If you compare a computer and a laptop, it turns out that the latter device is more problematic. Therefore, users often prefer to have a PC, despite the laptop’s mobility. What are the problems associated with a laptop?
The fact is that a laptop is a device that is difficult to disassemble. If in a computer you can separate a video card, sound card or RAM from the motherboard, then in the laptop most of the components are built into the motherboard. Therefore, if any problems occur with one hardware, the whole system may suffer from this. If the whole system suffers, then replacing it will be very expensive. But with a computer in this regard, things are easier. The video card has broken - we take it out and replace it with a new one. Same thing with a sound card. But what to do if there is no sound on the laptop?
Causes
This problem has many reasons. Most of them can be solved programmatically by fixing some settings or updating drivers. But if the problem lies precisely in the sound card, then more serious troubles may arise.
If you notice that the sound has disappeared on your laptop, what should I do first? Do not rush to grab the device and carry it to a service center. The reasons for this failure can be many. Some can be solved on their own in literally minutes. Among the main reasons can be identified:
- problems with the playback device;
- reset volume settings;
- driver failure;
- sound manager settings;
- activation of a sound card in BIOS;
- audio and video codecs.
Playback device
You can determine why sound is lost on a laptop without the help of specialists. To do this, just take a closer look at devices that reproduce sound. For example, headphones served as such a device. They often encounter problems that are difficult to solve. Most of them lead to the fact that the headset is sent back to the store, to the service center or even to the trash.
If you were listening to music on a laptop, and the sound was lost in the headphones, turn them off and listen to whether the laptop speaker plays the melody. If everything is in order, then most likely there are problems with the headphones. But such a check does not guarantee that the headset is really broken. It happens that you used headphones in the evening, the next day you turned on the laptop, and it does not make sounds. You turn off the headset, but the speakers also make no sounds. As practice shows, this is a common hardware failure. You need to connect and disconnect the headphones several times, and a sound will appear.
Often users use speakers instead of headphones. Acoustics is also not eternal, with it there are problems that are difficult at first to correctly assess. The speakers may fail, they may damage the plug or the power cord. In this case, it is better to check them on another device. This is more likely to show the whole situation. Perhaps it was the malfunction of the acoustics that led to the fact that the sound disappeared on the laptop.
And finally, no matter how silly it sounds, with such a breakdown it is important to check sockets and plugs. You may have forgotten to connect the speakers to a wall outlet or turn them on. The wire that connects to the laptop may be damaged. All this can also cause the described problem.
Volume settings
Not all PC users can be called experienced. The knowledge of some is limited only to starting the system and entering the browser. Therefore, it is important for such people to be attentive to all the processes that occur when they use the laptop.
If you notice that the sound on the laptop suddenly disappeared (with Windows or another operating system - it doesn’t matter), take a closer look at the tray (bottom right corner of the screen). In this area, the date and time are usually displayed, there is an input language setting, wireless network, power supply, etc. There is also a special sound icon.
It happens that by pressing some combination of keys you could make the volume quieter or even muffle it. In this case, you need to click on the tray icon and see: if there is a cross on it, then the sound is muted, if not, the volume scale may be twisted to the left, so the sound is very quiet, and therefore it seems that it has disappeared.
Mixer
But that is not all. If you right-click on the sound icon, the usual volume scale opens, and if you use LMB, you can select several settings. To get started, go to the mixer.
This option is also important in sound settings. The mixer indicates several programs on the laptop that use sound. For example, “Skype”, a browser, system sounds, etc. may be displayed here. Each program has its own volume scale. Perhaps the browser volume was turned off, so when you turned on the clip on the Internet, you thought that the sound was lost on a Windows 7 laptop.
Next, you need to check the installed playback device. To do this, LMB click on the tray icon and select the appropriate section. The sound setting opens. The first tab will indicate the playback device. There may be several. You need to carefully look at the names. It happens that one speaker system is installed instead of another.
It is important to configure everything correctly. If you can’t determine which of the devices you need, try clicking LMB on each of them and turn on one by one. When you select one, notice that a volume bar is activated next to the name.
Alternatively, you can also try running the internal troubleshooting service. To do this, left-click on the tray icon again. We find the line "Detect problems with sound." The system will run the diagnostics on its own and, as the errors are found, it will indicate the solutions. Sometimes it automatically fixes the problem.
