No sound from the onboard sound chip - what to do?
Annoying: The onboard sound chip suddenly no longer emits any sound, the audio output remains silent. In this practical tip, we show you what this can be and what you can do about it.
No sound under Windows 8
No sound: Deactivate audio playback mute
First, you should check whether all speaker plugs really are in the correct sockets on the mainboard and whether no plugs have been removed. The correct assignment of the audio jacks can be found in the manual for your mainboard.
- Make sure you haven't accidentally muted audio on Windows. If this is the case, you will see a crossed-out circle under the loudspeaker symbol in the notification area. First click on the loudspeaker and then on the symbol below the volume control to switch the sound back on.
- Please note that you can also mute individual programs under Windows: During audio playback, first click on the loudspeaker symbol in the notification area and then on "Mixer". Make sure that the muting is not activated for the respective program.
No sound: set onboard sound chip as standard
Check whether the onboard chip is set as the default device:
- To do this, right-click on the speaker icon in the notification area and then select "Playback Devices". Alternatively, click the "Sound" entry in the Control Panel. If the onboard sound is not defined as the standard device, right-click on the corresponding output device and select "Select as standard device".
- The sound chip may also have been deactivated in the BIOS. Therefore, check in the BIOS whether this is the case and switch the sound chip back on if necessary. You can find more information here.
No sound: Repair Windows Audio Service
Your PC is also silent when the "Windows Audio" service no longer starts automatically. To change this, first click on "Administrative Tools" in the Control Panel and then on "Services". Now find the "Windows Audio" service and open it with a double click. Set the start type to "Automatic". Then click on "Start" and "OK".
No sound: Reinstall the sound chip driver
In some cases, reinstalling the sound chip driver can also help:
- To do this, open the Device Manager and select the sound chip of your board in the "Audio, video and game controller" area.
- Then press the delete button and confirm the operation.
- Then click on "Action" in the menu bar and then on "Search for changed hardware".
- Windows should then automatically reinstall the sound card. Otherwise you have to search for suitable drivers on the manufacturer's website and install them manually.
If all of these fail, the speakers, cables, or sound chip are likely to be defective and need to be replaced. In the latter case, you can also install a sound card in your PC. We will explain what you should pay attention to in another practical tip.