Quite often, users encounter the loss of sound on a computer running Windows 7. There are many reasons for this. Some are quite simple. And sometimes it takes several days to find a problem. This short review is dedicated to how to find and fix the problem.
Non-working speakers
Let's consider possible failure options:
These measures are basic, but you shouldn’t forget about them. If the check didn't yield anything, then it's time to move on.
Hardware audio settings
After obvious faults have been checked, you should pay attention to the software sound settings. It is quite possible that the sound in Windows is turned down or completely turned off. If it is reduced so much that it is barely audible, then the user will most likely assume that the computer itself has broken down.
It’s best to see visually how the sound is configured using Windows 7 as an example; on Windows 8 and 10 the operating principle is the same:
Let's look at the functions of the window that opens in more detail:
If you are unable to play the test sound, you should check to see if the sound is turned down to the minimum value or turned off altogether:
Check Device Manager
If there is no sound on a computer running Windows 7, as well as operating systems Windows 10 and other versions, you should check the status of the mini-programs (drivers) for the sound card. Most likely, they need to be updated or they are not there at all.
You can check the status of the equipment and its drivers in “ Device Manager", which is easy to find in Control panels on the " System». 
Systematically displays all devices that are present on a computer or laptop, as well as the status of their drivers. If a yellow triangle is lit nearby, you should pay attention to it first. This means that the sound card is not working at all or is not working correctly. In our case, we are interested in the item “ Sound, video and gaming devices». 
If a problem is identified due to which the sound does not work, you need to download and install a driver that is compatible with this PC. The current state of your computer can be maintained using special utilities for automatic updating and searching for the latest version of drivers for any equipment on a PC or laptop. For example, the program Everest will determine the sound card model, check all drivers for relevance and tell you where to find the necessary drivers for sound on Windows 7.
When you monitor the current state of your computer and carry out regular updates, you may encounter the problem of no sound during the next automatic driver update. The source of the problem may be an updated driver. "" will help restore the working situation. On the " Driver» of your sound card, you must click the Rollback button. 
If the problem disappears, it is better to disable automatic driver updates for this device.
Updating drivers in Windows 10
The algorithm of actions consists of the following steps:
No codecs for audio/video
If there is sound in the browsers, but there is no sound when you start the video on the PC, then you should look for the problem either in the media player itself or in the audio codecs.
To constantly watch videos, it is recommended to use KMR player. He has already proven himself and is showing good results. The creators of the program have provided a lot of different codecs for video playback. And, as a rule, most films are successfully reproduced in this program.
The problem with codecs can be radically solved using the package K-Lite Codec Pack. It can solve the missing sound problem. It has a full set of current codecs that open almost all popular formats, both video and audio files.
Viruses and adware
Problems with sound on Windows 7 may mean that a virus has appeared in the system. There are many types of viruses and they can negatively affect the operating system.
How to behave if the sound on your computer disappears and you suspect a virus:
- Take a close look at how your computer works as a whole. If it begins to freeze frequently or suddenly slow down, then most likely the PC has been subjected to a virus attack. If the installed antivirus program failed and missed the virus attack, then it is best to check the system with a third-party antivirus with up-to-date virus databases. For example, you can use the utility Dr.Web CureIt. This healing utility successfully cures an infected system.
- You can try checking your computer using Live CD(emergency boot disk). With its help, you can download a lightweight version of the operating system with a ready-made antivirus. If you boot the restored system from Live CD sound appears, then most likely there is a malfunction in Windows 10 itself. Most often, you will have to reinstall it or perform a system restore using restore points, if this mode was enabled and restore points were created.
Checking the BIOS settings
If your computer or laptop has a built-in sound card and there is no sound even in headphones, then you can look BIOS.
This is an extreme measure - AC97 is enabled by default in the factory settings. If the settings are lost, the sound device in the Windows operating system will not work.
Each computer logs into the BIOS differently. For example, for ACER computers, before booting the system, you must press and hold the Del key. In general, before loading the operating system, you must indicate how to enter the BIOS.
After pressing the Del key, the following dialog box will open, in which you need to select the item “ BIOS Setup».
In the window that opens, you need to find an inscription like AC 97 Audio, use the arrows on the keyboard to highlight this inscription and click on the Enter key. A dialog box will appear to select which function to activate HD Audio or AC97. We are interested in the AC97 “Auto” inscription. Confirm your choice and use the ESC key to exit this section. Exit the BIOS, saving the settings.
If you can’t get the sound back after changing the BIOS settings, then the last option is to replace or send the sound card for repair.
