I figured as much (about the shouting I mean). I figured that you were not mad, but in the net, since there is no other way to evoke screaming and/or shouting, it is like a rule of sorts that caps are reserved for that reason.

Now, on to the problem at hand. Since I own a Mac, I can't really be of any help, but I would suggest running anti-virus (you never know) and other utility softwares that you may have (defragmentation and stuff, disk repair... you get the idea). It might not make sense but it might point out to something.
Also, try disabling LW's mp3 player from LW's options. Since that is most possibly the only thing that uses audio output in LW, I figure that if indeed LW screwed up your speakers somehow it would be because of the player.

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iMac G4 OSX 10.3.9
RAM 256MB
LW 4.10.5 Basic
ADSL anything from 3 to 8Mbps/around 1024kbps

"Raise your can of Beer on high
And seal your fate forever
Our best years have passed us by
The Golden Age Of Leather"
-Blue Öyster Cult-