Sony VAIO laptop "No Audio Output Device Installed"

Warning, I am NOT a computer person at all, but have spoken to some and tried several repairs. I have a Sony VAIO VPCEA24FM laptop, running windows 7 64-bit and the sound has randomly stopped working (made no changes to anything that I know of). There is a red circle with an x in it on the volume icon on the taskbar, and when I hover over it it says "No Audio Output Device is Installed." However, when I open the device manager and click under sound controllers, Intel (R) Display Audio is listed and if I click on it, it says this device is working properly.

I tried to update the drivers and it says I have the most up to date. When I open sound on the control panel it says no audio device is installed and even when I right click and click "show disabled devices" nothing is shown. I have tried microsoftfixit, and it doesn't help. I have also tried to download the Realtek High Definition Audio Driver from the Sony website, and it downloads and installs and then a window comes up that says it may not have installed properly, and asks, "reinstall with recommended settings?" i click ok and it gives me a message that says, "This update can only run on Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows 7" and all there is is an "ok" button, which i click, and it does not reinstall. HELP I'M AT MY WIT'S END!

Hello and welcome Samark had a look at the Sony site and you might try this for the audio driver, as I prefer to go to manufacturers sites rather than the Device Manager which I personally don't find all that reliable.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-home.pl?mdl=VPCEA24FM&template_id=1&region_id=1&tab=download#/downloadTab

there is also this but try the Sony site first http://www.realtek.com.tw/

As a matter of curiosity you haven't dropped the laptop or spilt anything on it by any chance?

Thanks for your response ICit2lol! I have tried downloading the audio driver from Sony several times and it never works. I DID drop my laptop weeks ago, and I haven't experienced any problems until now. HOWEVER I woke up this morning, opened the lid, and my sound was back! (????????) I don't think it updated or anything during the night because all my my windows and tabs in my browser were all open to exactly where I had left them. Do you think this could be a hardware issue? Also for the sake of curiosity I looked in the device manager to see if anything else was now listed (since before under sound the only listed item was Intel (R) Display Audio) and NOW Realtek High Definition Audio IS listed! Like I said, I tried downloading the driver from the Sony website MANY times, and it NEVER worked, it would go through all the motions of installing, and reboot, and nothing would be any different. OR sometimes after it "installed" I would get a message that said it may not have installed properly, and asks, "reinstall with recommended settings?" i click ok and it gives me a message that says, "This update can only run on Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows 7." So yea makes no sense. Given the random return of my sound capabilities do you think this could be somehow related to dropping it/a hardware issue?

Maybe Samark and it could be something as simple as that slight movement reseating something that perhaps was not fully home in it's slot or socket.

If it happens again then maybe it would be worthwhile just reseating memory sticks and the hard drive.

But just out of curiosity did you download anything from that Realtek site I referenced? Plus have a look in the Event Viewer to see if anything downloaded last night for the sound application.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/226084-event-viewer-open-use-windows-7-a.html

UGHHH Its at it again, it worked last night and this morning same thing, red circle with an x, no sound, when I look in the device manager Realtek is gone again, and now I'm having mroe trouble with the USB ports, half of the time I plug something into one it doesn't work!

Ok mate run this http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html if you cannot do this in a straight boot then do it in the safe mode.

To do the latter - power on and tap the F8 key it will then load only the essential driver / files and then do the scannow from it.