How to recover a deleted sound driver. Why the sound on the computer does not work, how to fix the problem

Situations where sound disappears on a computer happen often. As a rule, this happens unexpectedly, in the morning they turned on the computer and that’s it, and in response there was silence, the sound did not work.

You need to understand that nothing happens for nothing, this also applies to the sound in the computer.

Simple reasons

Most likely, there was a software failure, for example, the drivers crashed, the sound settings were set incorrectly, or a hardware problem arose - the sound card or speakers failed.

But there are also simple situations that can make an experienced PC user smile.

For example, they unplugged the speakers or forgot to press the power button for the latter.

And there are situations when the sound is reduced to a minimum, or headphones are inserted into the sound jack. In this case, the latter simply need to be disconnected by removing the plug from the socket in the speakers or sound card.

It is from these reasons that it is necessary to start searching for the problem, since you always need to go from simple to complex.

But before searching for the problem, try restarting the computer again; there have been cases when after that everything was solved by itself and the sound appeared.

If the above reasons for the lack of sound have not been identified, then pay attention to the sound icon in the tray at the bottom right. In principle, you can do this right away.

If there is a red crossed out circle next to the icon, as shown above, then the sound is deactivated and you need to turn it on and set the desired volume.

Try connecting the speakers to another device. It could be an iPhone or a mobile phone, the main thing is that the connector fits, but as a rule, now there are no problems with this.

If the speakers interact normally with another device, then we move on to the next stage of searching for the problem - software.

Going to Device Manager in Windows 7 is easy. This can be done through the control panel or by right-clicking on the “Computer” icon on the desktop and going to the “Properties” section.

There, find the “Device Manager” menu and go to this section.

All devices should be displayed without question marks, especially pay attention to the line “Sound, video and gaming devices”.

If a question mark is displayed there or this section is not there at all, then you will have to install drivers.

This can be done using the disk that came with the computer, on which drivers for all PC devices should be stored.

If this disk is not available, then using the CPU-Z, AIDA64 or HWiNFO3264 programs, which are easy to find on the Internet, find out the model of your motherboard or sound card.

If the sound card is integrated, then we will find out the type and brand of the motherboard.

If it’s not integrated, then we’ll find out the same thing, but only for the sound card.

You can take an even simpler route: download the latest driver assembly from the website http://drp.su and burn it to a DVD.

Keep this disc at hand at all times. After launching the software package, the entire computer will be scanned automatically.

In the future, you will be prompted to install unfound device drivers or update older versions. After restarting the computer, the sound should appear.

System Restore

Nowadays, system recovery will not surprise anyone.

The sound of the computer might disappear after installing programs or drivers that began to conflict with those that had already been stopped.

Think back to what you installed over the next few days. Try removing this software.

If this does not help, go to the appropriate section through the control panel and return the system to the past through the selected restore point.

The data will not be lost, but for security reasons, it should still be removed from the desktop to a non-system drive (D, E, etc.).

You need to select a recovery point at which you know for sure that there was sound on the computer.

But there are situations when a recovery point has not been created or this function has been disabled on the C drive.

To solve our problem, you can use the built-in utility sfc.exe.

Log in with administrator rights. Click Start – Run, enter cmd.exe in the line and click OK, Windows Command Prompt will launch.

Disabled devices

There have been situations when, when connecting other devices that produce sound or edit it, sound drivers for them were installed on the computer.

After turning off this device, when it was no longer needed, the sound disappeared, since by default it should have come from it. But it's already disabled? How to get out of this situation.

We need to switch to working with the built-in sound card.

Go to control panel - sound.

We see that the device is not connected. When I try to turn it on, nothing happens.

Now right-click on the empty area and a window like this will appear.

Turn on "show disabled devices".

As you can see, “Speakers/Headphones” have appeared.

All that remains is to turn them on.

The computer sound should appear.

To check this, go to the configure section.

And then “Check”.

The sound should be clear without interference.

The situation is a little different here. If the system sees speakers, they should appear in the familiar Sounds window.

If they are, then activate them and go to the “Properties” section.

At the bottom, look at the line “Using devices”. It should say "on".

Pay attention to the line "controller". The device must be detected; if there is nothing there, then the driver is missing. We wrote above how to install it.

In the “additional” section, you can check the condition and quality of the sound by clicking the “check” button.

