Problems with sound playback on the computer. Sound problems in Windows: Setting up audio hardware and troubleshooting audio devices

Good day, dear readers Denis Trishkin is in touch.

One of the main reasons why a computer does not produce any sound is that the speakers are not connected correctly. At first glance, this seems ridiculous, but believe me, this happens to everyone, even the most experienced users.

Disabled in the system( )

One more simple option and at the same time, a general shutdown, which is set in the setup program, may turn out to be banal. Just click on the corresponding tray icon and turn it on. If there is no icon, go to " Control Panel" and then into "". There you will find all the necessary items.

No driver( )

To correct the situation, we make a few simple movements:

If this does not help, you need to go to the official website of the motherboard manufacturer and download the required distribution. How to configure further?

It's simple:

Everything should work. If not, then move on.

Complete reinstallation system files allows you to completely update all connections between hardware and software part. It turns out that this procedure makes it possible to do everything as it was originally. Many people want to know how to reset sound settings? The answer is simple - install new drivers, and your problem will be solved.

The service is not working( )

Under some circumstances, it happens that the corresponding service is simply not running. To restore sound balance, you need to enable the necessary command.

For this:

Via BIOS( )

It’s rare, but you can still encounter a situation where the corresponding component of the motherboard needs to be enabled in the BIOS. Again, it is worth emphasizing that this can be observed on computers and laptops, inside of which very outdated parts are installed.

To solve the problem you need:

If this does not help, most likely you have problems with the hardware. It is necessary to make a diagnosis. It is usually carried out in specialized centers.

Microphone sound( )

Sometimes situations arise when you need to adjust the microphone sound. This is usually needed in games, when using web tools for conversation, or for scoring various video files. Regardless of the goals, we perform the same actions:

Front panel sound( )

Many PC users have often seen on the front of their system unit connectors for connecting devices for audio recording and playback. Often, after connecting the appropriate equipment, nothing happens. This is because the ports need to be connected first. So how does the front panel setup work?

First you need to open the system unit and check whether the outputs are connected to motherboard.

On some motherboards, the BIOS menu is different from others, and the item we need sounds like “ Onboard Device Configuration" Here you need to check the “”. It must have the status " Enabled" If not, we assign the necessary one.

We find in the tray the audio manager responsible for our playback device. Let's launch it. Now you need to select the item in the menu that is responsible for the front panel.

Now everything should definitely work.

HDMI audio( )

IN Lately Computer users try to redirect video playback to their TVs. But in addition to the picture, it would also be nice to hear the corresponding audio. To do this, adjust the HDMI audio.

By by and large not much needs to be done:

Everything should now work as intended.

Sometimes in the "Playback Devices" window on empty space you need to right-click and check the boxes next to both proposed items: “ Disabled" And "".

Well, from the article it is clear that problems with sound can be very different. I tried to describe all the possible ones that I have ever encountered. If you've seen more, be sure to describe them in the comments.

I hope the information above helps you. Subscribe and share with friends.

Problems with sound on personal computer- a common occurrence. Most sound problems in Windows occur due to missing or corrupted audio drivers for specific model computer. Most The best way install sound - use quality drivers and then run a scan so the software can recognize the wrong driver and load updated version correct.

In computer.

No sound
The sound may wax and wane
Sound may be interrupted or cut out in some places
The sound may be distorted or there may be noise during playback
The computer freezes or restarts

There are several standard techniques for troubleshooting sound problems for Windows XP.

Use the bug tracking system
Update drivers sound card
Update Media Player
Replace, install a new sound card

Use Windows prompts to troubleshoot audio problems

Windows XP has a built-in error tracking system. To use it, you need to do the following:

You can click Back at any time to repeat the previous step or press At first to restart the bug tracking system.

Updating sound card drivers

The easiest way to check and update your drivers is to use DirectX diagnostics. To run it, do the following:

Media Player Update

If you are using Windows Media Player, go to the site Microsoft and download latest version of this product. For players such as iTunes, Quick Time, Real Player and VLC media player, the latest version can be downloaded from their manufacturer's website. If these measures do not help, try the next method.

Installation of technical support. Replacing the sound card.

If none of the above methods helped, then you have problems with technical support: either your cables or speakers are faulty or your audio card is damaged. Execute the following actions to check the sound.

Replace the cable. If sound appears, then the problem is in the cable - it is the cause of the sound problem.

If there is no sound, replace the speakers. If sound is still playing after replacing the speakers, you will have to buy new ones.

If sound does not appear after replacing the speakers, try replacing the sound card. If it is different from the one you had, match it correct drivers. If the sound plays after replacing the sound card, then the problem is caused by the card.

