No sound after driver update: reasons and what to do

Sometimes it happens that updating drivers can lead to equipment malfunctioning. This may be due to a variety of factors. But most often this happens after updating the sound drivers using Windows 10. This OS has long been seen in inadequate work with updates. If there is no sound in Windows 10 after updating the drivers, then this is definitely an incompatibility problem. What to do in this case? We will consider the most popular and effective solutions to the problem.

Why is this so?

The fact is that Windows 10 downloads updated driver versions from official Microsoft servers. And no one can vouch for their compatibility with this or that equipment. And if we take into account that usually on the own Windows servers there are mostly outdated versions of drivers, then there is nothing surprising in the fact that after updating the latter there was no sound. However, not only the “ten” sins with the wrong driver versions when updating. And such cases are far from singular.

But it also happens that the operating system has nothing to do with it. Often manufacturers themselves issue drivers with an error. And in this case there is only one way out: to roll back to the previous version. But sometimes it can be problematic. We will consider all options for solving the problem, if suddenly after updating the drivers, the sound on the computer or laptop is lost.

It’s worth starting with the simplest solutions. Complex ones are not suitable for everyone. So, how to solve the problem with sound in modern operating systems? Very simple.

We fix the flaws of the update "Windows 10"

So, if there is no sound on the laptop after updating the drivers using the operating system, you will need to completely reinstall them. However, we will not download them manually from the manufacturer’s website. We use the capabilities of the operating system:

1. Open the "Control Panel".
2. We click on the item "Device Manager".
3. In the list of devices, we search for sound and select them.
4. Right-click on the name of the audio device and select "Update driver" in the menu that appears.
5. Next, select "Search for drivers on this computer."
6. Click "Next" and wait for the installation to complete.
7. Reboot the PC or laptop.

This option will help if the problem is not global in nature. By reinstalling the drivers in this way, you can count on their full performance after rebooting the machine. However, it also happens that this method does not help. Then you can use a more advanced method.

The same, but using the console

Windows Command Prompt is a unique tool. With it, you can even solve the problem when the sound disappeared after updating the sound driver. And if the previous option may fail, then this method will always help. You only need to know what to do:

1. We hold down the Win + R key combination and call the "Run" system component.
2. Enter cmd in the line and press Enter or OK.
3. The console starts up. Enter the pnputil / enum-drivers command in it. It will display a list of installed drivers for the devices.
4. Now select the original name intcaudiobus.inf and remember (or write down) its published name (for example, oemXXX.inf).
5. Enter the command pnputil / delete-driver oemXXX.inf / uninstall. It will remove the existing driver.
6. Now open the "Control Panel".
7. Click "Device Manager".
8. We select the necessary equipment and click "Update Drivers".
9. After the update, restart the computer.

This method is good because at first the problem driver is completely removed from the operating system. And in its place you can safely put the "right" software.

We roll back the driver after updating "Windows"

Another option that can help if after updating the drivers the sound disappeared in Windows 7, 8 or 10. Rollback can really help, because instead of the new driver, its previous version is installed, which was definitely workable. The best part about this method is that even a beginner can handle it. You just need to clearly follow the proposed algorithm, and everything will be fine:

1. Open the "Control Panel".
2. We click on the item "Device Manager".
3. Select a sound card from the list of devices.
4. Right-click on the device and select the "Properties" item in the menu that appears.
5. Click on the "Roll back" button.
6. The wizard will automatically install the previous driver version.
7. Reboot the computer.
8. Check the sound performance.

This method is good in that it allows you to install just those versions that worked exactly in due time. This helps to avoid possible errors when using newer versions. But, despite the fact that this method is very effective, it does not always help. Good thing there are alternatives.

If the sound is not completely gone

It also happens that after updating the sound driver, the sound disappeared, but not quite. That is, there is sound, but the sound itself is either too quiet, or hissing, or somehow distorted. In this case, the point is clearly in the sound driver settings. Apparently, the operating system configured it automatically. And this led to such distortions. There is only one thing to be done here - to correctly configure the equipment.

1. So, open the "Playback Devices" with a simple click on the speaker image in the system tray.
2. Next, select the device that contains the problem and click on the "Properties" button.
3. We move to the tab "Advanced Features".
4. Check the box "Disable all effects" and click "Apply."
5. We move to the "Communication" tab.
6. We mark "Action is not required".
7. We apply everything that we just configured.
8. Check the sound quality.

Now everything should be reproduced cleanly, without any interference. If so, then the problem was precisely in the settings. Now everything is all right. If not, then you will have to figure out why the sound disappeared after updating the drivers or turned out to be of insufficient quality.

If you have VIA Audio

It is laptops based on this chipset that are most prone to problems with sound. This is largely due to the chipset itself. It does not apply to very high quality products. And the developers of drivers for this chipset are often not very careful. As a result, users have to solve the problem themselves, when the sound disappeared after updating the drivers:

1. Go to the "Control Panel".
2. Open the "Device Manager" in a familiar way.
3. We remove the driver in exactly the same way as described above.
4. We go to the section "Sound and gaming devices."
5. We also remove these drivers.
6. We open the browser and look for the latest drivers from the manufacturer.
7. Download (necessarily the previous version) and install.
8. Reboot the computer.

This algorithm of actions should solve the problem on laptops with a chipset from VIA. Installing the old driver version should definitely solve the problem in this case. In general, it is better to purchase an external sound card and not be tormented with built-in "bits". There is never a problem with an external card. Now on the market there are very interesting and inexpensive models.

If nothing helps

If the sound on the computer disappeared after updating the drivers and none of the above helps, then it is likely that this update damaged the system files responsible for the sound pretty badly. The solution to this problem will not be simple. Actually, there are only two options: rollback the system using a checkpoint or completely reinstall it.

The first option is only suitable if control points were previously created to restore the operating system. If the OS protection was completely turned off (for example, in the case of Windows 10), then rollback will not work.

But again, in the case of the "top ten" there is another method that can help if there is no sound after updating the drivers. It's about resetting to factory settings. At the output, the user will receive a completely clean operating system with a basic set of drivers. It is worth trying this option. He is really able to help. If, after that, everything will be bad, then perhaps the sound card simply failed for some reason.

Conclusion

So, we examined the question of what to do if, after updating the drivers, the sound on the computer or laptop is lost. All of the above methods can help. If only the sound card itself still works.