Reasons for sound loss on a computer. Reasons for no sound on PC

The situation when the sound on a computer device disappears is quite common. Most ordinary users associate this with sound card drivers. In general, this is only one of the reasons, because if the sound on the computer does not work, the global problem is much wider. Next, several possible situations will be considered with a proposed solution to failures in each specific case.

Why there is no sound on the computer: possible reasons

To fully understand the essence of the issue, it is first necessary to find out the root causes of the current situation. Why doesn't the sound on my computer work?

Among all the things that could cause this phenomenon, in most cases the following are distinguished:

  • the sound is muted with the volume control;
  • The main playback device is installed incorrectly;
  • The sound card does not work or is disabled;
  • The audio driver is not installed, is outdated or damaged;
  • Windows Audio service is inactive;
  • incorrect connection to other devices;
  • exposure to viruses;
  • physical damage to cables or playback device.

Based on the list above, we will solve the problem of how to restore sound on a computer. Please note that the last point related to purely physical equipment problems will not be considered. We will focus on software methods that, in most cases, allow us to eliminate errors and failures that have arisen.

No sound on the computer: what to do first?

So, the first thing you need to do is check that the speakers are connected correctly. To do this, look at the back panel of the system unit, find the outputs and inputs of the sound card and check whether the speaker plugs are included in the correct 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 trivial. Check if headphones are currently connected. The situation is that when they are connected, the sound on the speakers is blocked. Disconnect the headphones and see if there is sound from the main speakers.

Checking the volume controls

Another common problem that many users do not pay attention to is related to turning off the volume with system controls or similar controls on the speakers themselves (this only applies to cases where active speakers that operate from an independent power source are connected to the computer. In this case, just press to the controller 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 are using laptops. They usually use either separate buttons to increase and decrease the volume or mute the sound completely, or keyboard shortcuts. Again, try increasing the volume or unmuting this way.

Checking the speakers

But let’s assume that even after such actions there is no sound on the computer. What to do? For this, Windows may offer to use the so-called mixer, which can be called up through the RMB menu on the volume icon in the system tray. In the window that appears, check the position of all present faders (sliders). Please note that there may not be volume controls for system sounds or applications that may use the computer's audio system (such as web browsers, voice communication programs, etc.). As is already clear, you need to move the sliders to at least the middle position and check if the sound appears.

Playback devices

Now let's see how to set up 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 devices section, and then see which device is used by default. In theory, High Definition Audio speakers should be specified as the main equipment (the device is marked with a checkmark in a green circle). If this is not the case, use RMB and set the correct parameters.

If the device itself is not activated (this is indicated by a gray arrow pointing down), turn it on using RMB. If it is not in the list at all, click on an empty space, and from the menu select show disabled devices.

In the same section you can configure the sound on your computer via HDMI. Only in this case it is necessary to select exactly the device that is used for this type of connection (for example, NVIDIA or PHL).

Checking the audio card

But these were all the simplest methods. We assume that the audio system worked fine before, but over time the sound on the computer disappeared. How to restore it? To do this, you need to check the functionality 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, select the “Enable” line via RMB.

If the device is marked with a yellow marker or is in the “Other devices” list, this only means that the driver is not installed for it or the control software is not working correctly (or does not function at all). It goes without saying that there is no sound on the computer precisely because the driver is not working.

Updating and reinstalling the driver

The simplest solution for installing control software is to use the driver update item, which is selected through the RMB menu. True, the system will initially offer to install the most suitable driver from its database.

In the first case, entrust the choice to the system (usually there will be drivers for HD Audio).

If you have a non-standard device, it is best to reinstall the driver from the original disk that should have been supplied when you purchased your desktop computer or laptop. If you don't have such a disk, you can use programs like DriverPack Solution, which have their own driver directory and can automatically detect hardware that requires driver installation.

Also, if there is no sound on the computer and this is due specifically to the drivers, as an alternative solution you can use the Driver Booster program, which updates absolutely all drivers automatically by downloading them directly from the websites of equipment manufacturers or control program developers. The only condition for a correct update is an active Internet connection.

If none of the above has any effect, in the “Device Manager” go to the properties of the sound card, go to the details tab, select display hardware ID in the drop-down list and copy the longest line that contains the DEV and VEN identifier parameters. After that, you can search for them on the Internet, download the required driver and install it yourself (or indicate to the system when updating the location of the downloaded file, if searching for drivers on this computer does not produce results).

It is also worth noting that downloaded driver files mainly have two types of extensions: EXE and INF. If the operating system for some reason does not install the selected driver on its own, the executable file will have to be launched manually, but always as an administrator. With information files, a different technique is used: the installation line is selected via RMB, after which all that remains is to wait for its completion.

Checking the Windows Audio Service

Unfortunately, all of the above methods may not work only because the sound service itself is disabled. You can check it through the corresponding section, which can be called up in 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 set the startup type to “Automatic”. Just in case, reboot the system (although, by and large, this is not required). In theory, after this the sound will appear.

Enable audio device in BIOS

However, the primary device may be disabled, which may show up as an error in Device Manager.

In this case, it will not be possible to enable it using the operating system software. What to do? Reboot the system and when the computer device starts, 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 hardware status. If it is set to Disabled, change it to Enabled and save the changes by pressing F10 (it will reboot automatically when exiting).

What should I do if there is no sound when connected to the TV panel?

Now a few words about how to troubleshoot problems connecting a computer to modern television panels. Sound from the computer to the TV is not transmitted when using DVI outputs, since they are intended only for video broadcasting. In most cases, the connection is made via an HDMI cable.

In this situation, you need to use the playback devices section described above, but from the list select exactly the equipment whose name contains HDMI (usually the name of the panel itself will appear before this or the digital HD Audio device will be indicated). Make it the main one. You can also set the previously mentioned equipment, such as NVIDIA, as the main one. When disconnected from the panel, the main device will need to be changed independently.