Laptop owners often encounter the problem of no sound in the Windows system. Due to frequent overheating of the sound chipset, the computer begins to malfunction. And all the rest of the electronic stuff simply suffocates with dust, unless, of course, you do regular cleaning, and gradually breaks down, which can also lead to loss of sound on the laptop.
Conclusion
Of course, these are not all the reasons why there may be no sound, but the main, most common versions are revealed.
So, we told you how to restore sound in Windows 10, 7 and 8. And our main advice is not to despair, but to try all the options step by step.
Video on the topic
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 to solve other problems - processing large amounts of data 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 suddenly disappears on a Windows computer.
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 left-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 “Speakers” - “Sound” section, 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 “Use as default” in the menu that appears.
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” from 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 “Show disabled devices” item.
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 the processor 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.
First, go to Device Manager and check if your sound card is listed 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 the “Device Manager” item, 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 “Other devices” section.
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 crookedly installed or outdated drivers, 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-click on its name to open the properties window.
Sound card properties window
In this window, go to the “Details” tab and select the “Hardware ID” value in the properties drop-down list. 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, where you will search for drivers for your sound 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 the download is complete, click on the “exe” file to begin the installation process.
Running the installation file
It may happen that the downloaded file does not have the “exe” extension. Do not be alarmed - its installation is carried out by updating the drivers.
To do this, open Device Manager again 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 Windows Audio service is disabled.
In order to enable it, you will need to go to the “Services” tab.
First of all, open the Control Panel.
Control panel window
Select the “Administration” section from the elements present in it.
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 with the left mouse button. 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 “Startup Type” option to “Automatic”.
Installing an additional program
A small utility program called Realtek High Definition Audio Driver can help in the fight against the disappearance of sound.
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
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 enter the BIOS, 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 “Disable front panel jack detection” checkbox. 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 "Onboard Device Configuration" section.
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 must turn off and completely disconnect the PC.
Carefully inspect the motherboard for broken or completely missing contacts. It often happens that the cable connecting the front panel to the motherboard is simply not connected. Finding the audio connector on it is not difficult, since it is marked AAFP. The audio cable plug should be inserted into it. In most cases, it has the following designation - AC'97 or HD AUDIO.
What to do if the sound on the computer disappears after some specific actions you perform. This often happens after some unsuccessful system update.
In this case, you will need to start the recovery process.
Restoring the system
For these purposes, you will need to open the Start menu and enter the appropriate search parameter in the search bar located at the bottom of the window. In our case, this is the phrase “System Restore”.
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 the exact date of the sound loss is not known to you, use the “Select another recovery point” item.
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 Windows itself. 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.
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 accessing the Internet, 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.
Lack of required codecs
Another reason may be the lack of necessary codecs on your computer. The most popular are the various versions of the K-Lite Codec Pack. It includes the most common audio formats, such as MPEG, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOV, TS.
Preview of K-Lite Codec Pack
You can download such a service pack from the Internet.
The downloaded installation file most often has an "EXE" extension and is quite easy to install.
You just need to click on it and keep pressing the “Next” button.
It is also possible that the speakers themselves that you connected to the sound card are faulty. You can check their functionality by connecting to another computer or laptop.
You can also watch in detail in this video:
Good day.
This article, based on personal experience, is a kind of collection of reasons why the computer may lose sound. Most of the reasons, by the way, can be easily eliminated yourself! To begin with, it should be distinguished that the sound may disappear for software and hardware reasons. For example, you can check the functionality of the speakers on another computer or audio/video equipment. If they are working and there is sound, then most likely there are questions about the software part of the computer (more on that in more detail).
So, let's get started...
6 reasons why there is no sound
1. Non-working speakers (cords often bend and break)
This is the first thing you need to do when setting up sound and speakers on your computer! And sometimes, you know, there are such incidents: you come to help a person solve a problem with sound, but it turns out he forgot about the wires...
In addition, you may have connected them to the wrong input. The fact is that the computer’s sound card has several outputs: for a microphone, for speakers (headphones). Typically, the microphone output is pink, and the speaker output is green. Pay attention to this! Also, here is a short article about, where this issue was discussed in more detail.
Rice. 1. Cord for connecting speakers.
Sometimes it happens that the inputs are very worn, and they just need to be slightly adjusted: taken out and reinserted. You can also clean your computer from dust at the same time.
Also pay attention to whether the speakers themselves are turned on. On the front of many devices you will notice a small LED that signals that the speakers are connected to the computer.
Rice. 2. These speakers are turned on because the green LED on the device is on.
