I've been having some problems with this new soundcard I've installed. I uninstalled the drivers for the on-board sound and disabled it in the bios. Booted up with the new soundcard and Windows won't detect it. I try and install the drivers and it won't detect the soundcard. It's a VIA AC'97 Audio Controller (WDM).

I assume the driver name you highlighted in bold is the onboard one.
I don't like chipsets VIA makes... They tend to not be so nice.
Try going into the BIOS setup, and disabling the onboard soundcard there (doing it in Windows might not be enough). Then it won't conflict with the new one and (hopefully) you'll be able to install it.

The VIA chipset is the new soundcard. The onboard sound is from SoundMax. I already uninstalled the drivers in Windows, removed it in Add/Remove programs, and disabled it in BIOS. Then I booted up with the VIA soundcard and it won't detect it, and the driver won't install because it doesn't detect the soundcard either.

I'm actually beginning to wonder if it's even a PCI compatable card. It could be an ISA card since a lot of soundcards use to be formatted for that type of slot. But I doubt it. Nonetheless, the slits at the bottom with the golden bars on them that place in the slot have three. All of the PCI cards I've seen have two (one small one, and one big one, and it corresponds to the slot). However, this soundcard has 3 (two small ones on the right/left and a big one in the middle) yet it fits just fine inside the slot. Anyways, it seems to be a mystery. The other computer that I took this soundcard out of already had it installed when I got it from my Uncle...Unfortunately he didn't install it, and doesn't remember who put it in there for him...

[quote author=Yoni link=board=2;threadid=7461;start=0#msg67340 date=1088293566]

I don't like chipsets VIA makes... They tend to not be so nice.

[/quote] For intel I would not go near them, but I hear they are quite nice for amd systems. I am an intel user on an intel chipset though so I can't speak from experience. I do not know who I would use between via and sis for in intel system... prolly sis... thats if I had to pick between those two.

The sound card you are describing can be pci, infact I am looking at a creative labs audigy live with 3 sets of pins, two small and a long in the middle.meausre its length from start of one set of pins and the end of the last and then we can know. A pci card should have a length of just over 3 inches, I mean that is the slot length and all. Wait you said it fits in a pci slot? If it fits in a pci slot then its pci, I mean isa is not going to go into a pci.
http://www.barrett.net/images/connectorisapci.jpg
http://www.barrett.net/images/connectorisa1.jpg
see the difference?
If you can't see the card at all, try it in another system if you can... my first thought would be you have a dead card... you are on windows xp correct? Windows should atleast see it, not saying it will work, but windows should alteast see it in that slot if the card is operating, drivers or no drivers.