Finding a problem in system services

The Windows Audio service is responsible for audio performance. If it turns off for any reason, there will be no sound on the computer.

For local computer services services.msc, enter the search bar in the start menu as shown below.

Go to the services control panel and find the “Windows Audio” line there.

The service status should be "Running". If it is disabled or set to “manual”, then double-click on the settings and set the startup type to “Automatic”.

The sound card also tends to break. Therefore, if the methods described above did not work and there is still no sound, then try replacing the installed sound card with another one.

Ask your acquaintances or friends for it. Or remove it from a second computer if you have one.

But keep in mind that you may have to install the drivers again, but you already know how to do this.

As a rule, in modern PCs the sound card is already integrated into the motherboard.

But many computer owners are not satisfied with its characteristics and purchase more advanced devices that are inserted into a separate PC slot or connected via a USB port.

But you need to understand that in order not to lose sound and to get the most out of the purchased device, you will have to go into the BIOS and disable the default use of the integrated sound card there.

In another case, after connecting the speakers to a new, more modern device, there will be no sound.

The sound manager can reassign sound card connectors for certain devices.

For example, by default the green connector is for connecting headphones and speakers.

Red is for the microphone.

All this is written in the registry. But as a result of any manipulations with the latter, the settings may be changed.

To return everything to its original state, you need to go through the control panel to the “Realtek HD Manager” and reassign the connectors there.

But unfortunately, the sound manager is not provided on all computers; much depends on the type of connected speakers and sound card.

In this case, you will have to go into the registry and manually edit everything or restore the registry from a backup.

The folder where the current, working registry files are located is here.

In the config folder, pay attention to the files sam, default, software, security and system.

Backups of these files, which are created every 10 days, are located in the RegBack folder.

If none of the above methods helped restore sound on your computer, then you can try replacing the existing registry files with more recent ones from the backup.

This cannot be done when Windows is running. You need to boot from another OS, for example, a Live CD, which only works through the computer's RAM.

Once loaded, go to the config section and add the “.old” extension to the sam, default, software, security and system files.

Now copy the files of the same name from the RegBack folder to the config folder.

Reboot your computer with the OS already installed. If the problem was in the registry, then the sound should appear.

There are models of motherboards that have special jumpers through which the audio signal is redirected.

Remember if you touched them recently and if so, screw them back to their original position.

Each motherboard comes with documentation; look at the Audio section, you can find the necessary information there.

No codecs for audio/video

There are situations when there is general system sound, but when watching a movie with a video player, it disappears.

There is no need to panic, try opening this video file with another player, as this may be the problem.

Or your computer does not have the necessary codecs to decode this type of video file. After all, video has different formats.

As for codecs, there are ready-made solutions that are easy to download from the Internet, for example, K-Lite Codec Packs with built-in Media Player.

During the installation of this package, select “Lots of Stuf”, and then everything is intuitive.

Front panel

On some computers, speakers are connected through AC'97 (old) or HD Definition (modern) front panels.

Check whether they are connected to the motherboard and what type of panel is set by default in the BIOS, usually AC’97.

You need to try switching and see the result.

Reinstalling the system

Reinstalling the system is a last resort measure that should be taken. It’s not for nothing that we write about it at the end of the article.

If you decide to take this extreme step, then when installing new drivers on your computer, start with the sound ones.

As a rule, drivers are installed on the motherboard first, and if the sound card is integrated, then sound should appear.

If not, then you need to install an additional driver package for sound, which should be included in the package.

Then other drivers are installed and after each stage of their installation the sound is checked.

This way we will find which device the conflict is occurring with.

If a conflict occurs, then you need to replace old versions of drivers with new ones, and also find those versions that will work stably on your operating system.

Also, do not forget what you will have to install for the computer to work.

Let's sum it up

So, we looked at the main reasons for the loss of sound on a computer and ways to solve them.

Of course, there may be other, more complex situations, for example, problems with the system board and others. In this case, it is better to contact specialists.

But we hope that it won’t come to that and, thanks to our advice, you will be able to restore the sound on your computer yourself.

The cause of the malfunction can only lie in two places: in the hardware of your computer, or in its software. In other words, the absence of sound is a consequence of a malfunction in the "hardware" PC, or this is due to the settings of the operating system, incorrect operation of some programs. It should be understood that the occurrence of such a breakdown does not depend on the OS or its newness. This happens in older versions such as Windows XP, as well as in the latest Windows 8. It can also happen in Linux and other versions of the OS. Even if your equipment is the newest and most modern, the most expensive sound card, the highest quality speakers, you can still encounter a similar problem.

