How to set audio playback. How to adjust sound, sound does not work on a Windows computer. Correct BIOS configuration

It happens that after restarting Windows 7, the sound from the computer speakers suddenly disappears. Setting the sound on Windows computer 7 is different from earlier Windows. They have become more convenient, but the necessary steps to configure have undergone changes.

There may be a whole list of reasons why it is not possible to reproduce them on a PC or laptop. This note provides detailed information on how to configure sound in Windows 7.

Reasons for no sound

The reasons may vary depending on the type of device. For example, if there is no playback on a laptop, then the following is necessary:


If you're missing on desktop computer, then in addition to the above, the following is required:


Analysis of speaker performance

If you are using stereo systems, you must make sure that there is power supply and the position of the volume control on the speakers.

Checking drivers on a computer with Windows 7

During installation, “Seven” automatically adjusts the sound. If there is no sound, you need to log in and see if drivers are installed for all equipment (the “!” icon should not be displayed), and the display of a red cross indicates that the device is disabled.

If this is the case, then by calling the context menu, you need to click on “Enable”. A positive criterion will be the appearance of the speaker image in the tray.

Incorrect operation of the sound card

On a PC or laptop with Windows 7, you need to go to Start "Control Panel", then open "Equipment and Sound" and find here. Select the line from the list that appears "Sound, video and gaming devices" and click on it. If it appears sound card, then it means it is installed normally, otherwise it will need to be activated. If a yellow question mark is displayed next to the inscription, then you need to click on “Properties” in the context menu and reinstall the driver.

How to install sound card software on Windows 7 PC?

If the causes are identified in the hardware drivers, first of all it is necessary to rid the computer of the old sound card driver, and it is also recommended to clean the registry.

Next, install the software by copying them from Windows resources 7 or the equipment manufacturer. Then the operating system will automatically adjust the sound after rebooting the laptop or computer. To check, click on the speaker image in the system tray. You will be able to set the volume and sound effects.

Configuration using programs

Equipment manufacturers are also developing various programs to configure sound cards. For example, there is an application "Realtek". In line Windows search 7 required to print « Realtek Manager HD" and click on "Enter".

Complaints that there is no sound on Windows 7 can be heard from many users of this operating system. People complain that there may be no sound at all or disappear periodically, appearing after restarting the computer or even without it. Therefore, we should consider the main reasons why this phenomenon is possible.

Mechanical problems

Such problems include:

  1. The speakers are connected incorrectly or there is some problem with their operation. For example, the user may connect the speakers to the wrong connector or forget to connect them at all. If they are connected correctly, it is worth checking the sound using other speakers or headphones. Perhaps the speakers are not working.
  2. No sound card. Modern motherboards are equipped with a built-in sound card. But if you don't have it, a purchase is required. of this device and installing it on the motherboard. To check if there is a sound card, you need to open the device manager by going to “Control Panel” - “Hardware and Sound” - “Device Manager”.

In Device Manager under Windows in the list of all installed devices There is an item “Sound, video and gaming devices”. There is a small triangle on the left before the item name. If you click on it with the mouse, a list of installed devices belonging to this category will open.

The screenshot shows that the sound card is installed, otherwise it would not be on the list.

Solving driver problems

Also, sound settings in Windows 7 may not be available if there are no drivers for the sound card. Most integrated sound cards have built-in drivers in the operating system. However, for some of them the system does not find a suitable driver, so its installation is required. If the driver is missing in the device manager in the appropriate category, the sound card will be identified as unknown device, and a question mark will appear next to the name yellow color. This icon indicates that there is no suitable driver for the device.

You can find it on the disk supplied with the computer, which comes with the PC upon purchase. However, a driver disk is not always available. Many laptops are sold without disks. Or the user could buy a used computer, and previous owner I didn't find any drivers. In this case, you need to go to the manufacturer’s website, where you can download the package with drivers, and then install them manually.

There is also such a problem in Windows when the sound disappears when installed drivers. This is usually due to an outdated driver. In this case, it needs to be updated. For this:

  1. Open device manager.
  2. Select a sound card from the list.
  3. Click right click by its name.
  4. In the menu that appears, click “Update drivers...”