If after all the measures taken the sound does not appear, either change the computer itself (maybe it’s all about the motherboard), or take the computer in for repair.

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.

The front panel of the system unit may also have headphone and microphone jacks. 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 to 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.

There are no codecs on video/audio

If when loading Windows sound is present, but when you turn on any video file it is not there - 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 virus 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:

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.
If there are other speakers, connect them to the PC and reinstall the drivers (remembering to remove the old ones).
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 the sound drivers. If sound appears, then watch what software you are installing.
Another option is to connect headphones instead of speakers. Or vice versa.
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.

This article will help you fix almost any sound problem(!only for Intel boards!) on desktop PCs. Based on the experience gained from the comments to the article, it became clear that the only solution sound problems does not exist: some do not have the drivers installed, some have the driver installed, which differs from the one described in the article, some have the front panel connected incorrectly, some have it not connected at all. As a result, there were 229 comments (at the time of writing), so it was decided to write an article that should solve absolutely any sound problem! The basis was the technical documentation for Intel boards on the official website.

Since the article turned out to be rather large, here is a small guide to it:

general information

Determining your sound card.

Intel uses one of three options sound solutions depending on the motherboard model:

2. IDT (formerly Sigmatel)

3. ADI (SoundMAX)

To determine which sound solution used on your board you can use: Panel Windows tasks, Control Panel, Device Manager.

Determining the audio driver version.

For Windows 7:

Right click

2. Select Device Manager.

4. Right-click on your sound device, select “Properties.”

For Windows Vista:

2. Find the section Sound, video and gaming devices.

3. Right-click on your sound device, select Properties.

4. Select the Driver tab and view your audio driver version.

For Windows XP:

2. Go to the Hardware tab and select Device Manager.

3. Find the section Sound, video and gaming devices.

4. Right-click on your sound device, select “Properties”.

5. Select the Driver tab and view your audio driver version.

For Windows 98, ME, 2000:

2. Double click on System.

3. Go to the Hardware tab and select Device Manager.

4. Find the section Sound, video and gaming devices.

5. Right-click on your sound device, select “Properties”.

6. Select the Driver tab and view your audio driver version.

Where can I find the latest audio driver?

Visit your official website, or you can find your drivers on the Intel Download Center.

Audio standards: AC"97 and HD Audio.

Intel motherboards have either AC"97 or HD Audio integrated.

AC"97 (short for Audio Codec 97) - standard audio codec developed by Intel Architecture Labs Intel in 1997. It is mainly used in motherboards, modems, sound cards and front panel audio solutions. AC"97 supports a sampling rate of 96 kHz when using 20-bit stereo resolution and 48 kHz when using 20-bit stereo for multi-channel recording and playback. In 2004, this standard was replaced by Intel with High Definition Audio(HD Audio).

HD Audio

HD Audio (sound high definition) - a standard that replaced AC"97, which can reproduce even more channels with higher quality than previous integrated audio codecs, like AC"97. HD Audio-based hardware supports 24-bit audio quality (up to 192 kHz in stereo, up to 96 kHz in multichannel modes- up to 8 channels).

Windows Vista only supports HD Audio for peripheral devices(such as a sound solution for the front panel of the case).

How to determine your audio codec motherboard?

The technical specifications of each Intel indicate that it supports AC’97 or HD Audio. To find your motherboard specification:

2. Select your motherboard.

3. In the left column, click on “Product Documentation”.

4. Select " Data sheet product."

How to determine the audio standard of the front panel of your case?

To determine which codec is used in the front panel of your case, you need to look at the documentation for your case. Please note that the AC"97 and HD Audio front panel solutions are different and are not directly compatible or interchangeable.

However, you can physically determine which codec is used on the front panel of your case by looking at the audio cable that connects to your front panel. So, if the 4-pin connector is present, then this is HD Audio, but if it is not, then you have AC’97.

Software to control sound.

You can customize your sound using special software that is installed along with the audio driver for your motherboard. Depending on your motherboard model, Intel offers one of the following applications:

Audio Control

Realtek* AC'97 Audio Control Panel

Soundmax* Audio Control Panel

Each of these applications allows you to perform basic audio settings such as volume, audio port settings, microphone test. Advanced settings may vary.

Configuration of a 2-channel audio solution.

The line output, located on the rear panel, is designed only for connecting headphones or speakers with an amplifier. The sound quality when connecting passive ones (without an amplifier) leaves much to be desired.

Configuration of a 6-channel audio solution.

The rear panel audio connectors support up to six speakers and can be remapped using the audio driver interface.

Jack remapping is a feature that allows you to use one audio jack for different functions. For example, a pink jack can support a microphone input if the stereo mode and surround sound or channel are enabled low frequencies, if 6-channel sound is turned on.

