Realtek HD Audio has a driver problem

Sublimex · 08 Sep 2015

Hi folks, I've been having a problem with audio output on my computer for a couple of days now (I specify output because my microphone seems to be working just fine).

Anyway, the overall problem here is that there's no sound; I check the properties for Realtek HD Audio in Device Manager and see that I get "This device cannot start (Code 10)."

I try to update the drivers, but Windows tells me that "The best driver software for your device is already installed". I try to uninstall and reinstall the drivers, and that doesn't help at all.

Furthermore, I tried searching for Realtek HD Audio in the Start menu's search bar, only to find that when I right-click it, the only option is Open (which doesn't work) and it won't even let me see the file location.

Of course, I've done what anyone and everyone would do in this situation, and that's troubleshoot. The screenshot attached is what came up.

Any help for this would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

fireberd · 08 Sep 2015

Try this to see if the Realtek sound chip it detected. Uninstall the Realtek in the Device Manager and the driver. Restart the PC and when Windows starts it should detect the sound but since there is no Realtek driver, it should install the generic, basic function, High Definition Audio Driver. If it does and the sound works OK, download and reinstall the Realtek driver.

However, if it does not detect/install the High Definiton Audio Driver, that says either the BIOS is not detecting it or there is a hardware problem with the Realtek chip. First step is to reset the BIOS - with the PC powered off, open the case and remove the CR2032 CMOS (BIOS) backup battery on the motherboard for AT LEAST 10 minutes. Reinstall the battery, observing polarity, and power on the PC and see if Windows detects the Realtek.

Sublimex · 13 Sep 2015

Thanks for your reply. I tried doing both of the things you suggested, one after the other, with no luck. Based on your post, this seems to be a hardware issue. Do you have any suggestions for what I can do?

fireberd · 14 Sep 2015

I would more suspect Windows than a hardware problem. However, a reinstall is a big hassle. Up to you but that would be my next step a "clean" install. Backup the user data to some external media as it will be all gone on a clean install which involves reformatting the hard drive and installing Windows and all programs.