There are several reasons for problems playing sound on a PC. Let's look at the main ones. The very first level that should be checked is BIOS. If the sound card is based on the popular Realtek ac97 codec and is integrated into the motherboard, you should check to see if it is enabled. The BIOS section where to look for sound card settings is called like Internal Perpherial. After enabling this function, you will need to download the system and install drivers either from the installation disk of the motherboard, or downloaded in advance from the official website of the manufacturer of the motherboard, but the latest version usually lies on the official website of AC97. If after all these manipulations the sound did not work, then perhaps a hardware conflict arose in the system. Find out if there are devices in the system that can "sit" on the same address spaces and interrupts. Although for modern Windows systems this is a rare case. Most likely, the codec chip is simply damaged. Then the output is to install an external sound card in the PCI slot. Pre-malfunctioning must be disabled, again, through the BIOS.
There is another level of problems associated with incorrect operation of the operating system. One possible reason is that the audio service is not running. Go to the "Control Panel", the "Administration" icon. Select "Services." If the Windows Audio service does not work, try to start it. If everything worked out, then congratulations. You can enjoy your favorite tunes. You have overcome the problem "the audio service is not running." But it happens that the computer gives errors. They can be very diverse. There are two universal ways to address them. Let us tell you a secret - no matter what mistake. The solution will be effective even if the audio service is not running in the relatively new version of Windows. Windows 7 is no exception. The first method is designed for users who are not "accustomed" to anything except the graphical interface. Just go to the "Standard" menu and select "System Restore". Then select "Restore to an earlier state of the system." A calendar is displayed, the dates of the month when the system restore point was made are bold. Now you just need to remember the date when everything was still in order. We choose, wait a few minutes and you're done. But another scenario is possible. You have entered the System Restore menu, but there are simply no recovery points. This may be due to the fact that someone turned off the system recovery service and then turned it on.
Then the task of restoring sound is a little more complicated. You will need to arm yourself with the Windows distribution kit and boot the recovery console (go to the stage when the system prompts you to press the R key to boot the recovery console). Then, just in case, you need to copy the SYSTEM file from C: \ WINDOWS \ SYSTEM32 \ CONFIG just to the C: \ drive with the command C: \ WINDOWS \ SYSTEM32 \ CONFIG \ SYSTEM C: \, and then replace our current SYSTEM with the version that was immediately after installing the system. It should be noted that during this operation we will have to show the system where all the drivers from the devices are located. An alternative to this operation is to search for those system restore points that may have been saved in the System Volume Information folder on drive C. But back to our operation to clean up Wndows services. Copy the clean registry hive copy C: \ WINDOWS \ REPAIR \ SYSTEM C: \ WINDOWS \ SYSTEM32 \ CONFIG \ and agree to the replacement, because we have an archive copy of the old SYSTEM. We are trying to boot the system with a new file. Most likely, the problem "the audio service is not running" will go into oblivion, since all the dependencies have been met this time.
If the audio service is not started even after all the events, then you should restore the old file and try using the command to check the Windows system files for integrity. To do this, open the console (Start> Run> cmd) and type sfc / scannow. Do not forget to put the distribution kit of the installed version in the drive. File versions will be compared and, if incorrect ones are found, they will be replaced. The difference between the two methods in their versatility, the problem with the lack of sound can be solved in another way, but the above methods are a 90% guarantee. There is also a “cosmetic” problem when, with the installed Realtek HD codecs, the system gives out that the audio service is not running, there is sound, oddly enough. This is because the sound card driver loads before the Windows service and “thinks” that Windows Audio is not starting.