Speaker connection:

1. If you are using 2 speakers, then connect them to connector B.

2. If you are using 4 columns:

3. Using the audio driver settings, reassign connector A to the rear output.

3. If you are using 6 columns:

2. Connect the rear speakers to terminal A.

3. Connect the center speakers to connector C.

4. Using the audio driver settings, reassign connector A to the rear output, and connector C to the center output or low-frequency channel.

Configuration of 8-channel audio solution.

8-channel audio is only available on select Intel desktop boards.

After installing the drivers, multi-channel mode will become available:

2. There are two types of S/PDIF connectors available: coaxial (G) or optical (F).

3. Depending on the motherboard, the rear panel may look like this.

Look short video Instructions for setting up multichannel audio can be found here.

Front panel configuration.

If your motherboard has a front panel audio header, you can add a line-in/line-out audio module to the front panel. Look technical description your motherboard to find out if it has an audio connector for connecting the front panel.

Use the technical documentation to learn how to connect the audio module to your motherboard. Technical documentation can be found either on the driver disk or on the website of your motherboard manufacturer.

After connecting the front audio panel, you can check the sound on the front and rear panels using audio software. Depending on your audio system (drivers and software), you can:

Configure the simultaneous use of the front and rear panels (for example, speakers are connected to the rear, and headphones are connected to the front)

Installing an external audio card.

If you want to install an external audio card instead of the built-in one, do the following:

1.Disable the built-in sound card:

Disable the built-in sound card.

2.Install the external sound card following the instructions included with it.

32-bit playback and recording.

Not a single system Intel board Does not support 32-bit playback or recording. The maximum possible bit depth is 24. This is done this way because popular digital formats, such as Dolby and DTS only support 16 to 24 bits.

Moreover, high-end external sound cards only support up to 24 bits.

Enable multi-threaded playback.

Multi-streaming allows you to listen on two different sets various sources sound. For example, you can listen to one sound source through speakers connected to the rear panel, and another through headphones connected to the front.

You can find out whether your motherboard supports multi-threaded playback from technical documentation.

Example of setting up multi-threaded playback:

Troubleshooting

Drivers are not installed.

When installing a Sigmatel or Realtek audio driver (from a CD or using the latest driver downloaded from the Internet), the installation may fail with one of the following errors:

The system does not support the driver you are trying to install.

First of all, do the following:

2. Find the following two items: Realtek High Definition Audio Driver and High Definition Audio driver Package - KB888111.

3. If the listed items are present, delete them.

4. Restart Windows.

5. Download the latest audio driver for your motherboard from the official website.

6. Double click on the downloaded package to extract the files.

7. Go to the folder where the package was extracted, then to the \HDAQFE\xpsp2\us\ or \MSHDQFE\Win2K_XP\us\ folder (depending on the version of your operating system).

8. Double click by file kb888111xpsp2.exe.

9. Restart Windows.

10. Install the audio driver.

If the steps described do not help, try reinstalling Windows next way:

sound card

BIOS Setup

Go to Advanced - Peripherals (will vary depending on the BIOS version)

Disable your sound card.

Save your changes by pressing F10 and exit BIOS Setup.

2. Install Windows.

3. Install all Windows updates.

4. Install the chipset driver.

5. Install all drivers except the audio driver.

6. Enable the sound card in BIOS.

7. Reboot and click cancel if a message appears indicating that a new device has been found.

8. Install the latest audio driver.

9. Restart Windows.

Some speakers don't play.

If sound is not coming from all speakers, you should check the following:

correct type

using Windows

Speakers can be connected to wrong audio connectors. Make sure everything is connected correctly by checking your audio system's documentation.

The balance may not be set correctly. If the sound comes only from the right or only from the left speaker, then check the balance settings: the balance slider should be set in the middle.

Some 4.1 audio systems (one subwoofer and four speakers) are designed to be connected to gaming sound cards. If you are connecting such an audio system to a standard or built-in sound card, make sure that the line input is switched to stereo mode. Refer to your audio system's technical documentation.

There is no sound from speakers or headphones.

If you have no sound, the following problems may occur:

1. The built-in sound card is disabled in the BIOS. Enter BIOS Setup by pressing F2 (or del) when the computer boots - go to Advanced - Peripherals - make sure the built-in audio is enabled.

2. Incorrect settings sound mixer. Check if the sound in the mixer is muted or set too high low level volume.

3. Speakers or speakers are connected to the wrong audio jacks. Make sure everything is connected correctly. If you connect speakers or headphones to line input or microphone jack, they will not work.