After this, a window appears in which it is better to select automatic search so that Windows searches for drivers not only on local computer, but I checked it on the Internet.

The operating system will search for new driver versions. If any are found, they will be installed on the computer. If updated versions does not exist, a corresponding message will be displayed.

How to adjust the sound?

At correct connection speakers and the latest versions of drivers, the lack of sound may indicate system shutdown sound devices. In this case, sound adjustment in Windows 7 is done through the control panel. To do this, go to “Control Panel” - “Hardware and Sound” - “Sound”.

The window that appears should display audio devices. If they are not there, then they are simply disabled.

To display disabled devices, you need to right-click in the window where the devices should be listed and select “Show disabled devices” from the menu. After this, Windows will display the devices on the system that have drivers installed.

The screenshot shows that the device is displayed gray, that is, it is on this moment not involved. This is also indicated by the “Disabled” inscription under its name. So it should be connected. To do this you need:

  • right-click on the name;
  • select “Enable”.

After such manipulations, the device will be displayed green, and the “Disabled” message will disappear. To immediately check whether you managed to adjust the sound or not, you can right-click on the device and select “Check”.

If the speakers are working, it will appear sound signal, which means the setup was successful. More fine settings sound quality can be checked by clicking the “Properties” button in the window with the displayed speakers. However, the setting standard means Windows does not allow you to achieve the desired audio quality; to do this, use utilities designed to work with the sound card specific model. Such a utility can be found on the driver disk or on the Internet, on the manufacturer’s website.

Windows Audio Crashes

Very often, users complain about mysterious sound problems that arise when the speakers are properly connected and installed. latest versions drivers. There is sound when you turn on the computer, but it can turn off at any time. There is no pattern in the shutdown. For example, a user may work quietly at the computer for one or several days, and then the sound suddenly disappears. This problem is eliminated reboot Windows. But there may not always be a reboot the best way out out of position. Sometimes it’s simply undesirable, and you can’t do without sound either. How, then, to adjust the sound?

Everyone has similar problems Windows versions 7. This is related to the service Windows Audio, which may turn off or freeze if there are hardware conflicts in the operating system. Because of this, the sound on the computer disappears. To check whether the service is connected or not, you need to open “Control Panel” => “All Control Panel Elements” => “Administrative Tools”.

A window will appear in which you select “Services”.

In the next window you need to find the Windows Audio service and look at its properties. For example, they could be like this:

The screenshot shows that the “Status” column does not indicate that the service is running. In the “Startup type” column it is completely disabled. No wonder there is no sound. Moreover, it will not appear even after a reboot, since such settings do not allow the service to start along with the operating system. In order to configure the sound, you will have to perform two steps:

  1. Configure service startup.
  2. Launch it.

To configure the launch, right-click on the service and select “Properties”.

In the settings window, in the “Startup type” item, instead of “Disabled”, select “Automatic”. In this case, the service will start independently with the operating system.

After selecting the launch type, press the “Apply” and “OK” buttons. Now in the “Startup type” column you can see that the inscription “Disabled” has been replaced by the word “Automatic”. Only after this can you configure the audio connection. This is done by right-clicking on the service and selecting “Run”.

After all these steps, the problem should be resolved. It doesn’t hurt to note that sometimes the Windows Audio service says that it is running, but there is still no sound on the computer. This may be due to the service hanging. In this case, restarting it helps. To restart you need:

  • right-click on the service;
  • select “Restart”.

Restarting usually helps restore audio functionality without rebooting the computer.

After completing the above steps and checking possible reasons problems, you can easily adjust the sound on your computer.

Purpose of the Properties dialog box:

Sounds and audio devices

Windows XP automatically installs new hardware. At the same time, you have to regularly perform some settings on audio system devices yourself. Clicking the Sounds and Audio Devices icon in Control Panel opens the Properties: Sounds and Audio Devices dialog box.

Below are the tabs of the dialog window intended for configuring the audio system.