By the way, if you turn up the volume in the speakers to maximum, you can hear a characteristic “hissing”. Pay attention to all this. Despite its simplicity, in most cases problems arise precisely with this...
2. Sound is turned down in settings
The second thing you need to do is check if everything is in order with the computer settings; perhaps in Windows the sound is programmatically turned down to minimum or disabled in the sound devices control panel. Perhaps, if it is simply turned down to minimum, there is sound - it plays very weakly and you simply cannot hear it.
Let's show the setup using Windows 10 as an example (in Windows 7, 8 everything will be similar).
1) Open control Panel, then go to the section “ equipment and sounds«.
3) In your “sound” tab, audio devices (including speakers, headphones) connected to the computer should be displayed. Select the desired speakers and click on their properties (see Fig. 4).
4) In the first tab that will open in front of you (“general”) you need to look carefully at two things:
- - has the device been detected?, if not, you need drivers for it. If they are not there, use one of the utilities for, the utility will also recommend where to download the necessary driver;
- - look at the bottom of the window to see if the device is turned on. If not, be sure to turn it on.
5) Without closing the window, go to the “levels” masonry. Look at the volume level, it should be more than 80-90%. At least until you have sound, and then you can adjust (see Fig. 6).
Rice. 6. Volume levels
6) In the “Advanced” tab there is a special button for checking the sound - when you press it, a short melody should play (5-6 seconds). If you don't hear it, go to the next step, saving the settings.
Rice. 7. Sound check
7) By the way, you can go to “ control panel/hardware and sounds" and open " volume settings", as shown in Fig. 8.
Here we are interested in whether the sound is turned down to minimum. By the way, in this tab you can turn down the sound of even a certain type, for example, all that is heard in the Firefox browser.
8) And lastly.
In the lower right corner (next to the clock) there are also volume settings. Check whether the volume level is normal and whether the speaker is turned off, as in the picture below. If everything is fine, you can move on to step 3.
Rice. 10. Adjusting the volume on the computer.
Important! In addition to Windows settings, be sure to pay attention to the volume of the speakers themselves. Perhaps the regulator is set to minimum!
3. There is no driver for the sound card
Most often, problems arise on the computer with drivers for video and sound cards... That is why the third step to restore sound is to check the drivers. You may have already identified this problem in the previous step...
To determine if everything is okay with them, go to device Manager. To do this, open control Panel, then open the tab “ Equipment and sound" and then run device Manager. This is the fastest way (see Fig. 11).
In the device manager we are interested in the “ Sound, gaming and video devices". If you have a sound card and it is connected: it should be displayed here.
1) If the device is displayed and there is a yellow (or red) exclamation mark next to it, it means the driver is not working correctly or is not installed at all. In this case, you need to download the required driver version. By the way, I like using the program - it will show not only the device model of your card, but also tell you where to download the necessary drivers for it.
A great way to update and check drivers is to use utilities to auto-update and search for drivers for any hardware on your PC:. Highly recommend!
2) If there is a sound card, but Windows does not see it... Anything can happen here. It is possible that the device is faulty, or you have connected it poorly. I recommend that you first clean your computer from dust and blow out the slot if you do not have a built-in sound card. In general, in this case, the problem is most likely with the computer’s hardware (or that the device is turned off in the BIOS; see Bos a little lower in the article).
Rice. 12. Device Manager
It also makes sense to update your drivers or install drivers of a different version: older or newer. It often happens that developers are not able to provide for all possible computer configurations, and it is possible that some drivers on your system conflict with each other.
4. No codecs for audio/video
If when you turn on the computer you have sound (you can hear, for example, the Windows greeting), and when you turn on some video (AVI, MP4, Divx, WMV, etc.) - the problem is either in the video player, or in the codecs, or in the file itself (it may be corrupted, try opening another video file).
1) If the problem is with the video player, I recommend that you install another one and try. For example, the player gives excellent results. It already has built-in codecs optimized for its operation, so it can open most video files.
2) If the problem is with codecs, I advise you to do two things. The first thing is to remove your old codecs from the system completely.
And second, install a complete set of codecs - K-Lite Codec Pack. Firstly, this package has an excellent and fast Media Player, and secondly, all the most popular codecs will be installed, which open all the most popular video and audio formats.
Article about K-Lite Codec Pack codecs and their correct installation:
By the way, it is important not only to install them, but to install them correctly, i.e. full set. To do this, download the full set and during installation select the “Lots of Stuff” mode (more about this in the article about codecs - the link is just above).