4. Audio drivers are not installed correctly. Check the Sound, Video and Game Devices section in Device Manager. If necessary, reinstall the drivers.

5. The rear panel sound is muted when connected to the front panel. In the settings of the mixer or other audio software, remove the option: Disable back panel when connecting the front.

The sound is distorted.

If the sound is distorted, check the following:

3. Make sure the speakers themselves are working properly. Try connecting other speakers.

4. Sound quality may deteriorate when using passive speakers (without an amplifier).

5. Are your speakers close to the monitor? Electrical noise from your monitor may affect playback quality. Move your speakers further away from your monitor. A subwoofer should never be placed near the monitor; it is better to place it on the floor.

6. Do I have problems with sound only in a certain game/program? There may be a problem with specific software that distorts the sound. Contact the vendor of this software.

Microphone is not working.

If you are having trouble recording audio using a microphone connected to the rear panel:

2. Make sure that the rear panel microphone jack is selected as the default recording device.

If you have Windows XP:

2. Go to the Audio tab.

3. Set your default audio recording devices

4. Click OK.

If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7:

Windows 7 automatically detects whether a microphone is connected to the rear or front panel!

2. Go to the Recording tab.

3. Select the microphone that is currently in use and click Properties.

4. Make sure that the Listen from this device option is selected.

The audio driver does not install on Windows XP 64-Bit.

When installing a driver on Windows XP 64-Bit, errors such as: Installation error or Unknown error may occur.

I hope that after reading this article you are not tired or fall asleep, but have answered many of your questions and solved all my sound problems.

PS The article turned out to be voluminous, so if you find any inconsistency, write in the comments.

ZYY We will be pleased if you tell your friends about this article. Thank you.

Most computer users have at least once experienced a situation where the sound completely disappeared. This often happens after the operating system is reinstalled, before the user installs sound driver. In some cases, there may be other causes for this problem. Problems with sound in general case, are divided into two broad categories - hardware and software. Software problems can almost always be solved independently. A hardware malfunction is usually associated with the failure of computer components. This usually entails at a minimum a repair, and more often a replacement of the faulty part.

This may seem trivial and obvious, but if the computer was working normally, the sound was fine, and then it suddenly disappeared, you first need to check whether the speaker plug has popped out of the sound card connector. The cable can also be damaged by pets – cats or dogs. If you have a pet, carefully inspect the wire to see if there are any signs of bites. You should also check whether the speakers themselves are working properly. See if the power indicator on them is on or that the sound level is not reduced minimum value volume control. You can connect other acoustics, if available, or regular headphones. You can easily test the speaker on another device by connecting them to a laptop or computer. If these methods do not help, you will have to take other measures.

Setting up sound inBIOS

First of all, you should check the status of the sound chip in the computer BIOS. To access there you need to click Delete button or F2 before the operating system starts loading.

Depending on motherboard desired tab may be called differently. It is usually called Integrated Peripherals. You should check to see if the Disable icon is next to the computer's sound chip. If so, you need to enable it by changing the value to Auto or Enable.

Checking sound in the operating system

With this information, you can find sound drivers on chip developer websites or download them from the motherboard manufacturer's resource.

If the system uses a separate sound card, you should install drivers specifically for this device. After reinstalling the operating system, first of all, you should install the drivers for the motherboard, and then install the software for the peripheral equipment.

Video - No sound on the computer. What to do?

Operating system failure

If the driver is installed, but there is still no sound, you need to check the operation of the operating system. First, you can try to restore the OS state to the time of the last saved point. This can be done from the “System Restore” tab, “ Service menus"Start." It happens that this operation also cannot restore operational state audio equipment. In this case it may help complete reinstallation Windows.

Consequences of viruses

One more common cause loss of sound are the consequences of the action malware. First of all, I would like to remind you that the use antivirus program is highly desirable for all computers with Internet access. However, even the most reliable antivirus cannot give 100% guarantee of system security. You need to check your computer regularly. To test your system for viruses, you need to conduct a complete scanning hard PC disk. For this you can use free utilities that do not require installation, such as CureIt or Kasperky Free.

Hardware sound problems

When all versions are checked and eliminated, it can be assumed that the sound problem lies in the hardware. Replacing the sound chip on the motherboard is quite an expensive procedure. There is a more economical solution - buying a separate sound card. It can be installed in PCI slot or PCI-Express.

After installing the drivers, you need to exit this card. Another advantage of this solution is the use of a separate processor - DAC, for processing and, as a result, more high quality sound in the end. On inexpensive acoustics it may not be noticeable, but good speakers can show a significant difference.

In most cases, problems with sound on a computer are resolved fairly quickly. If you follow the described methods, you can usually restore the device to full functionality without any problems.