How to restore sound on a computer?

First, we must find out the very cause of the problem. We will determine the reason for the lack of sound in various ways, starting with the simplest and most basic ones.

To do this, we will follow, step by step, according to the following instructions:

If none of the above points helped you, then you need to use the latest option - call a technician for help, or take the PC to a workshop.

If the sound does not play or becomes bad.

In such cases, first of all, you need to remember what actions were performed on the computer the last time when the sound was normal. Perhaps you installed something new. In this case, the problem can be solved quite easily by uninstalling the program that you installed. In other cases, the problem may be due to the accidental removal of some important component in the operating system. Therefore, you should be careful about all programs that you delete. Follow all the recommendations for troubleshooting that were described above, most likely something will help. Always, in any unclear situations, you can use the help section, which is located in the menu Start.
When the sound is hoarse or otherwise distorted, check your audio settings. It may have gone wrong, or you may have accidentally added some sound effect that is now playing along with the sound.

It happens that the sound generally works normally, but in one specific program it is reproduced (or not reproduced) with poor quality. This can be solved by examining the sound settings in the program itself, or, as a last resort, reinstalling it, this should help.

Troubleshooting sound problems in Windows 7 and Windows XP

This add-on will discuss step by step what to do when there is no sound on the computer in the Windows XP and Windows 7 operating systems. So let's start in order:

Look in the bottom right corner of the screen for the location of the clock, which is displayed in the form of a speaker.

If this icon is missing, as in Windows XP, check the settings through the control panel located in the “Sounds and Audio Devices” section (instructions for Windows XP, point 4).

By left-clicking on this icon, you should make sure that the sound is on and the volume control is not located at the very bottom.

A window will open in which you need to mark whether the controls are enabled:

• Volume in mixer Windows7, Vista;

• Volume in the Windows XP mixer.

If you cannot change the settings due to the parameters being deactivated (they are highlighted in pale gray), the health of the audio device is checked in the task manager (step 3). If there are problems, you will need to reinstall the audio driver (step 6).

Before checking the settings and status of your sound card, make sure your speakers or headphones are turned on or connected correctly. The audio card contains a pin for connecting audio speakers, marked in green.

When installing more than one sound card on a computer, you need to ensure that the speakers are connected to the connector of the working card (which is used by the system). The wire connecting the speakers to the system unit must fit tightly.

It is best to check the performance of the speakers on another computer, or by connecting one of the suitable devices to the audio output.

To enter the “Device Manager”, click sequentially:
On Windows7 or Vista:

“Start”, then “Settings”, then “Control Panel” and “Device Manager”.

On Windows XP:

Right-click to open the context menu by clicking on the “My Computer” icon, selecting “Properties”, going to the “Hardware” tab and clicking “Device Manager”.

Your audio device should appear under Sound, video and gaming devices.

If the device is missing, or there is an exclamation mark next to it, the problem is a damaged or missing driver. In this case, the driver is completely updated or reinstalled (point 6).

To open the audio settings window in Windows7 and Vista, you will need to click: “Start”, then “Settings”, “Control Panel” and “Sound”.

After this, a dialog box will open in which a list of all your devices will be visible. In this case, the default is one device:

The fact that the audio is working correctly is indicated by the corresponding inscription under the name with a green checkmark near the device icon.

If this window shows a different picture, characterizing obvious interruptions in the operation of the device, you will need to reinstall the driver (step 6).

On Windows XP:

Next, go to the “Volume” tab and make sure that the “Mute sound” checkbox is not checked. The mixer volume must be above zero.

If at this stage the settings are normal, but the sound on the computer disappears and does not return, proceed to the next step.

If it is impossible to move the mixer volume control and the presence of the inscription: “There are no sound devices” instead of your device, this serves as a signal that you need to reinstall the sound driver, or that the sound card is faulty (point 6).

To do this, open: “Start”, then “Settings”, then “Control Panel”, click “Administration” and at the end - “Services”. But a slightly different option is also possible.

“Start” – “Run”, then enter the command services.msc in the line, clicking “OK” to complete. A window will open in which you will need to find a service called “Windows Audio”.

If the service is started and running in “Auto” mode, as is clearly demonstrated in the figure, you will need to close the window and move on to the next step.