Virus check

Finally, if there is no sound on your computer, you should not discount the impact of viruses. Just in case, perform 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 is not possible to neutralize, neutralize or remove the virus, use the Kaspersky Rescue Disk disk utility, recorded on any removable media from which you will need to boot before the system starts, setting the media itself as the first boot device in the BIOS.

System Restore

If all else fails, roll back the system to the date when the sound system worked normally. To do this, you can use your own “Recovery Center” and installation media. In Windows 10, you can launch advanced reboot options and then select the desired action.

You No sound on my Windows 7 computer and there is no way to fix this problem? In this article, I will show you several reasons and ways to fix missing sound on your computer.

Often the reason for the lack of sound is simple user errors and it is very easy to solve them, but there are times when the sound disappears for an unknown reason. The main thing is not to get upset, because there is always a way out!

Possible reasons:

Checking the speaker volume

This may seem trivial to many of you, but I still want to ask you before checking other possible reasons for the lack of sound. Make sure the speakers are turned on and that the speaker volume is not at minimum. Also make sure that the speaker volume indicator in the taskbar is not at minimum or worse, turned off.

If everything is fine, right-click on the “Speakers” icon and select “Playback Devices”.

On the Playback tab, make sure the green check mark is on your speakers.

If nothing is displayed on the “Playback” tab, right-click on an empty space and select “Show disconnected devices.”

After this, our disabled speakers should appear, on which we right-click and select “Enable”.

No audio driver

Maybe you don't have a sound driver and a regular one is quite sufficient to fix the problem. If you are new, then this is normal and all you have to do is find the audio driver for your computer and install them.

It is also possible that you installed the wrong driver or it was corrupted. In this case, you need to remove the installed audio driver and all sound devices in the “Device Manager” (“Start” -> right-click on “My Computer” and select “properties”, then click on “Device Manager”).


Afterwards, Windows 7 will try to automatically install the missing drivers.


If for some reason this does not happen, install the drivers manually.

Incorrectly connected speakers

Or maybe you lost sound on your Windows 7 computer, due to incorrect speaker connections? It is quite possible! Make sure the speaker cable is installed in the correct port; it is almost always green.


Conflict with installed programs

It’s rare, but it happens that after installing some drivers, they fail. It is enough just to remove the conflicting program, and the problem is solved.

But what if we installed a bunch of programs and don’t know which of them conflicts with the driver? And he will help us with this, with help earlier.

Sometimes, quite unpleasant things can happen to our computers. But it is important to know that any malfunction can always be corrected. And so, you turn on your PC, but when the system boots, you don’t hear the usual welcome melody. Perhaps someone will not even pay attention to such a trifle and will continue to work as usual, turn on music or video and suddenly discover that there is no sound at all. There is silence in the speakers! Today we will look at the possible causes of this problem and how to get the sound back by fixing the problem. All this can be done using step-by-step instructions, which are offered below.

But let’s first determine why the sound on the computer disappeared?

The cause of the malfunction can only lie in two places: in the hardware of your computer, or its software. In other words, the absence of sound is a consequence of a malfunction in the "hardware" PC, or this is due to the settings of the operating system, incorrect operation of some programs. It should be understood that the occurrence of such a breakdown does not depend on the OS or its newness. This happens in older versions, such as Windows XP, and in the latest Windows 8. It can also happen in Linux and other versions of the OS. Even if your equipment is the newest and most modern, the most expensive sound card, the highest quality speakers, you can still encounter a similar problem.

How to restore sound on a computer?

First, we must find out the very cause of the problem. We will determine the reason for the lack of sound in various ways, starting with the simplest and most basic ones.

To do this, we will follow, step by step, according to the following instructions:

Use "Device Manager": "Start" - right-click on the line "Computer" - "Properties".

In the window that appears, at the top left, click on the “Device Manager” line.


The first method is implemented very quickly, but practice shows that it does not always work, so if it does not help, use the second.

1. Disable the “Use device in exclusive mode” function

Right-click on the speaker icon and select "Playback Devices"



The system disables the output devices themselves. This may be due to system errors, device configuration changes, and user intervention. Fixing this problem is very easy! For this:

Solved problems

GRUB hangs and requires pressing Enter

The computer is overheating

Lack of necessary codecs.

The sound on the computer has disappeared and if the above steps do not bear fruit, you can try reinstalling the sound adapter/card drivers. Most often, when the sound on the computer disappears, the drivers or the sound card itself are to blame. Through the device manager (start-control panel-hardware and sound-device manager) we find our sound adapter and look at its status (if there is an arrow or exclamation mark on the icon). If there is an arrow icon next to the device, then you need to activate the device, press the other mouse button and click “enable”. In the case of an exclamation mark, we will need to reinstall the driver. The driver can be installed from the disk that came with the computer, or you can download the required driver from the Internet for your sound card model.

A more drastic option is to “roll back” the system. System recovery is also carried out through the device manager (see figure below).

The last resort in this series would be a complete reinstallation of the system. Immediately after reinstalling the system, fresh sound drivers are installed. After that, install all other programs. The sound may disappear after installing a program. This means there is a driver conflict.

Before you do anything if there is no sound or its quality is poor, remember what you did, for example, yesterday, when there was still sound on the computer. What additional programs have you installed? Surely the problem will be solved if you remove this program. Or maybe you deleted some necessary file from your computer. If you have not installed anything, then try the 12 steps described above to fix no sound. Surely something suggested will help you.

You can also use the Help and Support section in the Start menu.

Restoring sound

Restoring sound on a reinstalled system is done by installing a driver for your operating system. The driver can be downloaded from the official website of the sound card manufacturer.

Thanks to this instruction, the majority of users will be able to solve problems with the absence or low quality of the reproduced sound. Problems with sound, unfortunately, are quite common among users of outdated operating systems, as well as rare sound cards.

The most problematic task is finding drivers for a sound device. Since most sound cards are integrated into the motherboard, it can be somewhat difficult to determine the model of the sound card.

