If it helps, this is the error i get from a media player:

"Bad DirectSound Driver. Please install proper drivers or select another device in configuration. Error code 88780078

[Smidget]

Go into your BIOS and see if onboard sound is enabled.

[Argo]

It is enabled. When i go into Sound and Audio in control panel, "No Audio Device"

[kram 2.0]

Go ahead and reinstall the drivers that came with the motherboard retail box - that is the i875P Chipset drivers for the integrated sound.

kram

[Argo]

I believe i already did this, but perhaps incorrectly. Could someone tell me EXACTLY how to reinstall those drivers? I don't know which of these is my audio device..

Under device manager/Sound Video and Game Controllers i have:

Audio Codecs
Legacy Audio Drivers
Legacy Video Capture Devices
Media Control Devices
Video Codecs

For example, i right click one of those, click update drivers, a wizard comes up, i pop in the cd, it scans, tells me i have the most recent ones already. Am i doing something incorrectly?

[Argo]

Found it.. it was under the section with the Question mark icon, installed drivers, now i have sound, albeit very very weak sound.. is onboard sound typically this low volume? The old onboard sound i had on my other computer, a really old compaq, could get -very- loud. I have everything maxed out and it's even lower than the comfortable listening level i had for my music. If there's a way to make this any louder, that'd be nice, if not, i'll live with it till i purchase a sound card. I went to the little speaker icon, and maxed everything out by the way. Still low.