If the service is disabled, you will need to enable it. After selecting it with the right mouse button, click “Properties” in the drop-down menu.

In the properties window, you need to do the following:

1. Set the startup type to “Auto”;
2. Click “Run” (in Windows 7 or Vista), or “Start” (for Windows XP);
3. Click “Apply” and then “OK”.

If there is no effect, you can proceed to subsequent actions.

If problems are detected in the device manager, or in the window with audio parameters settings, indicating that the sound device is not working correctly, we are talking about a damaged or incorrectly working sound driver. You will definitely need to update it or reinstall it.

You can find the sound card driver on the disk that comes with the kit, or on the disk with drivers for the motherboard with a sound device integrated into the motherboard. A disk with drivers for the motherboard is provided with the computer at the time of purchase. Drivers must be suitable for your operating system (OS). For example, if you have Windows 7 and a driver disk for Windows XP, simply download the required driver from the card (motherboard) manufacturer's website.

Let's say you have a suitable package for installing the necessary drivers. In the “Device Manager” (“Control Panel”, “System”, “Hardware” and “Device Manager”), the currently installed audio driver will need to be uninstalled. If the above is missing, you need to find “Multimedia audio controller”, and then remove the audio-video codecs installed on your PC. To do this, you will need to call “Add or Remove Programs” from the Control Panel, and then click on restart the system.

Restarting your computer in Windows 7 will allow you to update the system automatically using technology Plug and Play. To install manually, you will need to insert the driver disc into the drive.

Let's try to look at installing drivers, focusing on Windows XP. The differences between the Windows versions are only minor differences in the appearance of the dialog boxes.

Once you open the Device Manager window, look for the section that has “sound” or “multimedia” in its name. To open the device properties, simply double-click on it. Having selected the “Driver” tab, you need to click the “Update” button. A menu will open in which the system will prompt you for automatic or manual installation. Click the second item and then the “Next” button:

After the window opens, check the “Include next search location” checkbox next to the item. The Browse button will help you specify the optical drive with the disc. By clicking the “Next” button, find the necessary drivers and install them.

Upon completion, you will receive a system notification that the driver installation was successful and you can use the equipment. As a result, you will be delighted with the sound that appears. In extreme cases, this will happen after a reboot.

7. Check if the settings in BIOS are correct

There may also be no sound in Windows due to the integrated audio card being turned off in the BIOS settings. To start the computer, press the Del button. In some PC models these are the F2, F10, F12 keys. In the list of motherboard devices, you will need to find the sound card, and then make sure that the switch opposite is set to the “Enabled” position.

A common reason for sudden loss of sound on a computer is a broken sound card. However, before purchasing a new one, you should make sure that after applying the above options, no actions help.

The main thing to remember is that any problem can be solved and the solution may turn out to be much simpler than it seems.

A computer is a very complex multifunctional device that likes to pull all sorts of tricks at the most inopportune moment: the video card will fail, the south bridge will burn out, or for no reason the sound on Windows 7 or some other operating system will disappear. Even an ordinary user needs to know everything about how to deal with these troubles. The most common problem is sound failure after the next system update or for some other unknown reason. But in order to competently solve this problem, you must first determine what went wrong and identify the primary source of all troubles. This is what will be discussed in this material. So, how can you give your computer its voice back? Let's try to figure it out.

Reasons for no sound on the computer

There are several reasons why your computer may lose sound. All of them are divided into hardware and software. If the problem is hardware in nature, then there is a very high probability that an adapter will be required. If the problem is of a software nature, then you can get by with “little loss” and on your own. If the sound disappears on Windows 7 or some other version of the OS, then the first thing you need to do is check all the connections and the functionality of the speakers or headphones. If the problem is not solved, check the availability of drivers for the sound card. If everything is fine with the drivers, then you need to check the sound adapter for functionality. And if this doesn’t help, we check it for hardware damage.

Hardware problems are the most difficult. If the user has a full-fledged computer with a system unit, then replacing the sound card will not be difficult. And if you only have a laptop or PC that uses a built-in sound controller, then you can’t do without a trip to a specialist. In any case, you will have to spend some money on professional help or a new sound card. This is the main trouble with hardware sound problems. So, the sound on the computer disappeared. How to restore it? Let's take a closer look at the most popular methods.

