Repair News Articles from the Tech Industry
August 31, 2006
How to Fix Computer Speakers
If your having problems with your computer speakers try the basic troublehshooting yourself. It's a great way to avoid paying for costly PC repair. The guide below is for computers running Windows XP Home, Professional, or 64 bit editions.
Steps
Check to see if your PC is still under warranty. If it is, DO NOT PROCEED. The help provided below may void your warranty. Contact your service provider if this is the case.
The first thing to check is your sound drivers. Open your start menu and find the My Computer icon. Right-Click on it and choose Properties from the submenu. Click on the Hardware Tab and then the Device Manager button.
Expand the Sounds, Video, and game controllers heading to find your sound card. The name will depend on what sound card is installed on your PC. It will most likely have a name containing "Audio." It should look something simliar to the example above. You'll know immideately if there is a major driver error because an "!" will show over the card's icon.
Once you have determined the name of your sound card, double click on it to open a new window. In the new properties window click on the Drivers tab. If there is no drivers tab then you chose the wrong sound device. Go back and try again. On the driver tab, click the driver update button. Follow the Wizard's instructions on screen to update your driver.
If you already have the most recent driver; click the uninstall driver button. When you restart your computer the driver should reinstall automatically.
You can also contact the manufacturer of your PC for the most recent audio drivers. They can usually be found online.
The second thing to check is the Windows Troubleshooter. On the Drivers tab mentioned in the step above, there is a button for troubleshooting the device. Click on that button and follow the instructions on screen.
The last thing to check is the sound card itself. Disconnect all cables on the back of your PC except for the power cable. Open up the CPU and make sure you touch the metal box that the power cable plugs into. This will discharge any static electricty you have built up. Now unplug the power cable.
Locate the audio plug on the back of your PC and on the other side (inside of the computer case) should be the sound card. Remove the sound card and put it back in. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/learnmore/installsoundcard.mspx has detailed directions for installing a sound card. Removal is the reverse of installation. Once you have the sound card back in, reattach the cables your unplugged earlier and boot your PC.
Tips
If your sound card is built into the motherboard the DO NOT try to remove it. Your entire motherboard will need replaced if the sound card is the problem. Another option is to buy a seperate PCI sound card and install it.
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