Soundcard makes clicks and pops when running sounds

[henryjolly]

Hello I'm having problems installing a Aureal Sound Card in my machine, here are my specs:
Fic VA-503A+ 1.2A Mother Board
Voodoo 3 AGP Video Card IRQ 5
64Meg PC100 Memory
Aureal A3D Ultra Vortex Sound PCI Card IRQ 5
RealTek PCI LAN card IRQ 10
Lodestar Tech 28.8 ISA Modem Card IRQ 3
USB on MotherBoard
COM1
COM2
COM4 (Internal Modem Same IRQ as COM2)
PS/2 Mouse
PC Keyboard
Parelle Port Scanner

Ok, here is my problem:

I have three PCI Ports, two ISA and one AGP.
The VOODOO is in the AGP and the modem in the inside ISA port. I don't think the problem is the modem though. I have the problem with or without it. The problem is that only one of the PCI slots work at a time. I can plug only one board into any PCI slot and it will work. But if I try to plug both cards in, only the middle slot works. Right now I have the LAN card in the middle PCI slot and the sound card in the end slot next to the ISA slots. If I put the sound card in the slot next to the AGP video card the machine will not start. But in the slot it is in now all I get is partial sounds or clicks from my speakers.
I had this configuration working before my harddrive died recently. When I first installed the soundcard in the past, I simply reserved IRQ 5 and it started working and contiued to work until I lost my settings. I'm not sure how I got it to work the first time. It's sort of like accidently solving a RUBIC's cube and putting it away until some screws it up again.
Can someone please help me, I'm at my weets end and I'm also currently stationed in Turkey and there are no Techs here.
Thanks for any help,
Henry

[neo_otyugh]

i know that the pci slot next to the agp can't be used if you have an agp video card...
on the FIC newsgroup (though their website)i have heard about sometimes bus mastering causing sound probs...

[Toadman]

Yes, make sure you have the latest "4 in 1" drivers, although there is troubles with the bus mastering drivers.(Most use Win98's included driver) This site is pretty helpful for VA503+ mobos: http://www.fica.com/

[orkboss]

Your sound card clicks and pops?

Sounds like it's working alright to me!

[Dave_H]

I wouldn't say the slot next to the AGP can't be used, but I would say that certain devices will not work there exspecially most modems. I think the LAN card might work there.
Henry make sure you are removing the devices in the controll panel before shutting down, then swap the cards into different slots. when you re-boot, you want Windows to re-detect and install the card(s), and hopefully they will go into non-conflicting IRQ's. Also, you may disable any un-used serial ports to free up some IRQ's, and some ISA modems allow you to choose there IRQ by moving jumpers. Somehow you will have to get your AGP and sound card to install onto different IRQ's.
Sorry if this has been how you have been doing this, I thought maybe you were moving the cards without re-installing them.
Dave

[Ygor]

It sounds like a poor ground to me. Re-seating the card may help. Also check the screw holding the card in place and your cable from the card output to the speaker/amplifier.
Please let us know if any of this helps!

[henryjolly]

Some of you may have misunderstood what I meant by pops and clicks. When ever I play a sound or music, I only hear the first note of the song or only part of a sound then it stops making the sound or playing the music. It's not like a electrical short or lose wire. The sound card worksin the other pci slot. Of course then the LAN card won't work in the sound cards old slot.
Thanks for all the good ideas though.
Can anyone explain to me how Bus Mastering could effect the pci slots though? I thought that was only effecting the IDE bus.
Thanks,
Henry