If the sound on your Windows computer is suddenly missing, you may need to update your sound card or drivers. Sound cards are designed to process and transmit computer sound information to audio devices such as headphones or loudspeakers. Like any other software or program, a sound card also needs periodic updates to keep it functioning properly.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Manually Updating Windows Vista Sound Card
Step 1. Open the “System” menu
Click the “Start” button. It's usually in the lower-left corner of the screen. Look for the “Control Panel” option on the menu and click the button. Double-click the icon or tab labeled “System”.
Step 2. Go to the “Sound, Video, and Game Controllers” tab
In the “System” section, locate and click the tab, icon, or button labeled “Hardware”. After that, locate and click the tab, icon, or button labeled “Device Manager”. When the “Device Manager” window finishes loading, click the icon labeled “Sound, Video, and Game Controllers”.
When you click “Device Manager”, you may be asked to enter an administrator password
Step 3. Locate and update the sound card driver
On the “Sound, Video, and Game Controllers” tab, locate and double-click the entry related to the sound card. Click the “Drivers” tab. Select “Update Driver Software” and follow the instructions displayed in the “Update Driver Software Wizard” window.
Method 2 of 4: Manually Updating Windows XP Sound Card
Step 1. Open the “System” menu
Look for the “Start” button in the lower left corner of the screen. Click the button. After that, click on the tab labeled “Control Panel”. Double-click the icon or tab labeled “System”.
Step 2. Go to the “Sound, Video, and Game Controllers” Tab
Look for the “Hardware” tab on the “System” menu. Click the tab once. After that, locate and click the “Sound, Video, and Game Controllers” tab to expand the segment.
Step 3. Update the sound card driver
Double click the “Sound Card” tab. Select the “Driver” tab once. After that, click “Update Driver”. Follow the steps shown in the “Hardware Update Wizard” window.
Method 3 of 4: Accessing Sound Card Via Alternative Step
Step 1. Open the “Hardware and Sound” menu
Click the “Start” button which is usually in the lower-left corner of the screen. Locate and click the “Control Panel” tab. On the “Control Panel” menu, locate and click the “Hardware and Sound” option.
Step 2. Go to the “Device Manager” tab
On the “Hardware and Sound” menu, look for the segment labeled “Device and Printers”. Just below the “Device and Printer” segment, you can see a subsegment labeled “Device Manager”. Click on “Device Manager” after that.
Step 3. Update the computer sound card
Look for the “Sound, Video, and Game Controllers” section. Click the text to expand the tab. Look for the subsegment containing the entry labeled “Sound Card”. Right-click the sound driver and select “Update Driver Software”. Select “Search for Updates”. If an update is available, select the update and follow the process shown in the “Update Wizard” window.
Method 4 of 4: Automatically Updating Sound Card
Step 1. Select a software program
Instead of manually updating your sound driver, you can download a program that can automatically identify the drivers that need updating, as well as offer the latest available updates. Do a quick internet search using keywords such as “sound driver”, “sound card”, “driver”, “update software”, and/or “free”. Research the search results and select the program you want.
Step 2. Download the program and scan for updates
The drive update program may require you to follow these initial steps.
- Click the “Free Scan” button or icon.
- Download the required software.
- Once done, click “Scan Now”.
- Wait for the scan to complete.
Step 3. Review the results and update the sound card
Once the free scan is complete, you will receive data for all drivers. Scroll to the “Sound, Video, and Game Controllers” dataset. Look for indicators that indicate that the sound driver needs updating. If the driver is out of date, click on the “Update Now” icon or text (or similar button) and follow the on-screen prompts.
Find and use the buttons displayed to help you interpret the data
Tips
- Make sure the installed sound card is compatible with the computer.
- Get to know the sound card software manufacturer. Visit the manufacturer's website and look for the latest version of the software.