Rice. 13. Setting up codecs
5. Incorrectly configured BIOS
If you have a built-in sound card, check your BIOS settings. If the sound device is turned off in the settings, then you are unlikely to be able to get it to work in Windows. To be honest, this problem usually occurs rarely, because... By default in the BIOS settings the sound card is enabled.
To access these settings, press the F2 or Del button (depending on your PC) when you turn on the computer. If you can’t enter, try taking a closer look at the computer’s boot screen as soon as you turn it on. Usually there is always a button on it to enter the Bios.
For example, an ACER computer turns on - the DEL button is written at the bottom - to enter the Bios (see Fig. 14).
Rice. 14. Bios entry button
In Bios you need to look for a line containing the word " Integrated«.
Rice. 15. Integrated Peripherals
In the list you need to find your audio device and see if it is turned on. In Figure 16 (below) it is turned on; if you see “Disabled” opposite you, change it to “Enabled" or “Auto".
Rice. 16. Turn on AC97 Audio
After this, you can exit the BIOS and save the settings.
6. Viruses and adware
Where are we without viruses... Moreover, there are so many of them that it is unknown what they can even present.
First, pay attention to the operation of the computer as a whole. If frequent antivirus activations occur, the “brakes” are out of the blue. Perhaps you actually became infected with a virus, and more than one.
The best option would be to check your computer for viruses with some modern antivirus with updated databases. In one of the articles earlier, I cited the best at the beginning of 2016:
By the way, antivirus shows good results; you don’t even need to install it. Just download and check.
Secondly, I recommend checking your computer using a flash drive (the so-called Live CD). For those who have never encountered this, I’ll say: it’s as if you are loading a ready-made operating system that has an antivirus from a CD (flash drive). By the way, you may get sound in it. If so, then most likely you have problems with Windows and may have to...
7. Restoring sound if all else fails
Here I will give some tips that may help you.
1) If you used to have sound, but now you don’t, you may have installed some programs or drivers that caused a hardware conflict. It makes sense to try this option.
2) If you have another sound card or other speakers, try connecting them to the computer and reinstalling the drivers for them (while removing from the system the drivers for the old devices that you disabled).
3) If all the previous points did not help, you can take the risk. Next, immediately install the sound drivers and if suddenly sound appears, watch it carefully after each installed program. Most likely, you will immediately notice the culprit: a driver or program that previously conflicted...
4) Alternatively, connect headphones instead of speakers (speakers instead of headphones). It might be worth contacting a specialist...
Instructions
First of all, check if the system sounds are playing. Open the Sounds and Audio Devices Properties window by selecting Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices in Control Panel, and then selecting Sounds and Audio Devices. Go to the “Sound” tab, select any program event and sound file from the drop-down list, click the play button.
If system sounds are not playing, open the “Volume” window by pointing to the “All Programs”, “Accessories”, “Entertainment” commands in the “Start” menu and selecting “Volume”. Make sure the "Off" checkbox is unchecked. All". Here, check to see if the “Off” checkbox is checked. for corresponding devices other than the microphone input.
If the computer plays system sounds, but does not play sounds from various devices, such as CDs, check that these devices are working correctly, that they are connected correctly, and also make sure that these devices have been installed.
Finally, the reason for the absence may be problems in the sound card drivers. If after these procedures the sound does not appear, try these drivers. First of all, remove all audio – . Open the “Device Manager” window, select “Sound, video and game devices”, then select the name of the installed driver, usually Realtec AC97 or C-media, if there are no such drivers, then “Multimedia audio controller”, right-click and select "Properties". In the “Driver” tab, click the “Uninstall” button, then click the “Update” button. Insert the driver CD from yours and follow the instructions.
note
This procedure does not guarantee that the system will be completely restored to its previous state; However, you should be able to recover your data using this procedure. Warning Do not use the procedure described in this article if your computer has an operating system installed by the hardware manufacturer.
Helpful advice
How to restore the system? 1. Click on the “Start” button at the bottom right of the screen and select “Control Panel”. The main window of the Control Panel of the Windows 7 operating system will open: 2. Click on the very first section “System and Security” and in the window that opens, select the subsection “Restore the computer to a previous state”.
Sometimes Windows XP users have problems setting up sound input and output devices in the system, in particular, setting speaker volume.
Instructions
The sound control window will open with controls for various sound parameters. By moving the pointer down or up, you decrease or increase the sound volume. By checking the “Off” box, you turn off the sound altogether.
Adjusting the pointer labeled "Balance" will help you adjust the ratio of sound in the right and left. You can adjust the volume of parameters such as “Wave” - the volume of digitized formats; MIDI volume, CD playback volume, line-in volume, PC volume and other parameters.