Volume tab

Clicking the Advanced button in the Mixer Volume group of the Volume tab allows you to display a panel with volume and stereo balance controls for playback of audio sources—CDs, MIDI, and other installed devices. Having installed

checkbox Off or Off That's it, sound sources can be turned off. In the Mixer Volume group, you can use the appropriate checkboxes to turn off audio playback and also display the audio adjustment icon in the taskbar notification area.

Speaker volume controls appear when you click the Speaker Volume button in the Speaker Settings group. Clicking the More button opens

dialog window Additional properties sound. From the Speaker placement drop-down list on the Speakers tab, select the speaker system layout. The most common option, desktop stereo speakers, may eventually be replaced by a surround sound speaker option that includes up to eight speakers and is supported by hardware and Windows XP. The Recording Quality tab contains elements for changing the playback quality parameters of recorded audio data.

It is advisable to adjust hardware acceleration for sound cards that contain their own processor. Boards like these use DirectSound acceleration to free up central processor from audio processing tasks. This improves overall system performance.

Everyone supports full acceleration standard devices, and is recommended for use on most computers. If your computer is experiencing errors that may be caused by hardware acceleration, select a value that does not cause errors.

Increasing the sampling rate improves playback quality. If your computer's performance is not fast enough, select a lower frequency.

Sounds Tab

This tab contains elements that indicate what sounds will be played during certain program events when working with the operating system. The list of events can be found in the Program events list.

To assign a sound, first select a scheme from the drop-down list Sound scheme. Click on the event and then select a sound from the Sounds drop-down list.

The Browse button allows you to expand the search range in the file Sound Search dialog box. Click the Play Sound button to check the sound. Save the mounted circuit by clicking the Save As button.

Windows XP only assigns sounds saved in .wav format to events. However, this does not mean that you cannot use MP3, MIDI and other popular formats.

Speech tab

The Speech tab allows you to adjust the characteristics of speech recording and playback devices.

The Default device drop-down list in the Speech playback group provides a list of audio devices available for speech playback.

Clicking the Volume button opens the Volume (Overall Volume) dialog box. It contains volume controls for selected sound recording and playback devices. The menu command Options^Properties allows you to open the Properties dialog box. Using the Volume Adjustment switch, you can select Playback, Recording, and Other controls. Check the appropriate boxes and the appropriate controls will appear in the Volume (Overall Volume) dialog box. The menu command Options^Advanced Options allows you to display all available audio controls in the Volume (Overall Volume) dialog box.

Each sound control element is similar to the controls presented in the Volume tab. Using the sliders, you can change audio parameters such as Balance and Volume. Checkboxes Off Allows you to turn off certain sound sources.

The Settings buttons in the Volume (Master Volume) dialog box are for using tone controls and other controls. fine tuning for recording and playback devices.

The Default device drop-down list in the Voice recording group displays a list of speech recording devices available on your computer. You can use one of these devices as your default. Clicking the Volume button opens the Recording Level dialog box, with controls similar to dialog box Volume (Overall volume).

After setting up audio recording and playback devices, use the Check button. Using this button, the Audio Device Test Wizard program can be launched. This program checks the audio hardware installed on your PC.

This feature can be used to prepare audio recording and playback paths when working via the Internet.

Hardware tab

The Hardware tab allows you to view a list of all media devices connected to your PC (as well as all devices that can be connected). Clicking on the device name and the Properties button opens the Properties dialog box. The main tabs of this dialog box, similar to the Device Manager window, are General, Properties, and Driver. In these tabs you can disable faulty device, adjust tone and volume, upgrade, remove or roll back the driver, etc.

Audio Tab

The Audio tab contains three groups of device settings selected by default. In the Sound playback and Sound recording groups, you can adjust the volume and quality of sound recording and playback.

Clicking the Settings button will display the Advanced Sound Properties dialog box. In the Speakers tab, from the Speaker Location drop-down list, select acoustic devices that are connected to your PC. The Speaker Location list contains a list of available output devices, such as speakers, headphones, and speakers. Select a value that matches your actual output device configuration. In this case, you can use the following options.

There are no speakers. The multi-channel output signal can be routed to one of the professional audio devices, such as a mixing console.

Selecting any of the stereo options involves connecting two acoustic devices to the audio system.