In most cases, Driver Pack Solution can help you select the most correct driver for your sound card. This application includes many drivers for different operating systems.


What to do if there is no sound on a computer running Windows 7?
Why is there no sound on Windows 7? Perhaps many Windows 7 users have experienced this problem at least once. This article contains the most common causes and ways to solve them. Content:


So, what to do if the sound on your laptop does not work. The first step is to check the availability of the necessary drivers for your sound card. Perhaps they need updating, or you don't have them at all. By the way, driver errors are half the reasons why sound on a laptop disappears. In order to see which devices on your laptop or computer need driver updates, you need to open the device manager, which can be found in the control panel.


Perhaps the most banal, but at the same time the most common reason for which the sound disappears is its unconscious turning off in the mixer. A mixer is a system that allows you to adjust the volume of specific applications. You can open the mixer by clicking on the corresponding inscription in the volume control window. After starting the mixer, make sure that all parameters are non-zero.

No less common is another reason why the sound on a laptop or desktop computer disappears. Its essence lies in

In this window, you should configure one more parameter – the startup type. This parameter is responsible for starting the service when Windows boots. In order not to constantly start the service manually, I advise you to define this parameter as automatic.


In most cases, the front panel requires a Realtek controller to operate. If for some reason you don’t have it, be sure to reinstall it. After launching the manager from the control panel, go to the “Speakers” tab. Next, double-click the folder icon in the upper left corner and check the box next to “Disable front panel slot detection”


If, after completing the operation of displaying information on the front panel, the panel is still missing, it means that the BIOS installed in your laptop or computer is most likely incorrectly configured. The BIOS system is present in any laptop, computer or tablet, and provides the operating system with API access to the hardware, including the front panel. To configure the BIOS for the front panel to work, you need to:





Exactly what type of front panel hardware you have should be indicated on the motherboard or wires.

What to do if there is no sound on a computer running Windows 7?
Why is there no sound on Windows 7? Perhaps many Windows 7 users have experienced this problem at least once. This article contains the most common causes and ways to solve them. Content:

The main reasons leading to loss of sound, as well as ways to solve them

Why does the sound disappear on a laptop, computer, etc.? In most cases, the reason for this is the user's own errors in handling the operating system.


So, what to do if the sound on your laptop does not work. The first step is to check the availability of the necessary drivers for your sound card. Perhaps they need updating, or you don't have them at all. By the way, driver errors are half the reasons why sound on a laptop disappears. In order to see which devices on your laptop or computer need driver updates, you need to open the device manager, which can be found in the control panel.




The manager window organizes and presents all drivers installed on a laptop, computer, etc. Using it, you can check the availability, functionality or relevance of drivers. If any item is marked with a yellow triangle, you should pay attention to it! Devices responsible for sound playback are located in the “Sound, gaming and video devices” tab.




Perhaps the most banal, but at the same time the most common reason for which the sound disappears is its unconscious turning off in the mixer. A mixer is a system that allows you to adjust the volume of specific applications. You can open the mixer by clicking on the corresponding inscription in the volume control window. After starting the mixer, make sure that all parameters are non-zero.




No less common is another reason why the sound on a laptop or desktop computer disappears. Its essence lies in the system disabling the output devices themselves. This may be due to system errors, device configuration changes, or user intervention. Fixing this problem is very easy! For this:



Another common reason is that the service responsible for playing audio is disabled. To start it again, you need to go to Control Panel - Administration - Services. In the window that opens, find the “Windows Audio” service.




If the service is disabled, double-click on the service to open the settings window, from where you can force the service to start by clicking the “Run” button.



In this window, you should configure one more parameter – the startup type. This parameter is responsible for starting the service when Windows boots. In order not to constantly start the service manually, I advise you to define this parameter as automatic.

No sound from the front panel

What to do if there is no sound on the front panel or no sound at all? The whole problem lies in the question “Why is there no sound?”


In most cases, the front panel requires a Realtek controller to operate. If for some reason you don’t have it, be sure to reinstall it. After launching the manager from the control panel, go to the “Speakers” tab. Next, double-click the folder icon in the upper left corner and check the box next to “Disable front panel slot detection”


If, after completing the operation of displaying information on the front panel, the panel is still missing, it means that the BIOS installed in your laptop or computer is most likely incorrectly configured. The BIOS system is present in any laptop, computer or tablet, and provides the operating system with API access to the hardware, including the front panel. To configure the BIOS for the front panel to work, you need to:


  1. When the system starts, namely while demonstrating the logo of the motherboard manufacturer installed on your laptop or computer, press and hold the “F2” key to exit to the BIOS menu.

  2. Then you need to find and select “Onboard Devices Configuration” in the “Advanced” tab.

  3. In the next window, you need to configure one parameter, namely “Front Panel Type”, which is responsible for the type of front panel. There are usually 2 options: HD Audio and AC97.



Exactly what type of front panel hardware you have should be indicated on the motherboard or wires.



If even after setting up the BIOS system there is no sound on the front panel, then the sound card may be damaged and will have to be replaced, but in this case the sound should disappear not only on the front panel. The sound may not be working because the wire has come loose.

Have you lost sound on your Windows 7 computer and can’t fix the problem? In this article I will show you several reasons and ways to fix missing sound on...

Have you lost sound on your Windows 7 computer and can’t fix the problem? In this article I will show you several reasons and ways to fix missing sound on...

The advent of the first computers did not imply any possibility of playing sound files, let alone recording and processing them. These computers were intended mainly for solving other problems - processing large numbers and performing various mathematical operations. The only sound that the user could hear was the unpleasant squeaking of the built-in system speaker. It usually alerted you to the presence of some error while loading the operating system.

Reasons for no sound on PC

Faced with a similar situation, many, most likely, rushed to call a specialist who would solve the problem. But any specialist costs money, which is usually in short supply. Therefore, it is best to learn how to fix periodically occurring faults yourself.

