Sound randomly comes on and off

[MarkRobson]

Hello,
First and foremost, I'm a user, not an expert. Current build: HP i7 860 2.8, 8GB RAM, Nvidia 460, Integrated sound (used to have Sound-Blaster, I forget what spec) 700W Power suply.
My troubles began when I replaced the on board card with the 460, put in the 700W PS and took out the Sound card due to heating issues on the graphics card.
All of a sudden, the sound on my headset or speakers will go out.
Additionally, if I'm playing a game, the graphics will flicker as the sound comes on and off. Programs like Skype or Ventrilo are not affected by this.
Oddly enough, if I slap the side the Motherboard is attached to, the sound will come on (for any length of time between a few seconds to a few hours)!
I realize this isn't exactly healthy for the machine, so I need your help to figure out why this keeps happening and save my hand and the desktop some grief. Thoughts?

 

[amuffin]

Are the drivers correctly installed?

 

[MarkRobson]

Are the drivers correctly installed?

I believe so. I checked for updates and its current.

 

[alyoshka]

Something has gotten loose in the rig, or then you have a slight short on the backside of the mobo near the sound chip or the audio connectors. Since the slap gets the rig screaming you need to get the whole thing out and see if it works normally when placed on a book or board....
try that out and let us know.

 

[MarkRobson]

Yeah I am not going to be able to take apart the entire machine. Way beyond my skills or desire. Any other solutions?

 

[davcon]

Sounds to me like a loose audio connection on the mobo header.
Simple to fix.

 

[MarkRobson]

Sounds to me like a loose audio connection on the mobo header.
Simple to fix.

How? where is this audio connection?