Well, just when I think I get computer up and running, there's another problem..... been battling with my comp-- ended up wiping the drive and reinstalling windows.  The computer originally had two identical sound cards in it, but I figured I'd get it working with one first.

Installed the drivers, ETC, off of the install CD.  Everything seems to be running fine, except that it's emitting an extremely low volume.  When I put on headphones in a silent room, I can just barely hear a sound effect of an alarm clock... very very quietly.  Everything looks fine, as far as I can tell, in Device Manager, etc..... onboard audio doesn't work either (ended up disabling it in BIOS).  All volume sliders that I can find are turned all the way up.  I switched it with the other identical sound card, and same problem.

Sound card is:
Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102002

Any thoughts? I need to get this computer playing audio ASAP! It's for my job!Do you have speakers at all?
Do you connect your headphone to front panel jack, or to your sound card?Headphones connected to proper (green) jack in the sound card.  Speakers shouldn't matter, I wouldn't think.  Headphones work fine, I use them at work every day.

I uninstalled the audio device (via driver tab), took out the card, and put in the other sound card in the PCI slow below it (thinking maybe the PCI slot was busted).   Same problem.  Extremely low volume, barely AUDIBLE.

*note-- I reinstalled the drivers, of course, using the CD given from Audigy.  I tried to download the Audigy SE drivers from the SoundBlaster website, but it made it look like it was for Vista...... the install window for the drivers said Vista install.Open Control Panel>Sound and audio devices. Under Volume tab, click on Advanced. Go to Options>Properties and under mixer device choose your card. Now set the audio volume to max.pretty sure I did that already..... not to be a pain in the *censored*, but I fiddled with all those levels for hours last night....I don't won't to be a pain in the *censored*, either, but, did you try another pair of headphones?Ha, yes I did  I feel helpless, then...
Two different sound cards, two different PCI slots, two different headphones...what else could it be?
Unless there is some motherboard amplifier, which got busted, but this is beyond my expertise, because I even don't know, if there is some motherboard located amplifier in addition to soundcard's one.Grr I was afraid you'd say that.... 

Do you think it could be a driver problem? Could a driver mis-match cause extremely low volume, or would it just cause the card to be completely disfunctional?

Possible...which card (name/model) are you using now?
Do you have on-board sound disabled? (this is another good question)
What Windows version are you with, anyway?Sound card is:
Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102002

Operating Windows XP

I BELIEVE that I disabled the onboard audio, via BIOS (or CMOS, whatever that whole menu is called...).  I found an item in BIOS that had the word "audio" as well as onboard audio device name, and DISABLED it.  Maybe there's another option I missed....

I'm hesitant to wipe windows and start from scratch because I just got the computer up and running again...If you go here:
Creative
you'll see your driver. It says:
Quote

Microsoft® Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows® XP PROFESSIONAL x64 Edition, Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP MEDIA Center Edition 2005 or Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004

I'll try uninstalling the audio device again (from driver tab) and update from those files only.... maybe what I've been doing is installing the drivers from the disc first, and then trying to install the downloaded files on top of that....