Note that there are many reasons for the sudden absence of sound. These can be either system problems or technical ones related to the performance of the sound card.

In this article we will look in detail at the necessary actions if the sound on the computer suddenly disappears.

If a problem like this occurs, you need to determine the cause. To do this, you should start with the simplest steps, namely, the volume control icon located in the system tray.

Volume icon location

Volume control

Check the position of the volume slider. For the sound to be heard normally, it must be located approximately in the middle position.

It is quite possible that due to some oversight, the slider was moved to its initial position, which is why the sound is not supplied to the speakers of your computer.

In addition, the sound may be turned off completely. In this case, you will see a prohibition icon next to the speaker icon. It may look like a red circle with an inclined stripe inside or a cross.

Computer sound is muted

In order to turn on the sound, you will need to click on the speaker logo. If this was the problem, you will again hear the long-awaited sound from the speakers.

Volume mixer

If you encounter no sound on your computer, check your audio mixer settings.

To open it, move the mouse cursor over the speaker icon located in the system tray and right-click.

In the menu that appears, select the topmost item - "Open Volume Mixer".

Mixer open menu item

In the mixer window that opens, check that all sliders are in the middle position - these are the default settings. Also, make sure that all speaker icons are on.

After these manipulations, the sound should appear. If this does not happen, proceed to the next steps.

Checking playback devices

The next step, if the sound is lost, is to check the devices that are responsible for it.

In order to go to the tab responsible for playback devices, click on the speaker icon again. In the menu that appears, you must select the appropriate item, namely - "Playback Devices".

Menu item “Playback devices”

After selecting this item, the Sound window will open, containing all the sound devices available on your computer.

Find the section “Speakers” - “Sound”, which is responsible for connecting external speakers to the system, and make sure that this device is defined by default and is functioning normally. In this case, next to the speaker icon there will be a green circle with a checkmark inside.

Confirming normal speaker operation

If this confirmation is missing, you should right-click on the “Speakers” item and select the item in the menu that appears "Use as default".

Default device menu

If the speakers connected to the computer are installed by default, but are not active - they are gray - you will need to activate them (turn them on). To do this, use the right mouse button again and select “Enable” in the menu that appears.

Enable inactive speakers

It may also happen that when you open the window for devices responsible for playback, the “Speakers” item will be completely absent. This means that the device that plays the sound is disabled for some reason.

What to do in this case?

All you need to do is select a free (empty) space in this window and, by clicking on it, select the item "Show disabled devices".

Show disabled devices

Once the speakers appear in the sound devices window, all you have to do is turn them on and set them as the default device.

After this, you can enjoy the sound that appears.

It is possible that after this the speakers will remain silent. In this case, proceed to the next stage of verification.

Sound card control

At this stage, you should check the sound card on your computer. It is no secret that it is directly responsible for the appearance of sound.

Currently, sound cards are classified into the following types:

  • cards that are built into the motherboard are integrated;
  • separate cards designed for installation in PCI or PCIe ports - internal;
  • independent devices that connect to a personal computer via a USB connector - external.

Each of these cards differs not only in resource consumption, but also in the quality of the sound output.

Integrated cards are the simplest and it’s simply not possible to get very high-quality sound from them. In addition, they load well.

Integrated sound card

Internal cards have their own processor and allow for high synchronization of audio streams.

Internal map

Despite the variety of sound-reproducing devices, users quite often encounter a lack of sound reproduction.

To get started, go to "Device Manager" and check if the sound card is shown in the list present there.

To do this, right-click on the “My Computer” icon located on the desktop. In the menu that appears, select the lowest item - “Properties”.

Selecting “Properties”

In the system window that opens, select "Device Manager", on the tab of which find the line "Sound, video and gaming devices".

Device Manager Window

Expand the list and see if your sound card appears there. If it is displayed but inactive, turn it on. To do this, click on its name and in the menu that appears, activate the “Enable” item.

It may be that the sound card is missing in the sound and gaming devices section. In this case, you should look for it in the section "Other devices".

Section with other devices

There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that your audio device is located on the bus. If it is inactive, turn it on in the same way as described above.

If you see that next to the name of the audio device there is an icon in the form of a yellow circle with an exclamation mark inside, the problem is not with the device itself, but with the drivers installed on it. In this case, you will need to reinstall them.

Installing sound drivers

Due to crooked or outdated installations, a situation very often arises when the sound on the computer disappears.

And you need to do the following - install missing or reinstall existing drivers. There is no need to remove old drivers, as they will still be updated when new ones are installed.

First, determine which one requires installation. To do this, open the Device Manager tab again and select your existing sound card. Double-left-click on its name to open the properties window.

Sound card properties window

In this window, go to the “Details” tab and select the value in the properties drop-down list "Equipment ID". The Value section will display the hardware ID. Select and copy the first one.

Details tab

Then you will need to use the Internet and open the website devid.Info , which will be used to search for drivers for the audio device.

Driver search site by device type

There should not be any difficulties in working with this site, since it supports the Russian language. In the search field located at the top of this resource, you need to paste the copied ID of your sound device and click the “Search” button. At the end of the search, a window with its results will open.

A floppy disk icon will be displayed in the lower right corner of this window, by clicking on which you can save the found driver on your computer. After downloading is complete, click on "exe" file to begin the installation process.

Running the installation file

It may happen that the downloaded file will not have the extension "exe". Do not be alarmed - its installation is carried out by updating the drivers.

To do this, open it again "Device Manager" and double click on the name of the sound card. In the properties window that opens, go to the “Driver” tab and click on the “Update” button.

Driver tab of the sound card properties window

After this, a driver update window will open in front of you, in which select "Search for drivers on this computer".

Selecting a driver search option

Then you will need to specify the location of the previously downloaded file. This is done using the “Review” button available in the update window.

After installing the new driver, be sure to restart your computer for all changes to take effect. If you then open the sound card properties window, you can see that the sound driver has been updated.

