Microsoft - General audio troubleshooting

Microsoft - General audio troubleshooting

Problem

There is no sound output or input being heard from the computer system.

Applies to

  1. Windows 11

Resolution

The steps below can be used to thoroughly check sound output and sound input via microphone work as intended.

Fixing Sound output

This may be sound output from a speaker system or a headset starting with the assumption that the correct drivers have been installed.

Check mixer panel

  1. Right click Start button to open the special start menu.
  2. Then choose Run command, at the prompt enter the text below then click OK:

    SNDVOL.EXE

  3. In the volume panel check that all the sliders are up to a reasonable level.
  4. Then check the status of the mute buttons, if any who as muted click to un-mute that channel. 



    The above screenshot shows the volume panel with all sliders to maximum and no channels are muted.  The applications displayed may vary according to what is currectly running on the system.


Test soundcard

  1. Right click Start button to open the special start menu.
  2. Click the Run command and enter the test below, then click OK:

    MMSYS.CPL

  3. In the Sound control panel review the list of the device and click to choose the main  sound device connected to speakers or headset.
  4. Then right click that device and choose Test in the context menu.  Windows will then play a tone on the left and right speakers/earphones.  If you hear this tone the sound system is working.  If you can see the sound level meter showing but hear no sound it is possible that the sound device is not plugged into speakers or the speakers are not turned on.
  5. If you get an error message when running the test this may indicate a problem with Windows, try running Windows SFC and DISM repairs to fix the problem.



The screenshot below shows speakers attached to the Realtek soundcard selected and set as the default sound adaptor (indicated by the green tick symbol)

Check speaker connection

  1. If the problem is with a desktop PC one should try looking at the back panel of the PC. There should be a mini-jack cable coming from the soundcard output socket (green socket) that leads to the connected speaker system.
  2. Confirm that the connected speaker system has power and volume is set to a reasonable level.
  3. You could also trying a different socket on the sound card to see if that will work also. You may then wish to re-run the sound test to see if all is OK.

Check status in Device Manager

If sound output is still not heard after this one may suspect a problem with the device driver use the steps below to check:
  1. Right click Start button, then click Run command.
  2. Then click Device Manager in the list of options.
  3. Double click the item Sound, Video and Gamer Controllers to open it’s branch.
  4. Look through the list of devices and check if any of them show a yellow triangle or indicate they have a problem.  Any sound device not working may need its drivers reinstalling to fix the problem.  Please obtain and installer package from the computer manufacturer or sound device manufacturer.


Fixing Sound Input

Typical one uses sound input when using Teams, Zoom etc. for an online call.  Pleaswe try the suggestions below.

  1. Please check that the sound input device such as a headset is plugged into the computer.  
  2. Please check that the application has permissions to use the sound system in Microphone Privacy settings.
  3. Open the online call applicationand choose Settings if available.  Please check that the Device or Audio settings are set correctly for the soundcard or headset. If possible make a test call to confirm everything is working.
  4. If sound input is still not working check for any mute buttons on the headset if one is connected, toggle off mute and repeat test call.

Test recording

The Sound Recorder is a Windows application that should be available on most builds of Windows.  It can be used to confirm sound input is working and assess the quality of sound which may be necessary for speech to text applications like Dragon.

  1. Click Start then search Sound Recorder, then click the result to open the application.
  2. On the bottom left check that the sound input such as a device is selected.
  3. Click the record button and provide a sample of speech so you can test the input.
  4. When finished click the Stop button.
  5. On the left hand side a recording should appear, click to select it, then click Play button.  The recording should play on the selected sound device to audition its quality.

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