I must've unintentionally done something terrible to "mplayer". It was playing the "rms" speaches, and I could access "wuwf". Now, although I hear hard drive access, and the numbers for the "rms" speeches change, I get no audio. The amplifier is OK, as is the cable, as I tested it with other devices... (grin) I read the "mplayer" manual. Mostly it talked about all of the formats it could access, but I'll be darned if I heard anything about mute control, or a volume control. (grin) So, how do I access something with commands so I can crank up the volume and make sure the sound card isn't muted? Nick (the embarrassed)