Your PC has become silent? So you can restore the audio

It is paradoxical that audio was not important in the first PCs and, on the contrary, today it is one of the most important elements. No wonder since these were seen as terminals for boring desks. Additionally, 8-bit and 16-bit game systems had much better sonic capabilities. It took almost a decade to have the first sound cards and the appearance of the term multimedia for what will turn the tide. Today, we take audio on our PC so much for granted that it surprises us when there are some basic issues related to it.

How do I restore audio to my PC?

The first thing is to check that the headphones or speakers we are using are working. If you have one that uses a 3.5mm mini-jack, the usual jack, connect them to a cell phone or other device to check their health. Since the problem would not be with the PC but with the device.

Check that you have selected the correct speaker or headset

Once you have checked the health status of the devices, the next thing is to check if the sound source in Windows is correct, for that you need to follow these steps:

1. On the right side of the taskbar, just before the date and time, you will see a triangle or an incomplete up arrow. Click on it.
2. Select the speaker icon
3. A list should appear with all the audio output devices connected to your PC, whether via Mini Jack, USB and even Bluetooth. Select the one you are currently using.
   1. Some headsets come with a serial DAC over USB, Windows will have no problem detecting and selecting it, although there are exceptions.
   2. Make sure that if you are using a Bluetooth device, you have added it to the device list.
      1. Right-click on the Windows icon in the taskbar to the left of everything.
      2. Select settings
      3. From here you access the devices
         1. Once in devices, select Bluetooth and other devices. Make sure it’s enabled and scroll down with the middle mouse wheel or keyboard arrows.
         2. You will see all audio devices connected via USB, HDMI and Bluetooth. Make sure the one you are going to use is on the list and delete the ones you are not using.

Update Drivers

The next problem we might encounter is that drivers or drivers are not installed correctly and we have to do it again to restore the audio on our PC, the process of restoring the sound card is the same as with any other component or device. In any case, we will remind you:

1. As always, right-click on the Windows icon in the taskbar and select “Device Manager”
2. We have two sub-lists, on the one hand, those that indicate audio and video controllers and gaming devices, on the other hand, that of audio inputs and outputs. The first indicates the internal components of the PC which generate the audio, the second the connected peripherals. If your device is USB, you will see it in both lists.
3. In our case, the sound card is the Conexant SmartAudio HD listing, if you don’t know what it is, find your motherboard model, if you are using an integrated or portable sound card.
4. Once you have selected the sound source, right click and update driver

Here we need to clarify one thing regarding USB devices. Some use the PC’s internal sound card or an external sound card, others, however, have their own sound card inside, as is the case with some advanced headsets. It costs nothing to the CPU to manage the information to the various audio outputs. However, it is recommended to disconnect or turn off the headphones or speakers if we are not using them.

Update or reset BIOS

Your PC’s latest BIOS update may have disabled your sound card, so you’ll need to start over or revert to a previous version. This is usually not a very common problem and if you are not getting audio from the built-in sound card, skip this step as you won’t need it.

Buy a new sound card

The sound card that came with your PC may have been completely fried by poor motherboard maintenance or ester-ridden by low-quality components. That’s when it’s time to buy a sound card, whether internal or external, to restore the audio to our PC. A solution that today poses fewer problems in terms of time and money than having your computer repaired. Remember that once installed, you must connect your headphones or speakers to it.