FYI on sound issues..
 

I finally found out... even tho all sound settings IN GAME are set correctly. IF the sound button on the options menu @ the user name/ password screen is not ticked for sound... THEN you will have no sound..

took me 4 days of research and 2 weeks of silent running to find that out. I want others to know when they run into this same thing. I didnt even know it existed and some how it got un ticked.