Windows Audio Service

Another reason why there is no sound on the computer may be that the service is disabled. Windows Audio.

In order to enable it, you will need to go to the Services tab.

First of all, open "Control Panel".

Control panel window

Select a section from the elements present in it "Administration".

Administration Tab

Then go to the Services tab and find Windows Audio in the list.

Services Tab

If this service is disabled, double-click on it. After this, the properties tab for this service will open, where you need to enable it.

In the Status option, click the Run button and then Apply for the changes to take effect.

Windows Audio service properties tab

If you do not want to constantly start this service manually, set the parameter in the “Startup type” section "Auto".

Installing an additional program

A small utility program called Realtek High Definition Audio Driver.

However, this “program” is only suitable for those who have a Realtek sound card installed. Although, to be honest, it is installed on most computers.

First you need to download and install it on your PC

Download

Appearance of the Realtek program.

During the installation process, the program copies the files necessary for operation and reboots the computer. After this, the installation continues. At the end of it, the computer must be restarted again - only in this case the changes made will be able to take effect.

If the installation was successful, a speaker icon will appear next to the standard speaker icon in the system tray.

Realtek program icon

By clicking on it, you will be taken to the tab of this program, where you can configure it.

Realtek HD Manager Window

Checking speaker connections

Another step in solving the problem of no sound is to check that the external speakers are connected to the computer correctly.

Don't forget that the audio jack is green. The color of the speaker plug is often the same. If the connection is correct, remove and reinsert the plug into the socket - it is quite possible that the necessary contact is missing.

Appearance of the audio input jack

Also check the integrity of the wires, as well as the connection of the speakers to the network. If possible, connect to another computer to make sure they work.

If the previous actions did not have the desired effect, check the BIOS settings.

BIOS setup

These actions apply to those who periodically change the settings of this system.

Turn on the computer and at the moment of startup press the corresponding button on the keyboard (F12, Esc, Del and other combinations). After you log in, go to the “Advanced” tab. Use the arrow buttons to navigate to the High Definition Audio option and see that it has a status of . If installed, then the sound is simply turned off and you will need to turn it on.

Activate this option by highlighting it and pressing the Enter button. In the window that opens, select the desired option and press “Enter” again.

BIOS Sound Settings

After making changes, press the “F10” key to exit and save.

No sound from the front panel of the computer

In order for the front panel to have a working audio output, the Realtek manager must be installed.

If this manager is not on your computer, install it.

To go to its tab, you will need to open the Control Panel window and select it from the list present.

In the manager window that opens, go to the “Speakers” tab.

Speakers Tab

After that, uncheck the box "Disable front panel jack detection". This should get rid of the lack of sound on the front panel.

If this does not help, check the BIOS settings for the front panel of your computer.

Front Panel BIOS Settings

Enter the BIOS using the keys designed to configure your PC. This could be F2, Del, Esc and so on.

On the "Advanced" tab, use the arrow buttons to navigate to the section "Onboard Device Configuration".

Then select the line “Front Panel Type” and make sure that this parameter is checked.

If it is written instead, press the “Enter” button and in the window that opens, specify the required parameter.

Selecting the AC97 parameter in the BIOS settings

When the connector on the front panel of the computer does not want to output any sound, check the hardware just in case.

Checking the motherboard

To begin this task, you should turn off and completely disconnect the PC.

Entering a search phrase

If you know exactly when the sound stopped, perform a system rollback to get rid of the last unsuccessful changes.

When you don’t know the exact date of the sound loss, use the item "Select a different restore point".

Selecting a different system restore point

In the last window, specify the system drive on which the previously created checkpoint is located, and click on the “Finish” button. After this, the computer will restart, during which all existing changes will be canceled.

When a system rollback does not bring the desired results, you may need to reinstall it yourself. However, this is an extreme measure and should be used only if other actions have failed to restore the missing sound on the computer.

Quite often the sound disappears after updating Windows 7 and 8 to the tenth version.

First of all, look for a solution to the problem that has arisen in the system settings.

Open the volume control located in the system tray and set the slider to the most appropriate position.

In addition, after updating Windows to the tenth version, installing the necessary drivers is a prerequisite. Otherwise, you can simply forget about the normal operation of many devices.

To install the most suitable drivers, use the official websites of the manufacturers of certain devices.

For example, to install Realtek sound card drivers, go to the developers’ website, from where you can download not only drivers, but also additional programs.

Download

After the drivers are downloaded and installed, be sure to restart your computer.

In Windows 7, if there is no sound, you can use the built-in utility, which automatically diagnoses the system and eliminates existing faults. The sound problem is no exception.

Most often, this utility runs automatically and does not require any special intervention. However, if absolutely necessary, it can be started manually. This can be done directly from the window of the device that is experiencing problems.

Sound card doesn't work

Since this card is a sound producer, its absence directly depends on its operation.

It may fail for several reasons:

  • due to breakdown;
  • due to poor contact or incorrect connection.

In order to check it, unscrew and remove the side cover from the system unit. Remove the sound card by disconnecting it from the motherboard socket. To do this, press the special latches that are located on the edges of the PCI connector.

Check contacts for oxidation or contamination. Clean them and insert the sound card in its original place.

It is necessary to press it into the socket until a peculiar click appears. This occurs due to the fixation of the latches.

Sound card appearance

To troubleshoot the card itself at home, remove it from the PCI connector and insert it into another computer. However, not everyone can use this option. The only correct action is to contact the service center specialists, who will diagnose your sound card in a matter of minutes. If it malfunctions, they will explain whether it is more cost-effective to repair it or purchase a new card.

There may be no sound even if the installed drivers conflict with the drivers of other devices.

For example, if such a problem occurs when logging in, the sound card and modem drivers conflict. To verify this, you will need to open the Device Manager tab. In this situation, conflicting devices will be marked with an exclamation point icon. To return these devices to working condition, you need to update their drivers.