How to fix it? Method 1: attentiveness test

Often, inexperienced users simply do not notice that the system is set to minimum or the sound is completely turned off. To eliminate this problem, just look in the system tray - at the volume icon (speaker). If it is crossed out, then the sound is simply turned off. To turn it on, click on the icon and click on it again. Then the sound should appear. If the icon is not crossed out, it still makes sense to look into the tray and move the volume control to maximum. This, by the way, is also the answer to the question of how to increase the sound on a computer.

If after carrying out all the above manipulations nothing happens, then the problem may be with the speakers or headphones. Make sure the speaker system is plugged in and turn the volume control to maximum. After that, play a song on your computer. The sound should appear. If this is not the case, check the connection between the speakers and your computer or laptop. Sometimes someone can swap the plugs without your knowledge. If everything is in its place, but there is no sound, then the problem is much more serious than it seemed at first glance. Now we will seriously understand why the sound in the computer disappeared and how to restore it.

How to fix it? Method 2: Enable the sound device

Setting up sound on Windows 7 is not such a difficult task. However, before you move on to tinkering with drivers and other software, you need to make sure that your standard audio device is enabled and in use. It's very easy to do. Go to "Start" - "Control Panel" - "Device Manager". There we look for the name of our audio device and see which icon is next to it. If the arrow is gray, the equipment is disabled. To enable it, you need to do the following manipulation: right-click on the device and select “Enable” in the menu that appears. After this, a sound should appear. If the sound on your computer has disappeared and you don’t know how to restore it, then the following chapters are just for you.

But sometimes this doesn’t help either. So, the sound on the computer disappeared. What should I do if the place of the audio device in the “Device Manager” is completely empty? This happens after someone has removed the device along with all the drivers. To fix this, you need to restart your computer. The system itself will detect the new device and try to install the necessary drivers. But! Even if this option works, you can’t count on the system drivers being up to date, which smoothly moves us to the next chapter of the material: installing drivers and other software.

How to fix it? Method 3: drivers

Often software problems lead to lack of sound on a PC or laptop. The most common of them is the lack of necessary drivers in the device’s operating system. It’s very easy to check: go to “Control Panel” - “Device Manager” and look at the section with audio devices. If there are yellow question marks instead of icons, then there are definitely no drivers. Therefore there is no sound. What to do? If there is no sound from the computer speakers due to drivers, you need to go to the official website of the device manufacturer and download the latest utilities. You can, of course, try to update them with standard Windows tools, but the Microsoft servers have quite ancient versions. So it's better to download it yourself.

Sometimes, instead of a yellow question mark, in place of the device you are looking for in the “Device Manager” there may be an inscription like “Standard audio device”. Don't rush to rejoice. This also means that the necessary programs are not available, which means the device may be unstable. With various tricks and glitches. Therefore, drivers must be installed in any case. This will have a positive effect on the overall speed of your PC or laptop. Just remember that after installing the drivers, you need to restart your computer. If even after installing the necessary software, sound playback on your computer does not start, you need to prepare for the worst.

How to fix it? Method 4, hardware

If you have a standard personal computer with a system unit, then there is a high probability that you are using a separate sound card. What to do if there is no sound on the computer? How to restore it? There may be some kind of hardware failure in the sound card itself. You need to remove it, then put it back and turn on the computer. The chances are, of course, slim, but sound may appear. If it does not appear, then you need to determine for sure that the audio card is to blame. To do this, you need to take a known working card from your friends and insert it into the connector of your motherboard. If sound appears, there is a problem with the card. If not, the problem is with the motherboard. And both of these components will require replacement.

If you have a laptop or computer that uses a sound controller that is built into the motherboard, then things are much worse. So, the sound on the computer disappeared. What should I do if there is a hardware problem in the controller that is built into the motherboard? There is nothing you can do here yourself. You will have to take the computer to a service center where there are professionals with the most modern equipment. As a rule, you won’t be able to determine that the problem is in the 3.5 mm mini-Jack jack (if there is no sound in the headphones on the computer). Therefore, you cannot do without a trip to a specialist, although you could change the nest yourself.

Why is there no sound when watching a video?

Sometimes it happens that there is no sound when watching a video on a computer. The most common reason is a video player that lacks codecs. Usually the standard player from Microsoft suffers from this. Everything is simple here. There are only two options: either install new codecs, or change the player. The latter, by the way, is preferable, because the standard player cannot do much of what modern free utilities are capable of. The best one today is Daum PotPlayer. It plays everything and videos without any problems. It also has an impressive library of built-in codecs. And this is important.