To fully display all the options available in the sound settings, open the menu and select “Properties and Options.”
Select a recording setting or a playback setting, depending on whether you're adjusting audio input or output, and then check the boxes for any options you want to appear in the adjustments.
Open the "Volume" tab and check the box next to the phrase "Show icon on the taskbar." Also in this tab you can manually edit some sound parameters.
Sources:
- adjusting speaker volume
On any computer, a sound card with installed software is responsible for sound reproduction. To turn on sound on your computer, you need to perform a number of specific steps.
You will need
- Computer.
Instructions
Video on the topic
Long gone are the days when a computer was considered a luxury and was used mainly only for work. With the advent of cheap components, almost everyone can buy a PC. There are so many users, so many requests - some need a workstation, while others need an entertainment center. However, regardless of how the computer is used, availability is almost always a must. Let's look at examples of solving this problem.
You will need
- - instructions for using the sound card
- - any sound output device. For example, speakers or headphones (for sound testing).
- - microphone (optional). Also to check the operation of the audio card.
Instructions
First of all, you need to decide what role your PC will play for you. True music lovers and multi-channel audio enthusiasts will undoubtedly need an external sound card, which can cost a pretty penny depending on the model.
For other users and most gamers, the sound card built into the motherboard will be enough.
To determine whether you have built-in audio, carefully examine the back wall of your system unit. An example of audio outputs is shown in the figure.
In the sound control panel, you can not only adjust volume levels, but also apply various effects to the sound, and also enable the noise reduction function (the type of panel itself and the capabilities provided depend on the brand of sound card).
If the audio card is external, then after installation you will most likely also be able to see the shortcut in the general list of installed programs. (for example, “Start” - “All Programs” - “Name of sound card brand”).
Of course, it is impossible to check the operation of a sound card without speakers or headphones. Connect them to the corresponding connectors on the sound card. Observe the color coding - the speaker/headphone plug (usually green) must be installed in the green connector of the sound card. Microphone - pink. The remaining connectors are used to connect multi-channel systems.
To accurately determine the purpose of certain colors of sound card outputs, use the instructions for the sound card (a separate document in the case of an external sound card and a section in the instructions for the motherboard).
Also, the purpose of the sound card outputs in most cases can be found in the sound control manager.
Video on the topic
Sources:
- Setting up sound on your computer
It's not difficult to install. As a rule, it should be automatic, since modern operating systems contain many drivers and a hardware detector. Otherwise, you need to use other drivers or configure the BIOS.
Instructions
Installation under favorable conditions is very simple. As a rule, Windows should appear automatically after installation, since modern versions of this operating system (starting with Windows XP) are supplied with driver kits. If it does not appear automatically, then in the system tray (the notification area is usually located at the bottom right, not far from the clock) the inscription “new equipment” should appear, where the new card should be included. During installation, you will be asked for the driver category for the new card. It is best to use a system or special disk containing drivers for this, or try specifying the directory C:WINDOWSsystem32drivers
If it is not installed as standard and no automatic notification appears, then you need to do it manually. You need to right-click on “my computer”, then select “properties”, in the properties click on the “hardware” tab, select device manager there. In the manager itself, you can try clicking on “new devices”, then selecting the “update hardware configuration” item at the top. Then point either to the director with Windows drivers, or (if available) to use a special disk with drivers.
You can also use the Everest utility to search for drivers; it accurately identifies devices and helps in finding the necessary drivers. If there are no technical obstacles, then this method should help.
Sometimes the new card is disabled in the BIOS. Such a conflict often arises due to the fact that there is a built-in (on the motherboard) and a separate new card. In this case, preferably from a new card. To do this, you need to go into the BIOS like this: press the “del” key several times until you reach the menu. In the menu, select the “Advanced BIOS Features” item, and then look for the “Onboard Audio” item. When you find it, you need to click and select the “Disabled” position. After which you must exit to the menu (using the Esc key) and click “Save and Exit Setup”
Video on the topic
In most cases, when computer disappears and no actions lead to its restoration, the cause of the problem lies in a malfunction of the new card driver. It should be noted that simply replacing drivers will not be enough to fix the problem.
Instructions
Insert the media containing the drivers for your new card into the drive. Wait for the disc, then install the required software, following the instructions during installation. After the driver installation is completed, reboot the system through the Start menu (on the taskbar, many users confuse it with the button).