It's hard to imagine a funnier situation than watching the next Comedy club episode on a PC without sound. However, this kind of computer malfunction is far from uncommon in user practice. A great example of this is the irrepressible popularity of questions about how to turn on sound on a computer. Yes, an “unauthorized boycott” declared on your PC is definitely an unpleasant surprise for many novice users. Especially when you consider that the problem with sound is very multifaceted in resolution. However, you, dear reader, are in luck again! Because in just a few minutes you will be able to “untie your tongue” on almost any Windows operating system. Well, let's not waste precious time - let's turn to the experience of professionals.

Diagnosis of computer “dumbness”

The answer to the question of how to restore sound on a computer must be sought in two directions. The fact is that most often the system “loses its voice” due to software failures. However, the sound may disappear as a result of failure of any hardware component. For example, an integrated audio chip. To understand what exactly is the reason for “silence”, you need to resort to a step-by-step action plan. Only after a thorough practical analysis will you be firmly sure what type of sound problem you have: hardware or software. However, let's not talk about the bad - everything should be resolved without the intervention of a specialist.

Step No. 1. Basic check

Tell me how to turn on the sound on a computer if the speakers are not working or are simply not connected? Of course, no way! Extremely simple steps will help you avoid mistakes and wasted time.

First of all, you need to check:

  • Are the speakers connected to the PC and does the jack used correspond to the destination device?
  • Location of the plug if the speakers are powered from an electrical outlet.
  • What position is the volume control in? Perhaps it is twisted to zero.
  • Is one of the connecting cords damaged?

Often it is precisely such “platitudes” that push a person to take wrong actions. Therefore, be careful. Connect known-good speakers. Perhaps all your fears are in vain!

Step No. 2. Detect “secret” signs

If there is no sound on your computer, pay attention to the speaker icon located in the system tray. It may be crossed out, which means the playback device is deactivated. Move the slider up. If everything remains unchanged, move on to the next solution point.

Step #3. Windows services

It's no secret that the operating system has incredibly wide functionality. Management and control in the OS is carried out by special services, one of which is responsible for playing audio material. Fully customizing sound on a computer without the participation of Windows Audio is simply impossible. Therefore, it is necessary to check the current status of this service.

  • Using the Win+R hotkey combination, bring up the “Run” menu.
  • In the window that opens, enter the command services.msc. After confirming with the “OK” button, you will be redirected to a special “Services” section.
  • Find Windows Audio in the list provided.

In order for sound to be played and audio settings to be correctly recognized by the system, you must make sure that the service is active. That is, in the “Status” column the “Running” parameter is indicated, and in the “Startup Type” column the value is set to “Automatic”. You can make the necessary changes using the same right mouse button, placing the cursor on the item that requires appropriate editing.

Step No. 4. Driver that may crash

A crossed out speaker in the tray may also indicate the incapacity of the special software code that controls the audio chip. In other words, the sound on the computer disappears when the driver becomes inoperative.

  • Open the Start menu.
  • Then go to the “System” section.
  • On the left side of the window, select “Device Manager”.

It will not be difficult for you to discover the “culprit” of a problematic situation. In the list presented, a non-working device will be marked with an exclamation or prohibition mark. Update the sound driver using the service disk (software for the motherboard included in the kit). If you don’t have one, you need to go to the manufacturer’s official website and in the “Support” section download the appropriate software for the modification of your PC. It is worth noting that before installing the latest version of the sound driver, you must remove the old device management component.

Standard Windows functionality

When all your attempts to answer the question of how to turn on sound on your computer with practical actions have not brought any fruitful results, it makes sense to use the incredibly convenient “Fault Diagnostics” option. However, this functionality is only available in later versions of the Windows operating system. To launch this conflict resolution tool, you need to right-click on the conflicting device (indicated by the system with a special warning sign) and select “Diagnostics and correction” in the context menu. In a few minutes, the OS will notify you about the result of the work performed. It is likely that such a sound setting on a computer will become an effective salvation for a seemingly “deaf” situation.

Step #5: Settings

If you are convinced that the driver is installed correctly, and the service window of the sound device “Properties” displays the current status “Working normally”, then the solution to the question “how to turn on sound on the computer” should be sought using the following algorithm of actions:

  • From the Start menu, select Control Panel.
  • Go to the "Sound" section.
  • In the window that opens, right-click on the icon of the displayed playback device. From the context menu, select “Properties”.
  • While on the “General” tab, pay attention to the “Device Usage” item below. More precisely, the value in the checkbox. Apply the On option.

If there are several installed playback devices in the mentioned list, one of them should be assigned the “Default” value.

Step #6: Audio Controller

As a rule, most manufactured motherboards implement an advanced sound circuit. That is, the integrated audio chip can be controlled by a specially installed driver. Let's look at an example where the sound settings on a computer are done using the Realtek HD manager.

  • Click on the speaker icon (darker in color and slightly larger than the standard Windows volume control).
  • In the dispatcher working window that opens, you need to activate the icon in the form of a wrench (bottom part of the interface, on the right).
  • In the case when no sound is played, it is necessary to change the diagram from one value to another (meaning “Front panel of AC"97” and the item of the same name located just below).

Often it is this change that allows you to use the required audio channel.

Step No. 7. Unclear media format

There are often cases when sound playback on a computer is impossible due to a missing audio codec. This problem can be easily corrected.

  • Enter K-Lite Codec Pack in the search bar of your browser.
  • Then select the official source of the product from the list provided.
  • Download and install the necessary software.

Typically, this action gives the PC “omnivorous” multimedia capabilities. Rest assured: your computer will not be an exception to the rule.

Step No. 8. Software incidents

It happens that after installing certain software, the sound disappears, and after uninstalling the conflicting program it appears again. Some media players play a limited number of audio and video formats. This is the only reason why unlucky users often begin to panic. Therefore, before installing any program for viewing and playing multimedia content, you should refer to reviews of the product and a review of its tactical and technical capabilities.

