Sound devices with High Definition Audio support are new, but they are quite widespread in the computer environment. But, despite the most advanced technologies used to play audio, you can sometimes encounter errors or software failures when there is no sound in the system, and it itself with an enviable constancy gives a message that the playback device is not connected. How to deal with this will be further considered.
Devices with support for High Definition Audio: what is it?
In general, integrated devices of Realtek sound cards (in general case) are usually referred to such devices, although NVIDIA or MSI products are less common. As a rule, in the system they are recognized as soundcards or speakers. A device with support for High Definition Audio of this type uses advanced technologies that can increase the frequency of transmission, play the latest audio formats, more accurately recognize speech input, connect hardware using Plug & Play type, etc.
But the main characteristics are not limited to this. The fact is that any sound device with High Definition Audio support is initially focused on full compatibility with Direct Sound 3D, and the installation of the appropriate driver and additional software makes it possible to use a 10-band equalizer, about 26 sound environments in modern games, and connect electronic music Instruments via MIDI and more.
However, not only sound cards are included in this list. You can also include some kind of microphone here. A device with support for High Definition Audio of this type is just focused on finer recognition of speech or speech commands, not to mention the fact that even with the laptop’s built-in microphone in the absence of third-party noise and interference, you can make quite good voice recording. Of course, this sound cannot be called professional, but in the absence of a studio microphone, even such a recorded sound sounds, in general, not bad, not bad.
High Definition Audio enabled device not connected: failure symptoms and causes
But why then does the system sometimes give a message stating that this component is not connected? The most common situation: devices with High Definition Audio support are installed in the system, the drivers seem to be in order, and there is no sound in the speakers at the output, although there are headphones in it.
When you call the settings panel, the speakers are marked with a red circle, and a little lower is a notification that they are not connected, although all inputs and outputs are working properly. But a complete misunderstanding of the situation is caused by the fact that such a failure can occur even on laptops with built-in speakers, for which separate outputs and cords are not needed.
The main directions in the troubleshooting technique
There are several ways to restore a device with support for High Definition Audio, unless it itself has failed.
Among the main methods, the following are distinguished:
- Reinstalling or updating drivers
- Removing the HDA system controller
- setting sound output different from the initial parameters.
Reinstalling drivers
The first thing you should try to reinstall the drivers, using not the “Device Manager” (although in the simplest case it is also possible), but, say, an original disk or a driver downloaded from the Internet, from the manufacturer’s official website.
Please note that drivers can be of two versions: for Windows versions 2000, 2003, XP and Windows Vista and higher. Choose the one that matches your system.
However, the easiest way is to use programs like Driver Booster, which directly from the manufacturer’s resource download the most suitable updated driver and integrate it into the system without your participation. This does not give a 100% guarantee of restoration of the device’s operability, but this option cannot be ruled out.
Removing a system controller
Judging by the feedback from users who have encountered this problem, another solution may be to completely remove and automatically install the HDA system controller (note that there may be several, so you need to delete everything).
You can perform such an operation in the same “Device Manager” by selecting the delete line from the system in the PCM menu on the controller. As noted, upon rebooting Windows itself will determine the controller and install the necessary software for it. In general, it’s also worth a try, since Windows-based card systems and Realtek drivers (or other common devices), as a rule, are recognized without problems by installing drivers even from their own database.
Change sound settings
Finally, another technique is to change the settings of the working device. True, this method is more applicable to stationary computer systems, and not to laptops in which outputs to the built-in speakers are not provided (although in some situations changing just the software settings of this nature eliminates the problems that arise).
In this situation, you need to call the “Realtek Manager” (you can use the PCM menu on the speaker icon in the system tray with a choice of the line of playback devices), and then on the speaker configuration settings tab, tick off the option to disable front panel jacks. As practice shows, in many cases this solution works. After that, however, it would be desirable to set the selected speakers as the default playback device in the Realtek panel settings.
Conclusion
In general, these are the most common situations and solutions to eliminate this type of software failure. In this case, it is understood that the device itself is fully operational and is not damaged. In addition, it is also advisable to check whether there is any additional player or panel in the system that can affect the sound settings. This option is also not excluded, since some sound program modules can intercept control of the sound card, as a result of which the volume in the system seems to be turned on 100%, but in fact in another program that took over the playback control, it is completely turned off. Finally, it is worth checking whether several drivers or the devices themselves are installed, because among themselves they can cause conflicts. In general, with the exception of physical breakdowns, these are all basic methods to correct the situation.