System drivers
If all the above solutions do not fit, what should I do? There is a chance that the problem lies in the drivers. Suppose you notice that there is no sound on the laptop. How to fix this problem? You need to check the correct operation of the drivers. To do this, go to the "Start" menu, in the right column we find the "Control Panel" section. A new window will open in which you will need to find the "Device Manager" section. In a new dialog box, all connected devices to the system will appear. Immediately you need to find the line that refers to the sound. Most often it is called "Sound, video and gaming devices."
Click on the plus sign next to this name. Another list will open, in which all devices related to this category will be indicated. You need to look at them carefully. You may notice that there is an exclamation mark or a red X next to one of them. This means that the device is out of order.
If something really happened with the drivers, you need to click on the faulty LMB device and select "Disable" and "Enable" again. If this does not help, click Update Driver. If this did not produce any result, you can try to remove this device from the system. Removing it may produce a result, but for this you will have to install new drivers. If there are no installation disks left, look for the necessary files on the Internet. Most of them are on the official website of the laptop manufacturer.
If you have not noticed any exclamation points or crosses, see if there is an “Unknown device” in the list. There is a possibility that the system could not determine the model of the device and install drivers for it, so you will need to do this yourself.
Support Program
To cope with the drivers and fix the problem that the sound on the laptop disappeared (“Windows 10” can especially “please” the user with this and other problems), you can install a special program. In the future, it will definitely come in handy for restoring other devices. Driver Booster is free to install. It quickly checks and finds the necessary drivers for all devices in the system. The user only needs to give his consent to download the relevant files.
Sound Manager Issues
Above, we examined the sound settings in the system itself. But there is another service that helps to cope with a deeper configuration of the device. Such a program is installed along with sound drivers. In almost all systems, it is called Realtek High Definition Audio. The utility helps to set the optimal settings if there are any problems with the sound.
To do this, go to the "Control Panel", as described above. After you need to select the viewing option. It is located in the upper right corner. You can choose to display large or small icons, and also select the "Category" section. Just the last option and you need to click. In the dialog box, all elements are rebuilt. You need to find "Equipment and Sound" and select the very last item.
The built-in sound tuning service opens. It must be carefully examined. Depending on the requirements, you can customize the sound for yourself.
BIOS Settings
And also, if there is no sound on a Windows laptop, what should I do? Of course, the BIOS is one of the last options that could fail. Nevertheless, there are such cases that the laptop turns off the sound card, and you need to turn it on yourself.
To switch to BIOS, you need to turn off the computer and during its start press the Del or F2 button. This is a common option for getting to this menu. But it is not always like that. Therefore, check in advance on the Internet which combination of buttons your laptop model supports specifically.
The BIOS version may also vary, depending on the firmware. Therefore, you have to "travel" throughout the menu. You need to find the Audio or Advanced section. There you will notice the name of the sound card. Most often it sounds like High Definition Audio. Opposite the line will be written Disabled if the option is disabled and Enabled if it is enabled. Select the desired item and do not forget to save the changes. Below is the key that you need to press for the changes to take effect.
Work with codecs
It happens that the sound disappeared on the laptop while playing a track or movie. In this case, all the system sounds you hear. With great probability you are faced with codecs. What do we have to do?
- delete existing codecs;
- restart the laptop;
- Download and install new codecs.
Removing codecs will depend on what software you use. Therefore, it is difficult to describe the algorithm of actions. For each available program, it can be different. Usually, when starting a movie, you need to go to the player’s menu, and then find the “Filters” item there. It is in it that the codecs are indicated. You can also use a special program that allows you to manage codecs.
Windows 10
It happens that the sound disappeared on a laptop with Windows 10 on board. In this case, there are no cardinal differences in fixing this problem relative to other systems. You must also first check the playback device, then examine the sound settings, both system and software. Will have to work with drivers and BIOS.
Solution
If none of the above suits you, and there is still no sound, you can begin to sin on the sound card. If there are problems with the laptop, it means you have to take it to repair or buy an external device.
If you decide to repair, it is likely that he will take you a lot of time and money. Therefore, many choose to purchase an external sound card. It looks like a regular flash drive, which has connectors for a microphone and headphones. Of course, the ideal option is to purchase a "native" sound card, but if this is not possible, try to find the best quality model.
There is one minus in this solution. It’s hard to know exactly what the problem is in the sound card. Perhaps the cause of the sound problems is viruses or a clogged system. Therefore, many finally recommend reinstalling the operating system. It is likely that some system files that will be restored during the installation of the OS were damaged. If this option does not help, then clearly the problem is in the sound card.