Your video is playing on your favorite media player, but you hear no sound coming from your stereo speakers. Several factors can cause a computer to not have audio output. You need to eliminate each possible cause so as to isolate the real issue and fix it.
But before you proceed, make sure the wires don’t have loose connections and the speakers are turned on. Make sure that the system sound volume is turned up high enough to be audible. Check if an external volume control is available and if the program you’re using has its own volume control. Adjust them accordingly. Make sure that these volume controls aren’t set to mute.
Verify that the sound card or sound processor is properly installed by opening the Device Manager. If the sound card isn’t listed under the Sound, video and game controllers category, follow the instruction manual on how to install the card.
You can save yourself the trouble of manually correcting the problem by using the native troubleshooting software in Windows. The software automatically attempts to fix any problem it finds and provides suggestions when it can’t do so. Press Start, type troubleshoot audio and select Find and fix audio playback problems. If this selection fails to appear in the search results, you’ll need to download and install a troubleshooter from Microsoft Support. As it runs, the troubleshooter checks for several audio-related hardware, drivers and software configurations that may be causing problems.
If the troubleshooter is unsuccessful in repairing the problem, manually check if the sound card has an installed driver that’s compatible and updated. You can use Windows Update to automatically search a driver update, or you can directly go to the manufacturer website and download it manually. When no updates are available online, try reinstalling the driver software from the disc that came with the sound card.