Once your computer is ready to use again, connect devices a. You should not connect them all at once (if you are using headphones at the same time), connect them one at a time. So, after connecting the headphones, set the option menu to “Headphones” and click “OK”. Next, connect another type of device and set the corresponding parameter. If the dialog box does not appear, it means that the system has automatically configured the required device type.
In both Linux and Windows, if the version of the operating system is modern, there is a very high probability that the sound card, either built-in or separate, will be detected automatically and no manual settings will be required. If this does not happen, configure the sound card manually.
To configure your sound card manually on Linux, run the alsaconf program. Answer positively to all questions that appear on the screen. The script itself will determine which sound card you have, and, if it is supported, will configure it. If the sound does not appear after this, check the status of the mixer - sometimes in Linux the volume is set to zero by default.
In Windows, if the sound card is not recognized automatically, install the drivers from the disk that came with it. If there is no disk, find out the type of card by the markings on it, and then download the appropriate drivers from the Internet. Sometimes there are no markings on the board - then seek help from a person who is familiar with various brands of computer peripherals. You can also take a photo of the card and post it on the forum for identification.
To connect headphones or speakers to the board, use the green socket. Remember that modern sound cards, unlike those produced in the nineties, are not equipped with powerful amplifiers. To ensure loud sound, use only active speakers with the board.
Video on the topic
Installation and update drivers is a very important process that must be performed after loading a new operating system. There are several ways to select a suitable set of files.
You will need
- - Internet access.
Instructions
First try installing the native driver for your card. Use the disk that came with your computer. If the system unit has a sound card integrated into the motherboard, then the drivers for it may be located on the disk from the motherboard.
If you do not have such disks, then connect to the Internet and visit the website of the manufacturer of this model of sound adapter or motherboard. Download from there a set of files suitable for your devices. Open the My Computer menu properties and go to Device Manager.
Now find the name of the sound adapter and right-click on it. Select "Update Drivers". In the menu that opens, click on “Install from a specified location.” Now specify the folder where you saved the downloaded files. It is recommended to first extract data from the archive.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to correctly select the necessary drivers yourself. Download the Sam Drivers utility, which is designed to automatically select and install suitable drivers for most devices. Launch this program and select the Driver Install Assistance option.
Now wait a while so that the utility can scan the connected devices and find suitable sets of files for them. After completing this procedure, check the boxes next to Audio New and Audio Other. Now click the “Install selected packages (2)” button. In the menu that opens, select the “Silent installation” option.
Wait for the file update process to complete. Restart your computer. Check the functionality of the sound card. Open the installed program, the icon of which should appear in the system tray. Configure the sound adapter settings.
Video on the topic
It's hard to imagine a computer that doesn't have sound. You can't listen to music, you can't watch a movie, and playing games is boring. To change the current state of things, you will need a sound card and at least some speakers. Read on to find out how to connect and install them.
Instructions
Determine whether a sound card is installed in the system unit of your personal computer. To do this, carefully inspect the rear panel of the system unit. If you have a sound card, you will find a board with at least three different colored inputs. This sound card is suitable for people who do not have any special requirements for sound - “it’s good.” If you want to put good sound on your computer, then you will need a good external sound card and, of course, a good speaker system, which, by the way, are not cheap at all.
Install drivers for the built-in sound card. Typically, these drivers are installed automatically when you install drivers on your motherboard. If for some reason this does not happen, then open the list of devices on your personal computer. To do this, right-click on the “My Computer” icon on the desktop. Then select the Hardware tab.
Find your sound card in the list of devices. To install sound, click on the “Drivers” button, then click “Update”. First, insert the motherboard driver disk into the drive. During the update process, indicate it as the source. If the disk was lost, download all the necessary drivers from the official website of the motherboard manufacturer. After the drivers are installed, restart your computer.
Make additional sound settings. The settings that are installed automatically may not suit you in many ways. Perhaps you want to apply some audio processing or something like that.
To set the sound on your computer to your taste, right-click on the speaker icon, which is located in the lower right corner of the taskbar. A small menu will appear in front of you. Select the “Adjust audio settings” item. Adjust the speaker volume. If your sound card driver allows, use some kind of equalizer. Save your settings.
Video on the topic
Comfortable work is only possible on a fully functional computer. Sometimes the user is surprised to notice that the computer has lost sound; such a malfunction makes it impossible to listen to music and fully view video files.
In the vast majority of cases, the disappearance of sound is associated with the installation of a program, system update, or installation of a new OS version. If there is sound, open: Start menu, Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager.
In the window that opens, expand the “Sound and gaming devices” item. You will see one or more devices highlighted in yellow. This means that this device is not working correctly.
