laptop sound gone can anyone help pleeeease?

moonshadow555 said:
Tried this and got an error message : driver installation failed. Could not find the device for this driver. Maybe I am downloading the wrong one, there was a choice of 3 I just chose the latest one!
Click to expand...

Just try the other 2, it doesn't cause any harm by installing a driver that is not required.
 
You are looking for something to do with the sound card /audio or similar name. We need to see if it has an enable/disable (and is enabled)
Look in the various menus
Usually not in hard drives/CPU/power management/
More likely in /peripherals/onboard devices, cannot think of the other names just now
It should be in there but not guaranteed as some systems don't have it (that's OK because then it cannot have been disabled)
If no luck then look for anything to do with restore defaults, usually F9 but again could be different. It's usually then "save & exit"
If you cannot do any of that, don't worry as its unlikely that a laptop? BIOS would have been corrupted. It's more common on desktop PCs that get a spike on the mains.

Next go for the backup and factory reset as previously mentioned. I never use backup software that comes with external drives owing to the problem you had finding the software to recover it. If you use the windows built in backup its more or less universal. Copy and paste is always best if you are unsure. You can see the files instantly when you plug the external drive in to another PC.

Upgrades never work too well as it always leaves bits behind, including the faults! A clean install is the only way to go.
As we said before, if it cannot detect the hardware, it not a driver fault. Best of luck
 
fairytooth said:
Just try the other 2, it doesn't cause any harm by installing a driver that is not required.
Click to expand...

2nd one looked like it was doing the biz, but still no audio device. Just one more to try! Third one failed as well!
 
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computerrepairs4u said:
You are looking for something to do with the sound card /audio or similar name. We need to see if it has an enable/disable (and is enabled)
Look in the various menus
Usually not in hard drives/CPU/power management/
More likely in /peripherals/onboard devices, cannot think of the other names just now
It should be in there but not guaranteed as some systems don't have it (that's OK because then it cannot have been disabled)
If no luck then look for anything to do with restore defaults, usually F9 but again could be different. It's usually then "save & exit"
If you cannot do any of that, don't worry as its unlikely that a laptop? BIOS would have been corrupted. It's more common on desktop PCs that get a spike on the mains.

Next go for the backup and factory reset as previously mentioned. I never use backup software that comes with external drives owing to the problem you had finding the software to recover it. If you use the windows built in backup its more or less universal. Copy and paste is always best if you are unsure. You can see the files instantly when you plug the external drive in to another PC.

Upgrades never work too well as it always leaves bits behind, including the faults! A clean install is the only way to go.
As we said before, if it cannot detect the hardware, it not a driver fault. Best of luck
Click to expand...

The options are:
Press esc to enable startup message, f1 to enter system information, f9 to change boot device order, f2 to startup check, f10 to enter setup, f11 to system recovery

Went into f1 then setup and then f9 defaults then f10 save & exit. Didn't seem to do anything. Still 'no audio devices installed' presume an 'audio device ' is hardware in which case no point in restoring factory settings, or am I not really understanding anything at all! I really appreciate all the help you have given me, thank you!
Sue
 
moonshadow555 said:
The options are:
Press esc to enable startup message, f1 to enter system information, f9 to change boot device order, f2 to startup check, f10 to enter setup, f11 to system recovery

Went into f1 then setup and then f9 defaults then f10 save & exit. Didn't seem to do anything. Still 'no audio devices installed' presume an 'audio device ' is hardware in which case no point in restoring factory settings, or am I not really understanding anything at all! I really appreciate all the help you have given me, thank you!
Sue
Click to expand...


F10 to enter setup sounds good. Is there anything in there, or set default in that menu? (sounds like you may have done it already though)
You are correct in thinking that if it's hardware then a factory reset wont work.
However, there is a slight chance that its Vista that is just not detecting the hardware because its got corrupted so its a last resort. I've had hundreds of Vista problems and if someone tells me in advance that its Vista I wont go out to it. It's that bad, I had it myself for 18 months and nothing but problems.
It may well be that nothing shows up in the BIOS, some have hundreds of settings and others have virtually non that can be changed

Alternative is to get the external USB sound card. Just had a quick look on the net and there is a sound bar, clips on top of the laptop screen and plugs in to USB, £21 Thats a very quick glance, there is probably loads of stuff that would do it

If this link will work

Hercules XPS Sound Bar USB Portable speaker
 
Sue at the moment it sounds more like a hardware issue than a driver/software one... if you'll pardon the use of the word sounds :D The only thing that's stopping me from being 100% positive is that you said you got it working again but then lost it on reboot... which makes it seem as though the sound card is capable of functioning (ie not broken) but for some reason your computer's not detecting it properly on boot up. As many people have pointed out, it could be because the sound card has been accidentally switched off/disabled in Device Manager or the BIOS settings. Maybe your sound settings are set to use another device or you've inadvertently told it to default to using headphones. Maybe try plugging in speakers or headphones in case it's the onboard speaker that's not working properly. Alternatively, it could be as old school as a dodgy connection or solder on the soundcard bit of the motherboard... maybe the laptop's had a knock? Since you've tried everything you can, I'd ask around in your area for a friendly local and personally recommended IT tech who will take a peek inside. Please don't go to PC World, there's a love ;) I'm keeping everything crossed for you... :heart:

