Computer sound card
When the sound goes out on a computer, there are two possibilities as far as what may be wrong: software and hardware. A piece of software known as the driver may have been inadvertently changed or removed from the system, or the sound card itself may be experiencing some hardware issues. You can reinstall the sound card using the latest manufacturer's drivers available. After this, if a hardware issue is suspected, you may want to contact a professional computer technician to help you with replacing the sound card with a new one.
Instructions
1. Download the latest driver for your sound card from the manufacturer's website. If you are unsure who the manufacturer is, you can look on your system hardware information to find out. Click on "Start" and select the "Control Panel." Click on the "Device Manager" icon. In newer Windows systems, the computer will ask for your permission to continue (assuming you have admin privileges). Look under Sound and Video controllers to find your sound card manufacturer and model number.
2. Uninstall the current sound card and driver from the Device Manager. To complete this task, open up the Device Manager as described in Step 1. Right-click on your sound device under the Sound and Video controllers listings. Select "Uninstall" from the options presented.
3. Reboot your computer by shutting down normally, using the Start menu's "Restart" option.
4. Use the new driver that you downloaded in Step 1 when the system reboots and asks you for the driver of the "new" sound card device that it has discovered. It may offer to use a default driver, but you should override that option by selecting the option to "Browse My Computer for Driver Software." Direct the search box to the location where you saved the downloaded driver.
5. Reboot the computer once again after the installation of the updated driver. This will give it the opportunity to install and implement any changes made during the reinstall of the sound card and new driver. Once you complete this step, your sound card should work properly. If this does not fix your sound card, there could be a hardware problem. Diagnosis of and replacement of the card may be necessary, so consult a professional computer technician.
Tags: sound card, sound card, your sound, your sound card, Device Manager, card driver, complete this