There is usually only one reason for incorrect operation - the lack of the required driver. Double-click the selected device, you will see a message stating that no drivers have been installed for this device. They are usually located on the disk that comes with the motherboard, but may also be present on the installation disk with the operating system.
Insert the driver disk into the drive, start reinstalling the driver by clicking the “Reinstall” button. In the window that appears, select automatic installation. The disk will begin searching for drivers; this process may take some time. If the installation is successful, you will see a corresponding message.
If there are several devices highlighted in yellow, search for drivers for each of them. Then restart your computer and the sound should appear. If Windows does not find the necessary drivers on the disk, try looking on another one, even if it is a disk from a different build of the operating system.
If you couldn’t find the necessary drivers on the disks you have, look for them on the Internet. Go to the official website of the sound card manufacturer, or, if you have . Unpack the found drivers (if they are packaged) into one of the folders on your hard drive, and then, during the installation process, select the “Install from a specified location” option and specify the folder with the drivers.
If after checking your computer you see that all devices are working fine, but there is no sound, check your sound settings. Open the "Control Panel", select the "Sounds and Audio Devices - Audio" section. The sound may be muted or the sound adjustment sliders may be set to the lowest position. Finally, check your speakers to see if they are the reason for the lack of sound. To check, connect headphones to the computer - if there is sound, it means the computer is working and the cause of the problem should be looked for in the speakers.
Sources:
- No sound on the computer, what should I do?
The possibilities of a computer are almost limitless. One of these opportunities is to download or record your favorite music. Listening to a recording may be disturbed by the lack of sound. There may be several reasons why the sound suddenly disappeared.
The reasons for the lack of sound are divided into hardware and software. Hardware reasons include various breakdowns of computer audio devices (headphones, speakers). Software problems include errors in the computer software.
A hardware problem is easy to detect. It is enough to switch the speakers to another source (phone, mp3 player). No sound will mean that the speakers or headphones are faulty. If there is sound, you should check the connection. It is possible that the headphones or speakers were simply connected to the wrong connector (on the back of the computer it is usually green). Also, the reason for the lack of sound may be faulty wiring.
Software problems require closer inspection. First, you should test the service on your computer that is responsible for sound. There should not be an icon in the form of a speaker with a prohibitory sign in the lower right corner of the screen. By clicking on the icon, you can connect by setting all parameters to maximum. After checking, you can enjoy the reproduced sound.
You can check if your computer's sound system is working correctly through the control panel. In the “Sounds” tab, make sure that the audio devices are selected and connected correctly. If this task is missing, you should make the connection again.
There may be no sound on the computer after reinstalling the Windows operating system. Installing special drivers that are responsible for reproduced . Such drivers help your computer communicate with your video card, gaming devices, or sound card. Drivers can be downloaded freely on the Internet.
The reason for the lack of sound may be a malfunction or damage to the sound card. To check, you will need another sound card. If the sound works with it, then the problem is in the original card and it needs to be replaced.
Viruses often remove or corrupt sound drivers, making sound playback impossible. You should scan your computer for viruses using standard antivirus programs (Kaspersky, etc.).
As you use your computer for multimedia content, the audio settings change from the default values. This does not always have a good effect on the adapter's performance.
You will need
- Internet connection.
Instructions
Remove the drivers for your sound card from the list of programs installed on the system in the control panel of your computer. Restart your computer, and then, just in case, clean the operating system registry, using utilities specifically designed for this that can be found on the Internet.
You can also clear the registry entries manually if you have the skills to work with it, but it is recommended that you create a copy of the working system configuration before doing this.
Download the latest stable version of drivers for your sound card from the official website of the device manufacturer, then install them on your computer using the Add Hardware Wizard, or simply by running the downloaded software installer. Restart your computer, then settings will return to its original state.
If you don't want to bother reinstalling sound adapter drivers, return settings by default using a rollback of the operating system state. This action should only be performed if no significant changes have been made since the installation of the sound card driver until the current date, since all of them will be cancelled.
Open the Start menu and go to the list of standard utilities. Choose to restore the operating system, read the main points of this operation.
Save your user files and settings configurations of programs that you will have to reinstall or configure in the future, run a system restore, specifying the date as close as possible to the time the change was made to settings sound adapter. Wait until your computer restarts and check if it works.
Helpful advice
Save system settings frequently before making changes.
Today you can see the emergence of many programs for messaging, as well as for creating video conferencing. Among other applications, there are always several leaders, for example, Skype, for which you may need to configure to work.
