diff --git a/Lib/test/test_winsound.py b/Lib/test/test_winsound.py
index 1c524c9..1ed43c1 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_winsound.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_winsound.py
@@ -22,25 +22,27 @@
         self.assertRaises(ValueError, winsound.Beep, 32768, 75)
 
     def test_extremes(self):
-        if _have_soundcard():
-            winsound.Beep(37, 75)
-            winsound.Beep(32767, 75)
-        else:
-            # The behaviour of winsound.Beep() seems to differ between
-            # different versions of Windows when there's either a) no
-            # sound card entirely, b) legacy beep driver has been disabled,
-            # or c) the legacy beep driver has been uninstalled.  Sometimes
-            # RuntimeErrors are raised, sometimes they're not.  Meh.
-            try:
-                winsound.Beep(37, 75)
-                winsound.Beep(32767, 75)
-            except RuntimeError:
-                pass
+        self._beep(37, 75)
+        self._beep(32767, 75)
 
     def test_increasingfrequency(self):
-        if _have_soundcard():
-            for i in xrange(100, 2000, 100):
-                winsound.Beep(i, 75)
+        for i in xrange(100, 2000, 100):
+            self._beep(i, 75)
+
+    def _beep(self, *args):
+        # these tests used to use _have_soundcard(), but it's quite
+        # possible to have a soundcard, and yet have the beep driver
+        # disabled. So basically, we have no way of knowing whether
+        # a beep should be produced or not, so currently if these
+        # tests fail we're ignoring them
+        #
+        # XXX the right fix for this is to define something like
+        # _have_enabled_beep_driver() and use that instead of the
+        # try/except below
+        try:
+            winsound.Beep(*args)
+        except RuntimeError:
+            pass
 
 class MessageBeepTest(unittest.TestCase):