Step No. 9. Look for the reason in the BIOS

As you know, the BIOS firmware manages and controls the operation of the entire hardware of a computing device. So installing sound on a computer may turn out to be an impossible mission when the audio functionality is disabled for some unknown reason in the BIOS. However, if you know the main rule when working with the basic system: “Do not touch or change unknown values,” you will successfully cope with the task.

To check whether the audio function is enabled in the BIOS, you need to do the following:

  • Enter your PC's Bios.
  • Depending on the version of the BSVV, the location of the sound “switch” may vary. However, the name "AUDIO" and the value "Enabled/Disabled", or "On", are unchanged.
  • Finding a tab with the Onboard Device Configuration option, or High Definition Audio, does not seem difficult. The main thing is to understand the seriousness of the enterprise and not make rash changes to the firmware. Since this is fraught...

Step #10: System Restore

If, after all the manipulations, the question of how to install sound on your computer remains unresolved, then it would be prudent to use the method presented below.

  • Go to the Start menu.
  • Enter “recovery” in the search bar.
  • Once the section you are looking for is displayed at the top of the service window, press Enter.
  • Select the required backup copy and confirm your choice with the appropriate key.

After a reboot, the system will regain the ability to play sound.

Step #11: Damaged or Missing OS Files

Sometimes the question of how to make sound on a computer is solved by restoring lost entries in the system registry. After all, very often the user, as a result of erroneous actions (usually in pursuit of free space on the hard drive), deletes important OS data. Ultimately, the inevitable happens - Windows loses full functionality. However, the would-be user does not always have the opportunity to roll back the system to its original state. By the way, the reason for everything is the same well-known reason - saving space on the HDD, that is, there are simply no backup copies of the OS, since “System Restore” is purposefully disabled. Nevertheless, even in such a situation there is a way out.

  • Press the Win and R keys at the same time.
  • In the Run menu, enter cmd.exe
  • · In the command window, type sfc /scannow.
  • Press Enter.

Damaged data will be restored from backup storage. It is likely that after rebooting the OS you will hear the audio greeting again.

Step No. 12. Viral infection

Malicious code not only steals and destroys user data. A virus program that has infiltrated the operating system environment may also be the reason why the sound on the computer is lost. In order to identify the pest, special software is required. Often, the antivirus program traditionally used for protection is not quite enough. However, today there are plenty of effective malicious code destroyers on the Internet. Therefore, you should not have any particular difficulties in the process of finding the necessary software tool.

  • To ensure that your PC never experiences sound problems, periodically check the official website of your manufacturer (motherboard manufacturer) to see if newer versions of drivers have been released.
  • When connecting audio playback devices to the PC system connectors, it would be a good idea to understand in more detail the correctness of the connection diagram involved.
  • Often motherboards have special contact pads that can be connected with special jumpers in order to reassign the audio output. Therefore, it is worth turning to the documentation of the motherboard and studying the problematic issue in more detail.
  • If all methods fail to meet your expectations (which is unlikely to happen), seek specialized help.

How to connect sound on a computer? As you can imagine, this is an incredibly large question. However, today you have learned a lot of information about what you need to do to “talk” your electronic friend, and what you should be wary of while using it. All the best to you and pleasant sound experiences!

Updated: 11/18/2019 Published: 2016 or earlier

Description

  • There is no sound after installing Windows.
  • The sound suddenly disappeared.
  • Sound does not work on the Internet (browser) or games.
  • Sound does not work when connected to the front panel of the computer.

The problem is typical for various operating systems and computers (desktops, laptops, all-in-one PCs).

Cause

Problems may be software:

  1. Driver not installed.
  2. The audio service is disabled.
  3. Disable the playback device.
  4. Incorrect system settings or system failure.
  5. Disabled with a special button.
  6. Incorrect installation of the update.
  7. Virus.

Or hardware:

  1. Sound card failure.
  2. Malfunction of speakers or headphones.
  3. Broken cable.

Solution

The solutions to the problem presented below are arranged in order of frequency of occurrence and ease of implementation. If one method does not work, move on to the next.

As practice shows, it is not always possible to solve a sound problem the first time - you can lose sight of something or not pay attention to an important detail. Go through all the points carefully, and if they don’t help, go through them again.

1. Reboot

Before you do anything, just restart your computer - in some cases this will be enough.

2. Device and driver

Very often, the sound may not work due to an uninstalled, disabled or crashed driver. For example, you may encounter this problem after installing a new system or updating it. In this case, in the lower right corner of the screen we will see a sound icon with a red cross or a prohibition sign:

In Windows 10, if we hover over the icon, we can see the error “Audio output device is not installed”:

To solve the problem, go to Device Manager. To do this, in Windows 10 (8), right-click on Start - device Manager:

* in previous versions of Windows, right-click on “Computer” (“My Computer”) - “Manage” - go to the “Device Manager” section.

Check for yellow warning signs. In the “Sound, video and gaming devices” subsection there should be your audio playback device:

If you see that there is a device with an exclamation mark:

You can also see a device with a down arrow. This means the device is disabled. To enable it, right-click on it and click Turn on device:

You can also try removing the driver and installing it again.

3. Sound service

In the case of a disabled service, we will also see in the system tray (lower right corner) a sound icon with a red cross or a prohibition sign:

But at the same time, everything will be fine in the device manager.

Right-click on “Start” - “Run” (or win + R combination) - enter the command services.msc- "OK"

* in Windows 7 (Vista, XP) you need to click Start - Run.

In the window that opens, find the “Windows Audio” service. Its status should be "Running". If this is not the case, double-click on the service, set the startup type to “Automatic”, click “Apply” and start the service:

If the service does not turn on or the enable button is inactive, launch the registry editor (command regedit) and go along the branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Audiosrv. Finding the parameter Start and give it a value 2 :

Afterwards we restart the computer.