Hello, our dear readers. Today we want to tell you about one of the most common problems that clients often contact us with. The topic of today's article: “Why there is no sound on a computer with Windows 7 or XP and how to fix it.”
We suggest not looking for those to blame, but moving directly to solving the problem. First you have to find the reason that could cause this breakdown. Try to remember your actions the day before that could have caused the sound on your computer to disappear. By the way, if you are the happy owner of a laptop, netbook or ultrabook, then we have a separate article for you on a similar topic - what to do if the sound on the laptop disappears. Still, there is some difference between laptops and system units.
For example, they updated the sound driver, connected other speakers, or edited settings in the “Sound” tab, etc. In fact, there can be a lot of possible reasons. We tried to collect the most common ones encountered in practice at our urgent computer assistance center. If you remember any others, please write them in the comments to the article.
As usual, let's start in order: from the simplest to the more complex.
Speakers or headphones are not connected
No matter how funny this option may seem, it is often the reason why the sound on the computer does not work. You probably already guessed how to fix it.
Therefore, do not be afraid to once again check the reliability of the speaker connections. Perhaps you or someone in your household turned off the speakers the day before and forgot to return everything to its previous state.
Speakers or headphones are not connected correctly
This reason is very similar to the previous one, but there is a slight difference. You seem to have connected a playback device to the system unit, but for some reason there is no sound on the computer, and you don’t know what to do next.
The problem may lie in the fact that you connected to the wrong connector on the motherboard or sound card. Usually the required connector is light green in color. Although there are exceptions. For example, if you have a multi-channel speaker system. To make it clearer, look at the image.
If the front panel jacks do not work
There may be several options here. Let's look at them all in turn.
- The front panel is not connected at all - this could happen during careless computer assembly or modernization. It is necessary to open the case and check the correct connection. What may happen is that the USB in front of the system unit will work, but the sound will not.
- The necessary settings have not been made - if everything worked fine before, but, for example, after reinstalling Windows it stopped working, then most likely the necessary drivers have not been installed and the settings for outputting the signal to the front panel sockets have not been made. This will be the reason why there is no sound on the computer in Windows 7 or xp.
First you need to install the audio driver. After this, “Manager” with settings should appear in the notification area (bottom right near the clock). In the settings, you need to check the box “Disable detection of front panel sockets.” If you did everything correctly, it should work.
- The front panel is faulty - this may be the case. Then you will have to buy a new computer case.
Problem with audio drivers
If you have lost sound on a computer with Windows XP or 7, then you definitely need to check if everything is ok with the drivers. It happens that they “fly off” or are not installed at all if you recently reinstalled the operating system.
We'll tell you what to do. Let's start by going to "Device Manager". Here, look to see if an exclamation mark appears in the yellow circle next to “Sound Devices.” This sign indicates a broken or incorrectly installed audio driver. This means you will need to reinstall it (information about the method can be found on the Internet).
In this case, it is worth understanding what user actions led to the driver malfunctioning. In order not to look for the cause in hundreds of installed programs and games, you can use a simple “System Restore”, returning the state of Windows back a few days.
If the driver is not installed at all (see the picture for how it will look), then it is all the more clear why there is no sound on the computer. The solution to the problem is exactly the same - find and install the necessary driver. Just be careful, because incorrectly installed software can cause even more harm. For example, the computer may start to slow down. Read about what can lead to such a breakdown in our special article.
If at first glance everything is fine with the driver
We have also encountered a situation where the Device Manager shows that all the necessary drivers are installed, but there is still no sound on the computer. Now we’ll tell you what to do and how to fix it.
It happens that when installing some codecs, players or other programs, inconsistency may arise in the operating system. And the audio device may begin to work incorrectly.
You need to open Device Manager and look for audio devices in it. Right-click on them and select “Delete”. After this, reboot the PC. After rebooting, the audio device should automatically reinstall and it happens that everything starts working.
Audio devices disabled in BIOS
It's hard to imagine that you could somehow accidentally go into the BIOS and change the settings. But nevertheless, we also encountered this when clients lost sound on their computer for this very reason. So it wouldn’t hurt to check this too.
Go into the BIOS and see if the built-in sound card is disabled. To do this, find the “High Definition Audio” item. The parameter should have the “Enabled” position, i.e. in Russian "ON".
Windows Audio service disabled
All Windows 7 or XP users, if there is no sound on their PC, should make sure that the Windows Audio service is enabled. To do this, go to “Start”, then “Control Panel” - “Administration”, open “Services”. Here you need to find the “Windows Audio” service - check if it is enabled. The startup type must be set to “Automatic”.