Quadraphonic speakers. Four speakers are connected, arranged in such a way as to create quadraphonic surround sound. Layout diagram similar devices- two speakers in front (left and right) and two in the back (left and right).

Selecting options related to surround sound speakers involves installing speaker systems, capable of forming a surround sound field.

Sound problems on computers running the Windows 7 operating system are quite common. The sound may start to work incorrectly or disappear when the PC is turned on normally, rebooted, or without any sound at all. visible reasons. At the same time, trying to adjust the volume using a standard “slider” or buttons on the keyboard does not end with success. If the sound on your computer with Windows 7 has disappeared and you can’t turn it on, you need to fix it step-by-step diagnostics faults to identify the problem.

Causes of malfunctions

To set up sound on your computer, the first step is to determine why it disappeared. There can be many of them: starting from incorrect connection and ending up confused system settings or incorrectly working drivers.

Main problems:

  1. Mechanical failures, incorrect connections, faulty equipment.
  2. Incorrect operation of sound card drivers.
  3. The Windows Audio system service has failed.
  4. Incorrect sound setting using Windows and third party programs.

Mechanical reasons and lack of card

Mechanical reasons include any cases of improper connection of devices, regardless of their type. If in Lately If the sound card, speakers or audio system have been changed, then first of all you should check that these devices are connected correctly.

The most common mechanical causes of audio problems are:

  1. . Loudspeakers, stereo system or regular headphones It doesn’t hurt to check that the connection is correct. It is worth making sure that there is power and that the connector into which the device is connected is correct.
  2. Speaker failure. It would be a good idea to connect the speakers to another computer, laptop or smartphone to check their functionality.
  3. Sound card problems. The sound card may simply be missing. Majority motherboards have built-in sound cards, but not always. The card may not be connected correctly or may be broken.

You can find out whether your computer recognizes your sound card in the “Device Manager” section. To get to it, you need to go to the “Start” menu - “Control Panel” - “Hardware and Sound” - “Device Manager”. This tab shows all devices that are installed (or supported) on a specific computer.

Sound card in the list of all devices you should look for “Sound, video and gaming devices”. On the left in the line with the inscription there is a small triangle. When you click on it, a drop-down menu opens, which displays all devices in this category. If the sound module is present on the computer and installed correctly, the card will be in the list.

Drivers are missing or outdated

In computers with an integrated board, all necessary drivers are usually included with the operating system. If there are no drivers, or Windows for some reason cannot find them, you will have to install/reinstall this software.

Check availability suitable drivers You can also do this in Device Manager. If there are no drivers for the card, the device will be detected as unidentified, and a yellow icon will be drawn next to it Exclamation point. A similar sign is displayed for all other devices (including music devices) if the system does not have drivers to work with them.

For driver installation necessary:

  1. Use discs with installation equipment, which came with the purchase when purchasing a computer.
  2. Download and install drivers from the manufacturer’s official website sound card, if the disks are lost, were not included in the kit, or the computer was purchased secondhand.

Sometimes there is sound, but suddenly disappears for no apparent reason. Such failures are often caused by excessive outdated drivers: Due to a long absence of updates, a conflict with Windows and its services may occur. Most users mistakenly don't bother updating their drivers for many years, which is why problems like these end up occurring.

Step-by-step instructions for driver updates:

  1. Go to “Device Manager”.
  2. Find in the list installed equipment your card.
  3. Right-click on the line with it.
  4. In the context menu that opens, click “Update drivers”.

After this, Windows 7 will offer two options:

If Windows cannot find any newer versions of the software, a corresponding message will appear after the search is complete. Even if the sound problem was not caused by drivers, it is advisable to check for updates at least once every few months.

Problems with the Windows Audio system service

Often, users cannot configure sound on Windows 7 even if the sound card is connected and working completely properly, and everything necessary drivers installed and updated. When you turn on or restart the computer, the acoustics can work properly for a completely random period of time: from several minutes and hours to several days.

But then, for no reason, the sound disappears, and no action other than rebooting the system helps turn the speakers back on. Moreover, restarting the PC is often impossible and is not a solution to the problem.