PS. Tell me you've checked the mute button :lol-053: :p
 
computerrepairs4u said:
F10 to enter setup sounds good. Is there anything in there, or set default in that menu? (sounds like you may have done it already though)
You are correct in thinking that if it's hardware then a factory reset wont work.
However, there is a slight chance that its Vista that is just not detecting the hardware because its got corrupted so its a last resort. I've had hundreds of Vista problems and if someone tells me in advance that its Vista I wont go out to it. It's that bad, I had it myself for 18 months and nothing but problems.
It may well be that nothing shows up in the BIOS, some have hundreds of settings and others have virtually non that can be changed

Alternative is to get the external USB sound card. Just had a quick look on the net and there is a sound bar, clips on top of the laptop screen and plugs in to USB, £21 Thats a very quick glance, there is probably loads of stuff that would do it

If this link will work

Hercules XPS Sound Bar USB Portable speaker
Click to expand...


That may be just speakers, I'm sure there will be a sound card + speakers. Check carefully before you buy or go to PC World and have a look around. I've used the USB sound cards sticks and incredibly good
 
Needs clarification, but I think the clip on USB sound bar will work without additional equipment.
 
Minisorella said:
Sue at the moment it sounds more like a hardware issue than a driver/software one... if you'll pardon the use of the word sounds :D The only thing that's stopping me from being 100% positive is that you said you got it working again but then lost it on reboot... which makes it seem as though the sound card is capable of functioning (ie not broken) but for some reason your computer's not detecting it properly on boot up. As many people have pointed out, it could be because the sound card has been accidentally switched off/disabled in Device Manager or the BIOS settings. Maybe your sound settings are set to use another device or you've inadvertently told it to default to using headphones. Maybe try plugging in speakers or headphones in case it's the onboard speaker that's not working properly. Alternatively, it could be as old school as a dodgy connection or solder on the soundcard bit of the motherboard... maybe the laptop's had a knock? Since you've tried everything you can, I'd ask around in your area for a friendly local and personally recommended IT tech who will take a peek inside. Please don't go to PC World, there's a love ;) I'm keeping everything crossed for you... :heart:

PS. Tell me you've checked the mute button :lol-053: :p
Click to expand...

Hi,
I'm not so keen on PC World either! Just tried headphones, no change.Don't normally use headphones. The sound stopped part way through watching a programme on iplayer, it suddenly changed to subtitles, thought is was the programme playing silly ****s at first! It seems strange it was working fine before we went away. We stored it in a cupboard out of site, and also the battery was completely flat when I went to start it up. Will have a look at the gizmo someone suggested but it's not really an option having to use headphones as we can't both watch a dvd then!
Do you think a quick thump might help, that's how we used to fix the tv many years ago!!!:D
 
computerrepairs4u said:
F10 to enter setup sounds good. Is there anything in there, or set default in that menu? (sounds like you may have done it already though)
You are correct in thinking that if it's hardware then a factory reset wont work.
However, there is a slight chance that its Vista that is just not detecting the hardware because its got corrupted so its a last resort. I've had hundreds of Vista problems and if someone tells me in advance that its Vista I wont go out to it. It's that bad, I had it myself for 18 months and nothing but problems.
It may well be that nothing shows up in the BIOS, some have hundreds of settings and others have virtually non that can be changed

Alternative is to get the external USB sound card. Just had a quick look on the net and there is a sound bar, clips on top of the laptop screen and plugs in to USB, £21 Thats a very quick glance, there is probably loads of stuff that would do it

If this link will work

Hercules XPS Sound Bar USB Portable speaker
Click to expand...

Had a quick look, but now I am really showing my ignorance, why will that work if there is no audio device in the laptop working? Might hide myself in a corner at the weekend, back everything up, (to copy & paste do I just simply go into documents, pictures and videos and then paste to ext hard drive?)
Sue
 
moonshadow555 said:
Hi,
I'm not so keen on PC World either! Just tried headphones, no change.Don't normally use headphones. The sound stopped part way through watching a programme on iplayer, it suddenly changed to subtitles, thought is was the programme playing silly ****s at first! It seems strange it was working fine before we went away. We stored it in a cupboard out of site, and also the battery was completely flat when I went to start it up. Will have a look at the gizmo someone suggested but it's not really an option having to use headphones as we can't both watch a dvd then!
Do you think a quick thump might help, that's how we used to fix the tv many years ago!!!:D
Click to expand...

The speakers/headphones were just a way to test if the sound card was actually outputting anything, meaning the normal speaker might have been broken. Is the laptop completely silent or is it just when you're trying to play online video? For instance, go into Control Panel and look for something like Hardware and Sound (I've got Windows 7 - can't quite remember the words in Vista), then look for something like "Change system sounds". You should get a list of all the little noises that Windows will make on start up, shut down, error beep, etc. Select any one of them and click the 'Play' button (arrow). Does it make a noise? Try turning up the volume... still nothing? Try playing a music CD. I spent a while on Vista not being able to play online media clips, yet the sound was working fine for other things, so it's worth making certain that it's across the board to help pinpoint where the problem is. If you get sound via any means at all, then you know the sound card is functioning and it's a case of working out which element of software is the culprit. If nothing makes a noise, then you can't rule out hardware.

Good luck! FingersCrossed.gif
 
Am going to restore factory settings tomorrow, everything crossed. Then if it's hardware will have to do serious thinking!
 
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