No Sound

[OzSteve2000]

Hello everyone,
I am new at this and not so computer literate so please excuse me when I get it wrong.
A friend gave me a laptop computer, works fine mostly, although has no sound, no Windows disc or any other disc. It it WIndows ME operating system.
OK, so I go to the control panel, sounds and multimedia. I see that the 'show volume control in the taskbar' is grayed out. I read many different posts and articles on the internet that say I have sound card problems and I should re-install my sound card. I did this, or let Windows as it searches and re-installs itself, great, the same. I even tried it 4 times, same. Checked the properties and it tells me the 'device is working correctly'. I think it isn't because it's not working!
So, I pick a sound from the list and try to play it and it tells me it can't because the file may be damaged or something to do with unrecognized compression format and to use the add/remove to install Audio Compression. Wow I think, what's that mean? So I try to find out how to check these files, I did and they say they are ok. Great, what to do now? By the way, in the properties the 'scheme' is Windows Default and no sounds, that's all.
So, everything I check tells me it works even though it doesn't? The only sounds I ever hear is at start up and is a 'beep' and that's it.
Also (and I am suspicious that it all might be tied up together) I have Windows Media player 9, of course it opens ok but when I try to use it for anything it tells me it is 'connecting'. It continues to 'connect' forever and then nothing, computer freezes and I have to switch it off and start again. Wow, makes me mad!
So, if anyone can help that would be great, if you need to know more ask and I will try to find what you want to know. (Maybe you'll have to tell me how though!)
Anyway, thanks to everyone who read it at least!

[OzSteve2000]

Ok, no luck with the first question how about this- Everest tells me my AGP is disabled but I can't work out how to get into BIOS to check it. AGP is also grayed out in the DirectX Diagnostic tool. When I press DEL at start up I get into COMMS? That's not the same as BIOS is it? Again, is OS ME.
Help!