No sound on Windows system

[windranger]

I have a desktop PC and have issue with the sound - for some reason it stopped outputting sound.

The case has two analog 3.5 jack audio outputs, one in the front, the other in the back.
In the past I could hear sound from both, but now there isn't sound coming from any of them.

I try with different speakers and headphones and same result, so I conclude it's not an issue with the cables or speakers.
Actually the speakers and headphones work fine with my laptop.

When a sound playing software (MPHC, Winamp, etc.) is running, I can see the sound indicator firing in the Volume Mixer.
Here is a screenshot of the Volume Mixer and Sound panels:
https://prnt.sc/26niu8e

I reinstalled the sound driver which I know I installed initially and it worked (Realtek High Definition Audio) but no luck.
I am not sure even about if the issue is from the hardware or from the software.

There are now warnings (yellow icon) in the Device Manager.

I would appreciate any hint that could lead to identifying the cause of the problem.

Thanks.

[ProWo]

Read this

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-sound-problems-in-windows-10-73025246-...a-2535c7cd56c8

[windranger]

Thanks, I've already checked all the points mentioned there and no result..

If that helps, I've noticed that even if I plug in speakers or headphones' jack into the 3.5 plug, it won't become selectable - it will keep showing "Not plugged in".
So I can't select 'Speakers' item in the Sound panel...

[sum_guy]

I would try this, go into device manager, right click on the audio driver and uninstall. Then reboot, then go back into device manager and look in the sound controllers and see if it reinstalled. There are multiple versions of the realtek audio driver and Windows 10 should install the correct one for you.

[TimA-C]

Try going into the Device Manager and see if you can roll back the audio driver . . . it wouldn't be the first time Windows update has installed incompatible drivers on a working system.

If that doesn't work, or there aren't any drivers to roll back to, then go to the motherboard manufacturer's / PC manufacturer's support site and see if you can find any audio drivers. (You don't say which version of Windows you're running, but if you can't find drivers for your current version of Windows then try the most recent you can find.)

NOTE: At the VERY LEAST make a system restore point before doing anything else. Better yet, make a snapshot backup of your C: drive . . . just in case!

NOTE2: Be careful about downloading drivers from the many sites that act as user supplied driver repositories unless you Really know what you're doing!!! (Likewise any 'driver update' utils - they're often little better than Windows Update.)

NOTE3: Good Luck! And let us know how you get on.

[windranger]

I did as you said and after reboot it showed exactly the same items under Sound: "High Definition Audio Device" (five identical ones). So nothing changed..

[Cornucopia]

One good way to get what one would hope is an appropriate driver, is to go to Windows Update, and look at "Other Options", which often shows custom/non-generic drivers. Of course, reboot after installing.

It could also be that something actually happened to your hardware. If you can borrow a friend's sound device (e.g. USB), install that and see if sound comes out of it. If it does, you know that it isn't Windows itself that is the culprit, but either the driver and/or the hardware.


Scott

[october262]

I have a desktop PC and have issue with the sound - for some reason it stopped outputting sound.

The case has two analog 3.5 jack audio outputs, one in the front, the other in the back.
In the past I could hear sound from both, but now there isn't sound coming from any of them.

I try with different speakers and headphones and same result, so I conclude it's not an issue with the cables or speakers.
Actually the speakers and headphones work fine with my laptop.

When a sound playing software (MPHC, Winamp, etc.) is running, I can see the sound indicator firing in the Volume Mixer.
Here is a screenshot of the Volume Mixer and Sound panels:
https://prnt.sc/26niu8e

I reinstalled the sound driver which I know I installed initially and it worked (Realtek High Definition Audio) but no luck.
I am not sure even about if the issue is from the hardware or from the software.

There are now warnings (yellow icon) in the Device Manager.

I would appreciate any hint that could lead to identifying the cause of the problem.

Thanks.

do the yellow icons warnings say what kind of error there is ??

[windranger]

Sorry for the typo, it should be "There are no warnings (yellow icon) in the Device Manager."

[flashandpan007]

Here is a screenshot of the Volume Mixer and Sound panels:
https://prnt.sc/26niu8e

There are multiple versions of the realtek audio driver and Windows 10 should install the correct one for you.

You don't say which version of Windows you're running, but if you can't find drivers for your current version of Windows then try the most recent you can find.

According to the screenshot s:he (!) is using Windows 7, isn't it?
What Mainboard or pc do you have? I need the full exact pc model or mainboard model number, so I can search for you

[october262]

Sorry for the typo, it should be "There are no warnings (yellow icon) in the Device Manager."

you've already tried windows update & driver updates correct ??

[usually_quiet]

I noticed that Digital Audio S/PDIF is selected as the default audio device. Is it working OK?

[TimA-C]

Here is a screenshot of the Volume Mixer and Sound panels:
https://prnt.sc/26niu8e

There are multiple versions of the realtek audio driver and Windows 10 should install the correct one for you.

You don't say which version of Windows you're running, but if you can't find drivers for your current version of Windows then try the most recent you can find.

According to the screenshot s:he (!) is using Windows 7, isn't it?
What Mainboard or pc do you have? I need the full exact pc model or mainboard model number, so I can search for you

Ok, Smarta***!

D'oh! I didn't actually bother to look at the screenshot as it was unlikely to give much useful info. Usually when this happens it's down to Windows update, and you either have to roll the driver back or get the specific driver from somewhere. Or the relevant chips on the motherboard have cooked themselves, but they usually don't fail in isolation - other things, like USB ports etc. usually fail at the same time.

[Gramps]

I did as you said and after reboot it showed exactly the same items under Sound: "High Definition Audio Device" (five identical ones). So nothing changed..

If it is showing five identical ones, then it doesn't sound like it is picking the correct driver. Microsoft sometimes uses generic drivers that support a wide number of devices, but the drivers may not support specific features of the device. And, on occasion, it just gets it wrong.

Try this. In Device Manager, right click on one of sound drivers and go to Properties. In the Properties window, go to the Details tab. On the Details tab, click on the dropdown next to Property and choose Hardware IDs. A list of values will appear in the Value box below it. They are basically the identifier that the device is reporting to Windows. The first (longest value) is the most accurate match, while the values below it more general types for the device. Choose the longest string (usually at the top of the list) by right clicking and choosing Copy. Now paste that text into Google search and also include the Windows version. Google should return a list of matches. Look for the match that points to the manufacturer website and go to it to get the correct driver. and install it. Avoid those driver websites that claim to carry drivers for everything. See if that helps.

[johns0]

Just make sure your audio that you want is selected as default in the sound panel in windows system.

[windranger]

I downloaded and reinstalled the audio driver from motherboard site.
https://www.asus.com/us/supportonly/P7P55-M/HelpDesk_Download
The device selected by default has turned to 'Speakers' and in Device Manager there is one more entry under Sounds, the "VIA High Definition Audio".
So now it works!

I think some Windows update did something nasty, and screwed the driver.
Thank you all for the insights!

[TimA-C]

Glad you got it working. I'd keep a copy of the drivers you downloaded and a screen cap of the now working audio section of Device manager in case Win Updates does it again down the road.

Have a good weekend!

[windranger]

Right, will do that!
All the best

[usually_quiet]

I think some Windows update did something nasty, and screwed the driver.
Thank you all for the insights!

Are you sure that you didn't accidentally install a driver update program? Some Microsoft programs on your PC like Windows Security Essentials or Microsoft Office may still receive updates but at this point, Windows 7 itself should not even be receiving security updates from Microsoft (unless you purchased extended security updates) let alone driver updates.