Computer Repair: Fixing a Problem with Sound

Every once in a while, on a Windows system, the sound may just cease. No reason, nothing different, but no noise from the speakers. I get calls for this problem from a number of folks and have developed a series of steps that might help fix it - something that might take me 5-10 minutes, but you can handle on your own.

Probably the first series of "stupid questions" I ask are:

• Are the speakers turned on, and the sound turned up?
• Is the Windows volume indicator (click the speaker icon once) in the drawer (near the clock) set to the upper part of the slide bar? 
• Is the cord from the speaker plugged into the correct opening in the back, typically the light green one.
• How about the cord at the speaker end?
• And, you should check the sound slide bar in the application!

If all these check out, then go to the Control Panel and double click Sound and Audio Devices.

• A 5-tabbed window opens.
• Check the Default device listed in the top box on the Audio tab. 
• Make a note (write it down) of this physical device name.  
• Close the Sounds and Audio Devices Properties window.
• You should still be in Control Panel.
• Double click System in the Control Panel window. 
• Click the Hardware tab, and then Device Manager on that tab.
• In the Device Manager, scroll down to near the bottom, expand the list under Sound, video and game controllers by clicking at the + in the box to the left of that line, and select and delete the line with the physical device name you wrote down from the Sound and Audio Devices Audio tab by clicking once on the  line, and then using the delete key on the keyboard once.
• Wait about 10-15 seconds and then click on the blue computer with a magnifying glass icon on the tool bar near the top of the window (Scan for hardware changes), or else reboot the computer. 
• Your computer should "discover" new hardware, and the device drivers should already be in the computer.

Sound should come back. If this fails, then the device (a card or on the motherboard) may have actually died. A replacement sound card can be bought for $10-20, and is easy to install.