After reinstalling Windows 7, the sound does not work - this problem occurs quite often among inexperienced users. There are several ways to solve this trouble. The instructions below will describe in maximum detail how to restore the computer to normal operation. The guide is suitable for any generation of Windows.
Drivers
The most common cause of missing sound is the driver. Even if the operating system itself took care of installing all the important components necessary for the PC to work, this does not mean that the drivers are selected and function correctly.
If you use a desktop computer, you must download the official software for the motherboard in the case of a built-in sound card. If the audio device is external or connected to the PCI slot, you need to visit the website of its manufacturer for the latest drivers.
Almost always, along with computer components, disks are supplied with everything you need. After installing the DVD in the drive, the installer will start automatically, the user only needs to click on the Next button and restart the PC after the process is completed.
If after reinstalling Windows 7 the sound does not work, there is no disk, and the model of the motherboard is unknown, you should look for a driver pack on the Internet. This is the name of the driver assembly created by enthusiasts. When downloading, you must pay attention to the date of manufacture of the package. The newer it is, the higher the chance that it includes components suitable for your machine.
How to find out the model of the motherboard or any other equipment?
If you do not know what specific devices are installed in your system unit, install the AIDA64 program. It is designed specifically to display the detailed characteristics of each component of the computer. The utility is not free, but it has a thirty-day trial period. It is quite enough to solve problems with sound.
On the left side of the main window is a list of devices grouped by type. On the right - detailed information, here are links to pages for downloading drivers. If there is no such link in the details, the user will see a URL leading to the manufacturer’s Internet resource.
Laptop
Visit the website of the laptop manufacturer, where all the necessary components will be available for download. Moreover, from there you can download drivers not only for audio devices, but in general for all the hardware used in the laptop assembly. It is not recommended to install driver packs if, after reinstalling Windows 7, sound on the laptop does not work. This may cause new errors.
Non-software issues
Everything is fine with the drivers, but there is no sound? First make sure the headphones are connected. Make sure the plug is plugged into the correct socket. Usually it is green. At the same time, it is worthwhile to determine if the headphones or speakers have broken.
This is easy to do by connecting them to any other audio output device. For example, to a TV, music center, smartphone, home theater.
OS settings
The next step that should be taken if sound does not work after reinstalling Windows 7 is to check the configuration of the built-in audio device controls. Position the cursor over the speaker icon in the system tray. Right-click and select "Devices."
Find under which component the “default” mark is located. It happens that Windows without the knowledge of the user sets the HDMI output or port of the video card as the main device.
If the main device is not selected "Speakers", call the context menu, and in it click on the item "Default". Are the settings correct? Open the properties of the audio component. Check that the volume level is not set to the minimum level. Turn off the effects on the Improvements tab. Sometimes it helps to change the sampling rate and bit depth. You can switch their mode on the "Advanced" tab.
Sound service
After reinstalling Windows 7, the sound in the speakers does not work, the correct drivers are installed on the computer, and the configuration is correct? It makes sense to check if the OS audio service is enabled.
- Go to the Run dialog.
- Enter the string services.msc in it.
- Press Enter.
- Using the mouse wheel, scroll through the list of services to Windows Audio.
- Double click on it.
- Next to the signature "Startup Type" is a switch. Check that the option "Automatic" is selected here.
Sometimes after reinstalling Windows 7, the sound in the headphones does not work, and Windows Audio flatly refuses to start. In this case, before starting the service manually, you need to close all applications that can use the sound card, and then move the volume slider several times. After these manipulations, the service will start.
device Manager
Expand the Run dialog. Enter the line devmgmt.msc. Click the plus next to "Sound Devices." Double-click on the name of the audio card and pay attention to the field "Device Status". If after reinstalling Windows 7 the sound does not work, and the message “works fine” is displayed here, it means that the problem is hardware in nature and cannot be solved by simply changing the Windows settings. The computer needs serious repair.