Similar crashes can occur on any computer running Windows 7. They appear when system service Windows Audio conflicts with something and turns off. To fix the problem, you need to check the status of the service, enable it if necessary, and change the settings.

Often this service is not worth it automatic start or simply disabled. In this case, it must be enabled: the “Running” status should appear in the service status. You also need to configure autostart so that the service starts automatically every time Windows boots.

For Windows settings Audio you need to do the following:

  1. Right-click on the service name.
  2. In the context menu that opens, select “Properties”.
  3. In the “Startup type” line, select “Automatic” if there is another option there.
  4. Click “Apply”, then “Ok”. Now the service will start along with the system.
  5. All that remains is to click on the service again on the PC mouse and select “Run” so that the sound starts working immediately and without restarting the computer.

In some cases the system writes that Windows service Audio is up and running, but there is still no sound. Sometimes this happens due to a freeze in the service: it formally works, but does not perform its functions. Just in case, you should click on the mouse PC on the service and select “Restart”. In most cases, this will help restore audio functionality without having to reboot the system.

Setting up sound using Windows

If the service is working correctly, the equipment is connected correctly and updated drivers There may still be no sound on the computer. One common reason is that audio devices are disabled on the system side. In this situation, in Windows 7, sound adjustment is carried out through the “Control Panel”.

To check the connection of devices you need:

If instead the message “ Sound devices not installed,” which means the speakers are simply disabled. To display all known to the system devices for which drivers are installed, you need to right-click anywhere in the window and click “Show disabled devices.”

“Speakers” should appear in the list of devices with the caption “Disabled.” To turn it on, just right-click on the speakers and select “Enable”. After this, the “Disabled” text should disappear, and the color of the icon in the corner will change from gray to green.

Immediately after turning on the speakers, it would be useful to right-click on the icon and select the “Check” line. If everything is working properly, a test tone should appear.

The context menu also has a “Properties” tab, where you can perform more precise testing and configuration of audio equipment:

  • In the " Additional features"You can enable and disable various effects: automatic volume equalization, sound correction, and adjust surround sound.
  • In the “Levels” section, you can fine-tune the volume of the microphone and speakers.
  • In the General section, you can enable or disable a specific audio device.

Third party configuration software

If basic capabilities operating systems are not capable of providing the required depth and accuracy of settings, you should use third party programs For Windows sound 7. The most popular utility is RealtekHD.

Moreover, it is already installed on most computers - just enter “Realtek HD Manager” in the search.

The program allows you to:

  • Adjust the volume of all speakers with high precision;
  • Change stereo and surround sound settings;
  • Adjust the sound depending on the current situation;
  • Use basic settings equalizer depending on the music being played;
  • Lots of other features to fine-tune your sound.

The capabilities of the RealtekHD program are more than enough for any daily tasks. Customize the sound with maximum quality can be done in just a few minutes, making it easy to change settings depending on the situation (music, movies, work, headphones).

You come home, turn on your computer or laptop, and while it’s loading, you make plans: now I’ll turn on music, surf the Internet for half an hour, and then watch New film. You launch the media player with your favorite tracks and... you discover that there is no sound on the computer.

What the heck? Yesterday everything was fine, everything worked! It seems that nothing was installed and nothing was “chemically modified”, but there is still no sound in the speakers (or headphones).

Unfortunately, this happens quite often. On any computers and laptops. And on any operating systems– Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 or XP. No one is immune from this.

However, you don’t have to look for the cause of the problem blindly. After all, below are the most common problems that can cause sound loss on a PC. And 10 ways to solve them.

If the sound on your computer does not work, then first of all you need to check the speakers. You may have connected them incorrectly. There are 6 outputs on the back of the PC. You need green (this is what is intended for speakers/headphones) and pink (if there is a microphone).

You may have mixed up the outputs.

On the front panel system unit There may also be jacks for headphones and a microphone. And in some cases they are not color coded. Therefore, try connecting the connectors in a different order.

There are also cases where the inputs wear out. In this situation, they need to be corrected, i.e. disconnect and connect again. This can help. At the same time, it’s a good idea to clean your PC from dust.