However, it also happens that when watching a video, the sound on the computer disappears. What to do if everything is fine with the player and codecs? The player may be using the wrong audio output device. You need to go through the settings and make it play sound through a standard device, which should be installed by default. Each player has its own settings tree, so there is no way to describe the process of changing the output device step by step. Here you need to act using the “scientific poking” method. But finding these settings will not be difficult. Moreover, most video players now support the Russian language.

Improved sound quality. Method 1, software

It also happens that the sound quality noticeably decreases after any actions in the computer operating system. There may be crackling, noise, tunnel effect and other interference. This must be due to the recent installation of some program that managed to somehow affect the sound quality in the PC or laptop. The sound volume on your computer may also be affected. The easiest way to fix the situation is to remember which program you installed and uninstall it. After this you need to restart your computer. If this method does not work, then you need to use “System Restore” from the “Start” menu and roll back the operating system to a time when everything was fine with the sound.

Some users want to make their computer sound better. There are several products that will help implement this idea. The best program for sound on a computer is SRS Premium Sound. It has a huge number of settings and a bunch of effects that will help improve the sound quality on your computer. And although its interface is entirely in English, no one should have any problems with it, because it is simple and intuitive. This utility “settles” in the system tray and improves the sound of your PC or laptop in real mode. However, there is one drawback: the program is not free. And the trial version is very limited in customization options.

Improved sound quality. Method 2, hardware

No matter how advanced the computer audio program is, it is not capable of improving the sound beyond the limits of the sound card. And here the problem of the hardware capabilities of the audio chip appears. But she also has a solution, albeit a rather expensive one. You can purchase an external DAC that will provide the highest sound quality. But there are some nuances here that could lead to the rejection of this option. Firstly, a DAC is quite expensive. Not everyone has the opportunity to purchase it. Secondly, you need a receiver (aka an amplifier), because without it you cannot connect a good speaker system (or headphones) to the DAC. But if you listen to it on office tweeters, there will be no difference.

From the above thesis, the need to purchase logically follows. This, by the way, will also be the answer to the question of how to increase the sound on a computer. Because a good amplifier coupled with a high-quality speaker system is quite capable of coping with this task. But that's not all. Ideally, for high-quality sound you need an almost silent computer. The best option is a laptop or ultrabook. Standard system units buzz too much. But this is no longer necessary. A high-quality DAC and speaker system or headphones of the appropriate class will be sufficient. This will help take your sound quality to the next level.

How to increase

Sometimes it is vital to know how to increase the sound on your computer. This is necessary in cases where the laptop's built-in speakers are not capable of delivering many decibels or there is a speaker system without a volume control (or it does not work). This can be done using special programs (SRS, Realtek Audio) or by selecting frequencies. It's no secret that equalizer settings can have a great effect on sound volume. So it makes sense to play with the sliders and find the optimal one for yourself or your PC.

Conclusion

So, now you know what to do if the sound on your computer has disappeared and how to restore it. There are two types of reasons why this problem can occur: hardware and software. While software problems can still be dealt with on your own, hardware problems can often be unsolvable. Only a trip to a service center for PC and laptop repair will help here. There are specially trained people with the right tools who can get your car in order in the shortest possible time. There is no point in trying to fix a hardware problem yourself. Other computer components can be damaged. And their repair can be very expensive. Therefore, it is better to trust the professionals. And you can play with drivers and all sorts of programs to improve the sound as much as you like. They cannot cause physical harm to the sound card.

Imagine the situation: you turn on the computer, and instead of hearing the Windows XP welcome sound, you hear only the uniform hum of the system unit. Of course, the problem immediately becomes clear: there is no sound on the computer! What can be done if such a situation arises? Are there any special methods of action that are aimed at restoring sound? Let's see what can be done in a situation where there is no sound on the computer.

Reasons for no sound

There are only two reasons for the lack of sound on a computer: it is either a software problem or a hardware problem. In other words, either faulty components are present, or there are various problems in the settings of Windows XP or certain software. It should be noted that such problems can arise both in the latest operating systems and in the familiar Windows XP (sound problems arise quite often due to a malfunction of the svhosts.exe file). And even despite the latest equipment, a powerful and high-quality sound card, problems still arose and will continue to arise.

