Sound Problems

There are a few simple things to check first:

• Make sure your computer has a sound card.

  You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.

  1. Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager.‌  If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

  2. Expand the Sound, video and game controllers category. If a sound card is listed, you have one installed. If no sound card is listed, You will need to install one. See Install or remove a sound card.

     Note

     If you think you have a sound card installed but you don’t see it under the Sound, video and game controllers category, expand the Other devices category and check any devices listed there.

  3. If there is a yellow question mark next to the name of the sound card, there might be a problem. Right-click the name of the sound card, and then click Properties.

  4. Click the General tab, and then look in the Device status box to identify problems with the sound card.

• Make sure your speakers are plugged into a working power source and turned on.

• Make sure your speakers are correctly connected to the computer.

  On your speakers, find the cable that plugs into your computer. Make sure that the speaker cable is plugged into the speakers and the correct jack on the computer. For example, if the cable is a 1/8 inch cable, there should be a round jack for it on the back of the computer. If it is a universal serial bus (USB) cable, it will plug into any USB port on your computer.

• Make sure that the speaker volume is not muted or turned down too low.

  1. Open Volume Control by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Hardware and Sound, and then, under Audio Devices and Sound, clicking Adjust system volume.

  2. Under Main Volume, move the slider up or down to raise or lower the volume.

  Note

  Some mobile PCs have an external volume control on the outside of the case. If you're using a mobile PC, check the external volume control.

• Make sure your headphones are not plugged into the line out (headphone) jack of your sound card or computer (unless you want to be listening with headphones rather than speakers). When you plug in headphones, most computers automatically cut the sound to the speakers.

If these steps don’t solve the problem, check the information that came with your computer and speakers or go to the manufacturer's website.