The situation when the sound disappears on a computer device is quite common. Most ordinary users associate this with soundcard drivers. In general, this is only one of the reasons, because if the sound does not work on the computer, the global problem is much wider. Next, we will consider several possible situations with a proposal to solve failures in each case.
Why there is no sound on the computer: possible reasons
To fully understand the essence of the issue, you must first find out the root causes of the situation. Why does sound on my computer not work?
Among all that could cause such a phenomenon, in most cases the following are distinguished:
- the sound is turned off by the volume control;
- speakers do not work ;
- the main playback device is not installed correctly;
- the sound card does not work or is disabled;
- not installed, outdated or damaged audio driver;
- Windows Audio service is inactive;
- incorrect connection to other devices;
- exposure to viruses;
- physical damage to cables or reproducing device.
Based on the above list, we will solve the problem associated with how to restore sound on your computer. Please note that the last item related to the purely physical problems of the equipment will not be considered. We focus on software methods, which in most cases allow us to eliminate errors and failures that have arisen.
Missing sound on your computer: what to do first?
So, first of all, you need to check the correct connection of the speakers. To do this, look at the back panel of the system unit, find the outputs and inputs of the sound card and check if the connectors from the speakers are included in the sockets. At least the audio outputs (right / left, front / rear / subwoofer) will not be difficult to determine.
On the other hand, if there is no sound on the computer, the reason may be even more banal. Check if headphones are currently connected. The situation is such that when they are connected, the sound on the speakers is blocked. Disconnect the headphones and see if there is sound in the main speakers.
Checking Volume Controls
Another common problem that many users do not pay attention to is the volume mute by the system controls or similar controls on the speakers themselves (this applies only to cases when an active acoustics powered by an independent power source is connected to the computer. In this case, just press to the regulator icon in the system tray and move the slider, if not to the top, then at least to the middle position.
Now let's see how to turn on the sound on your computer if you use laptops. As a rule, they use either separate buttons to increase and decrease the volume or completely turn off the sound, or a combination of keys. Again, try increasing the volume or turning on the sound in this way.
Speaker Test
But suppose that after such actions there is no sound on the computer. What to do? For this, Windows may suggest using a so-called mixer, which can be called up through the PCM menu on the volume icon in the system tray. In the window that appears, check the position of all the faders (sliders) present. Please note that there may not be volume controls for system sounds or applications that can use the computer's audio system (for example, web browsers, voice communication programs, etc.). As already clear, you need to move the sliders at least to the middle position and check if a sound has appeared.
Playback devices
Now let's see how to adjust the sound on your computer in terms of the correct choice of sound-reproducing equipment.
To do this, through the same RMB menu on the volume icon, open the playback device section, and then look at which device is used by default. In theory, High Definition Audio speakers should be indicated as the main equipment (the device is marked with a tick in a green circle). If this is not the case, use RMB and set the correct parameters.
If the device itself is not involved (the gray arrow pointing down indicates this), turn it on through RMB. If it is not in the list at all, click on an empty place, and from the menu select the display of disconnected devices.
In the same section, you can configure the sound on your computer via HDMI. Only in this case, it is necessary to choose exactly the device that is used for such connections (for example, NVIDIA or PHL).
Checking the audio card
But these were all the simplest methods. We assume that earlier the audio system worked fine, but over time the sound on the computer disappeared. How to restore it? To do this, you need to check the operability of the sound card itself.
To do this, call the standard "Device Manager" and look at the status of the equipment. If the card here is marked with a gray down arrow, as was the case with the speakers, through the RMB, select the "Enable" line.
If the device is marked with a yellow marker or is in the "Other devices" list, it only means that the driver is not installed for it or the control software does not work correctly (or does not work at all). It goes without saying that there is no sound on the computer just because the driver is inoperative.
Updating and reinstalling the driver
The easiest solution for installing control software will be to use the driver update item, which is selected through the PCM menu. True, the system will initially offer to install the most suitable driver from its database.
For the first case, entrust the choice to the system (usually there are drivers for HD Audio).
If you have a non-standard device, it is best to reinstall the driver from the original disk, which should be supplied when buying a desktop computer or laptop. If there is no such disk, you can use programs like DriverPack Solution, which have their own driver catalog and which can automatically detect the equipment for which driver installation is required.
Also, if there is no sound on the computer and it is connected with the drivers, as an alternative solution, you can use the Driver Booster program, which updates absolutely all drivers automatically, downloading them directly from the websites of equipment manufacturers or developers of control programs. The only condition for the correct update is the presence of an active Internet connection.
If none of the above effect gives, in the “Device Manager”, refer to the properties of the sound card, go to the details tab, select the display of the equipment ID in the drop-down list and copy the longest line that contains the parameters for the DEV and VEN identifiers. After that, you can search for them on the Internet, download the driver you need and install it yourself (or tell the system when updating the location of the downloaded file if the search for drivers on this computer does not work).
Separately, it is worth noting that the downloaded driver files basically have two types of extensions: EXE and INF. If for some reason the operating system does not install the selected driver on its own, the executable file will have to be launched manually, but it must be done on behalf of the administrator. Another method is used with information files: through the RMB, the installation line is selected, after which it remains only to wait for its completion.
Check Windows Audio Service
Unfortunately, all the above methods may not work just because the audio service itself is in a disconnected state. You can check it through the appropriate section, called the fastest way through the Run console by entering the services.msc command. How to make sound on a computer in this case?
Double-click to edit the service options, use the power button to activate it, and in the startup type set to “Automatic”. Just in case, reboot the system (although, by and large, this is not required). In theory, after that a sound will appear.
Enabling a sound device in the BIOS
However, the main device can be turned off, which can be fixed as an error in the “Device Manager”.
In this case, it cannot be turned on by the operating system software. What to do? Reboot the system and at the start of the computer device enter the BIOS settings.
On the Advanced tab or in the Onboard Devices section, find the line with the name of your sound card (usually High Definition Audio) and look at the status of the equipment. If the Disabled parameter is set there, change it to Enabled and save the changes by pressing the F10 key (rebooting upon exit will be done automatically).
What to do if there is no sound when connected to a TV panel?
Now a few words on how to fix problems connecting a computer with modern television panels. The sound from the computer to the TV when using the DVI outputs is not transmitted, since they are intended only for broadcasting video. In most cases, the connection is via an HDMI cable.
In this situation, it is necessary to use the above section of playback devices, but select the equipment from the list that has HDMI in the name (usually the name of the panel itself will be displayed or a digital HD Audio device will be indicated). Set it primary. You can also set the main and previously mentioned equipment like NVIDIA. When disconnecting from the panel, the main device will need to be changed on its own.
Virus scan
Finally, if there is no sound on your computer, you should not discount the effects of viruses. Just in case, make a full system scan, but do not use the installed antivirus for this and use some portable utility like Dr. Web CureIt. But this, so to speak, is just in case.
If something is found, but it does not work to neutralize, neutralize or remove the virus, use the Kaspersky Rescue Disk utility recorded on any removable media from which it will be necessary to boot before the system starts, setting the media as the first boot device in the BIOS.
System Restore
If nothing helps at all, roll back the system to the date when the sound system worked fine. To do this, you can use your own "Recovery Center", and installation media. In Windows 10, you can run advanced reboot options, and then select the desired action.