We will not consider a situation in which the sound is lost due to a hardware malfunction. The problems can be very diverse, and a user without special skills and education is unlikely to be able to figure out the reasons for the lack of sound due to a malfunction of the motherboard, sound card or other hardware parts of the computer. If all of the following actions do not lead to a positive result, then the problem is not in Windows XP at all. The problem lies in the hardware of the computer. It is advisable to take all the equipment for diagnostics to a person who can figure out why the sound on the computer has disappeared. We will look at the most common malfunctions that occur with software.

No sound caused by software

If the sound disappears, then first of all you need to check whether the Windows Audio service is running:

• Go to the address Start-Settings-Control Panel-Administrative Tools-Device Manager-Services;

• In the dialog box Services you need to select the Windows Audio service;
• Select a menu subsection Action-Properties;
• The Windows Audio dialog box checks the status of this service. During normal operation, it should function correctly, and the button Start is inactive;
• In the context menu Startup type there must be Auto(if this is not the case, then you need to set this value);
• The last step is to press the button OK and closing the special service window.

After these steps, you need to check the operation of Windows XP audio devices. To do this you need to do the following:

• IN Control panels you need to select a section Sounds and audio devices;
• Most likely, when you open this section, the message “No audio devices” will appear;

• At the same time, in Device Manager in section Sound devices you can see this picture:

In order for sound to appear again in Windows XP, you need to install new drivers. This is done as follows:

1. In the CD drive you need to install a CD containing the motherboard drivers.
2. Autorun should not be used. You must cancel the automatic installation and open the contents of the CD through My Computer.
3. Among the contents of the disk you need to find the installation file Setup.exe (Install.exe). After running the file, the Found New Hardware Wizard will open to install drivers for Windows XP.
4. The last step is to restart the computer, which is necessary for the drivers to work correctly.

After reboot, you can open the tab Volume and adjust the sound in the way the user needs.

There are several important nuances to consider. First, a special Windows Audio service is designed to run all audio devices in Windows XP. If there is no sound on the computer, this may mean that this service is inactive. Secondly, the above problem with the Windows Audio service most often occurs when installing or reinstalling Windows XP. This situation occurs due to automatic installation by the driver on the motherboard, so it is recommended to install them manually via device Manager.

How to restore sound on a computer?

If there is no sound on the computer, and reinstalling the motherboard drivers did not bring any visible result, you can perform the following steps, which, despite their banality, can be very useful:

1. Initially, it is recommended to restart your computer. It is possible that a temporary system failure of the drivers has occurred, and when Windows XP is restarted, the sound will appear again.
2. The most common reason, which has caused panic at least once even among an experienced user, is the lack of power supply to the speakers. It's corny, but it happens. Therefore, it is worth checking whether the plug from the speakers is inserted into the socket and whether the socket is working.
3. On the Windows XP taskbar you need to find the icon Volume settings, then move the slider as high as possible.
4. It is recommended to check the functionality of the speakers. If the sound is lost due to the computer, then the speakers will work on other devices. If the speakers do not work in all cases, then the reason for the lack of sound lies in them.
5. Install sound card drivers. Even if drivers are not available, they can be found on the official website of the company that owns the sound device on your computer.
6. If you understand not only the Windows XP operating system, but also the hardware, then you can try installing a known working sound card on your computer. If sound appears, then you need to take the sound card for diagnostics. It is possible that the sound disappeared precisely because of it.
7. As a last resort, you can try automatic system recovery. To do this, you need to create a recovery point on your computer, at which all settings are in working condition. This may come in handy in the future if any problems arise with the operation of the software or individual components in Windows XP.

If the sound disappears and all of the above actions did not bring any visible results, then only an experienced specialist can deal with this problem.

Quite often, users encounter the loss of sound on a computer running Windows 7. There are many reasons for this. Some are quite simple. And sometimes it takes several days to find a problem. This short review is dedicated to how to find and fix the problem.

Non-working speakers

Let's consider possible failure options:

These measures are basic, but you shouldn’t forget about them. If the check didn't yield anything, then it's time to move on.

Hardware audio settings

After obvious faults have been checked, you should pay attention to the software sound settings. It is quite possible that the sound in Windows is turned down or completely turned off. If it is reduced so much that it is barely audible, then the user will most likely assume that the computer itself has broken down.

