Speakers are not recognized - what to do?

This practical tip shows you what you can do if your speakers are not recognized.

Speakers not recognized by the PC: You can do that

1. Check whether the connection cable is correctly inserted in your PC and in the correct socket. Mostly it is a 3.5 mm jack marked in green, for larger systems it may be an optical cable.
2. If you have installed a second sound card in your PC, you have to select it in the Windows settings - provided you have inserted the loudspeakers into its socket. To do this, right-click on the loudspeaker symbol in the toolbar, go to "Playback devices" and right-click to activate the corresponding playback device.
3. You also need the right drivers for your sound chip. Many cards work with the Realtek HD codec, further drivers can be found in the large driver database from CHIP Online.
4. After installing the drivers, restart your computer and try again to see if the speakers are recognized and play sound.
5. Also make sure that the sound output on your PC has not been muted. To do this, click on the loudspeaker symbol at the bottom right and adjust the sound level to a suitable level.
6. If your speakers still don't work, you can try connecting them to another PC or playback device. If they don't work there, they may be broken - then you should contact the manufacturer's customer support.

In the next practical tip you will find a few more tips that may help you if your PC does not play any sound.