Also check if the speakers are turned on. A small LED indicates that they are working.

Check your audio settings

The next thing to do is check your sound settings. It may be disabled or turned down to minimum.

Consider setting up Windows example 7 (in Windows 8 and 10 it is carried out in a similar way):

1. Click Start – Control Panel – Hardware and Sound.

2. Select the “Sound” item.

3. All audio devices are displayed here. Choose specific device and click “Properties”.

4. In the new window you need to look at 2 things:

  • Is the device detected? If not, then you need to install drivers
  • is it enabled – if not, then enable it (select the appropriate item).

5. In the same window, go to another tab - “Levels”. Look at the volume scale - it is recommended to set it at 90-100% (at least for a while until sound appears, and then adjust it to suit you).

6. Next in the same window go to next tab- “Additionally.” When you press the “Test” button, music will play for about 5 seconds. If you don’t hear anything, then save the settings and go to step 7.

7. Go to “Hardware and Sounds” again and select “Volume Settings”.

Here you can see if the sound is turned down to minimum.

8. You can also check your audio settings. Click on the speaker icon in the lower right corner (where the time is displayed) and check the volume level.

No sound driver

The next step is to check the sound driver on your PC. Quite often problems arise precisely because of it. Yes, and you could have already discovered this malfunction in the 2nd point (when you looked to see if the audio device was detected in Windows).

To check for the presence of the driver, you need to go back to “Hardware and Sound” and select “Device Manager”.

In a new window, open the “Sound Devices” item. If the sound card is connected correctly, it will be in the list.

If it is displayed, but a yellow or red sign is lit opposite it, it means that the driver is either not working correctly or is not installed at all. There are two ways to install the driver:

  • from the disk that came with the PC (you need a disk for the motherboard);
  • from the Internet (if you don’t have a disk or you have a laptop).

If you don’t know what sound card you have, you can use the AIDA64 program - it will show not only its model, but also tell you the address from where to download the driver.

If there is a sound card, but Windows unknown reasons doesn’t see it, it’s hard to say what the problem is. The device may be poorly connected. Or completely faulty. It may also be related to the PC hardware.

No codecs on video/audio

If at loading Windows there is sound, but when you turn on any video file there is no sound - then the reason lies in the video player, codecs or file (it may be damaged).

In the first case, you can install another video player. For example, one of the popular ones today is KMPlayer. Plus it already has built-in codecs for playing video files.

If the problem is with codecs, then you need to remove them and install new ones. It is recommended to use a set of codecs called K-Lite Codec Pack. Everything is here required codecs and even a built-in video player that opens almost any file.

Incorrect BIOS settings

This kind of problem is extremely rare, since usually the sound card is always on. But if you like to overclock your computer or change settings in the BIOS for other reasons, then you should check them. And restore the sound on the computer (if necessary).

To do this, you need to find the line that contains the word “Integrated”.

If everything is in order, then exit the BIOS (if you changed the settings, do not forget to save them).

Virus software and viruses

Another reason is viral software and viruses. Today there are so many of them that it is difficult to even say what “surprises” they can present.

The best option would be to scan your computer or laptop with any antivirus (don’t forget to update the database before doing this). It could be Kaspersky, Dr. Web, etc. For example, DrWeb CureIt is considered a good option (no need to install it).

Restoring sound on a computer

If there is still no sound on your PC or laptop, here are some more tips:

  1. If just yesterday everything was fine, and today the sound disappeared, perhaps new drivers or some programs were installed that caused this problem. In such cases, you can try.
  2. If there are other speakers, connect them to the PC and reinstall the drivers (remembering to remove the old ones).
  3. If all else fails, you can go all-in and (don’t forget to save everything before doing this) important files, because they will be deleted). After installation, immediately install sound drivers. If sound appears, then watch what software you are installing.
  4. Another option is to connect headphones instead of speakers. Or vice versa.
  5. And the last option is to contact a service center for help.

However, one of these methods should help. Therefore, if you lose sound, try different variants- It is quite possible that we will be able to solve this problem on our own. In 95% of cases, this problem is solved on its own.