It’s best to see visually how the sound is configured using Windows 7 as an example; on Windows 8 and 10 the operating principle is the same:

Let's look at the functions of the window that opens in more detail:

If you are unable to play the test sound, you should check to see if the sound is turned down to the minimum value or turned off altogether:

Check Device Manager

If there is no sound on a computer running Windows 7, as well as operating systems Windows 10 and other versions, you should check the status of the mini-programs (drivers) for the sound card. Most likely, they need to be updated or they are not there at all.

You can check the status of the equipment and its drivers in “ Device Manager", which is easy to find in Control panels on the " System».

Systemically displays all devices that are present on a computer or laptop, as well as the status of their drivers. If a yellow triangle is lit nearby, you should pay attention to it first. This means that the sound card is not working at all or is not working correctly. In our case, we are interested in the item “ Sound, video and gaming devices».

If a problem is identified due to which the sound does not work, you need to download and install a driver that is compatible with this PC. The current state of your computer can be maintained using special utilities for automatic updating and searching for the latest version of drivers for any equipment on a PC or laptop. For example, the program Everest will determine the sound card model, check all drivers for relevance and tell you where to find the necessary drivers for sound on Windows 7.

When you monitor the current state of your computer and carry out regular updates, you may encounter the problem of no sound during the next automatic driver update. The source of the problem may be an updated driver. "" will help restore the working situation. On the " Driver» of your sound card, you must click the Rollback button.

If the problem disappears, it is better to disable automatic driver updates for this device.

Updating drivers in Windows 10

The algorithm of actions consists of the following steps:

No codecs for audio/video

If there is sound in the browsers, but there is no sound when you start the video on the PC, then you should look for the problem either in the media player itself or in the audio codecs.

To constantly watch videos, it is recommended to use KMR player. He has already proven himself and is showing good results. The creators of the program have provided a lot of different codecs for video playback. And, as a rule, most films are successfully reproduced in this program.

The problem with codecs can be radically solved using the package K-Lite Codec Pack. It can solve the missing sound problem. It has a full set of current codecs that open almost all popular formats, both video and audio files.

Viruses and adware

Problems with sound on Windows 7 may mean that a virus has appeared in the system. There are many types of viruses and they can negatively affect the operating system.

How to behave if the sound on your computer disappears and you suspect a virus:

• Take a close look at how your computer works as a whole. If it begins to freeze frequently or suddenly slow down, then most likely the PC has been subjected to a virus attack. If the installed antivirus program failed and missed the virus attack, then it is best to check the system with a third-party antivirus with up-to-date virus databases. For example, you can use the utility Dr.Web CureIt. This healing utility successfully cures an infected system.
• You can try checking your computer using Live CD(emergency boot disk). With its help, you can download a lightweight version of the operating system with a ready-made antivirus. If you boot the restored system from Live CD sound appears, then most likely there is a malfunction in Windows 10 itself. Most often, you will have to reinstall it or perform a system restore using restore points, if this mode was enabled and restore points were created.

Checking the BIOS settings

If your computer or laptop has a built-in sound card and there is no sound even in headphones, then you can look BIOS.

This is an extreme measure - AC97 is enabled by default in the factory settings. If the settings are lost, the sound device in the Windows operating system will not work.

Each computer logs into the BIOS differently. For example, for ACER computers, before booting the system, you must press and hold the Del key. In general, before loading the operating system, you must indicate how to enter the BIOS.

After pressing the Del key, the following dialog box will open, in which you need to select the item “ BIOS Setup».

In the window that opens, you need to find an inscription like AC 97 Audio, use the arrows on the keyboard to highlight this inscription and click on the Enter key. A dialog box will appear to select which function to activate HD Audio or AC97. We are interested in the AC97 “Auto” inscription. Confirm your choice and use the ESC key to exit this section. Exit the BIOS, saving the settings.

If you can’t get the sound back after changing the BIOS settings, then the last option is to replace or send the sound card for repair.

Laptop owners often encounter the problem of no sound in the Windows system. Due to frequent overheating of the sound chipset, the computer begins to malfunction. And all the other electronic components simply suffocate with dust, unless, of course, you do regular cleaning, and gradually fail, which can also lead to loss of sound on the laptop.

Conclusion

Of course, these are not all the reasons why there may be no sound, but the main, most common versions are revealed.

So, we told you how to restore sound in Windows 10, 7 and 8. And our main advice is not to despair, but to try all the options step by step.

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