4. Mute the keyboard

If your keyboard has a mute key (most commonly on laptops or gaming keyboards), try pressing it. It is usually located in the area of ​​the F1 - F12 buttons. To press it, sometimes you need to use a combination with the Fn key.

Also, on some keyboards, this may be a separate button - look carefully and find a picture of a speaker.

5. Default Audio Device

If the system has several audio devices, for example, an audio device and a video card with HDMI, then the latter can be set as the audio playback device. In this case, the audio stream will not go to speakers or headphones, but to a monitor/TV connected to the computer.

Go to Control Panel(team control) - Sound. Make sure the default audio device is set to the correct one:

To do this, right-click on the device - Use as default.

6. Operation of speakers and headphones

Check that the playback device itself is turned on. For bells, this can be a special button; for headphones, it can also be a special button or the battery level in a wireless headset.

If the sound suddenly disappears, check the functionality of the speakers or headphones, as well as the wiring. Check the tightness of the speaker or headphone plug. Try connecting other speakers or headphones to your computer. Or you can try them on another computer.

If the sound stops after moving the computer or disconnecting the speakers, check the connections and connections. The playback device should be connected to the green connector, the microphone to the red:

Try simply pulling the wires out of the connectors and reinserting them. Also try connecting to both the front and rear audio jacks.

If you are using monitor speakers, you must turn on the sound in the settings of the monitor itself.

7. Codecs and DirectX

In case of problems with software components, the problem may occur on some sites, applications or games.

Install or update codecs, for example, K-Lite Codec Pack or VLC media player; reinstall DirectX.

8. Sleep mode

If the sound disappears after the computer exits sleep mode, turn off the headphones or speakers - put it back into sleep mode - connect the headphones or speakers - turn it on.

9. System error

Any problem with system settings or files can have unexpected effects, such as loss of sound.

If the sound worked before, try checking the system files for damage:

If the system finds corrupted files, restart your computer and check the sound.

10. Proprietary utility

Try playing with the sound utility settings. It is installed with the sound card driver and launched from the control panel (command control) or system tray (icon in the lower right corner);

11. Error Troubleshooter

Use the Windows Error Troubleshooter. Click on the sound icon in the lower right corner - Troubleshoot audio problems. Follow the error resolution options that the system offers. Windows can automatically find and fix the problem.

12. BIOS setup

The integrated sound adapter can be disabled in the BIOS. In this case, we will not see our sound device in the device manager.

To check this setting, go to BIOS. We find the option to enable the sound card - it can be called differently, for example:

  • HD Audio.
  • HD Audio Controller.
  • High Definition Audio.
  • Onboard HD Audio.
  • and so on...

* you need to navigate by words Audio And Sound. The section in which the desired option is most often found is called Advanced or Integrated Peripherals.

Having found the required section, we check that it is enabled - Enabled. If it is enabled, sometimes it helps to first disable the sound card, then enable it. Then we boot the computer and check that the sound card appears in the devices.

13. Sound volume

The sound may disappear due to turning the volume to a minimum. Check that the speakers are not set to minimum volume. Also make sure that the volume in the sound settings is not set to low:

The volume down button on your laptop may be stuck, so it will always turn down the volume without letting you turn it up. In this case, you can tap the volume down button (among the F1 - F12 buttons, near F7).

Also, due to the incorrect volume level, some applications may have sound and some may not. Open the volume mixers - to do this, right-click on the system icon in the lower right corner - select Open volume mixers:

In the window that opens, check that the volume for all programs and devices is set to non-zero:

* It happens that the sound in the headphones works on the laptop, but the built-in speakers do not work. The problem may just be that the level for the speakers is set to 0.

14. Turn on sound in a program or game

Some programs and games also allow you to control the volume level and mute settings. In this case, you can accidentally turn it off - there will be no sound in this program, but other applications will work with sound.

The settings of each software product must be dealt with individually.

Let's give an example for the Google Chrome browser. In its settings go to the section Additional - Site settings - Sound- check the position of the switch “Allow sites to play sounds (recommended)”:

15. Virus check

In some cases, checking your computer for viruses helps. To do this, you can use any antivirus utility, for example, CureIt.

16. Active monitor

If the computer is additionally connected to the TV via HDMI, make sure that the regular monitor and not the TV is active - otherwise the sound may be transmitted to the TV rather than the speakers. You can switch the screen using the Win + P key combination.

17. Rollback updates

If the sound disappears after updating Windows, you can simply roll it back. To do this, go to the control panel (command control) - in the “Programs” settings group, click on Uninstalling a program:

In the menu on the left, click on View installed updates:

We sort the updates by date, so that the latest ones are on top:

We remove the latest updates, after which the sound stopped working. To do this, right-click on update - Delete:

18. The front panel does not work

If the sound works when connected to the rear panel, but does not work when connected to the front panel, check the connection of the Audio cable to the motherboard.

To do this, you need to disassemble the computer and find the audio connectors on the motherboard:

And connect to them the Audio cable that comes from the front panel:

* 1) modern cable; 2.3) may occur in older computers.

19. Autoload

If the system reports “The device is being used by another application,” we try to disable one application from startup and restart the computer. If sound appears, turn on programs other than the one that is causing the conflict.

20. Disconnecting wires from the computer

In some cases, this not entirely obvious solution may help.

Disconnect all wires from the computer, including power. Press the power button once - the computer will not turn on, but the remaining current will be reset. We reconnect all the cables to the computer, plug it in and check the sound operation.

21. Sound card

It is possible that the sound malfunction may be due to a broken sound card. To check this, you can buy an inexpensive USB sound card (about 400 rubles) and connect it to your computer (don't forget to install the driver for it).

22. Reinstall Windows

If the methods described above did not help solve the problem, the only option left is to reinstall the system. It's not the most elegant method, but if all else fails, it's the way to go. After reinstalling the operating system, do not forget to install the sound driver.

If this does not help, then with almost 100 percent probability we can say that the problem is hardware. Check the speakers, wires, connectors, and sound card again.