No sound through left speaker

[m1001879]

Hey guys, just got my new laptop (Toshiba L650) with Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit, plugged in my external sound card (default 5.1 surround from Maplin) and updated to the windows 7 driver.

I only have three speakers and the sub plugged in (front right, left and centre), which is the exact same configuration I had on XP and Linux Mint. For some reason there is no sound coming through my left speaker.

Front right speaker plays correctly
Front left and front centre sounds all come through the front centre speaker

All cables plugged in and working properly.

Help!

 

[Dwarf]

Hi m1001879 and welcome to Windows 7 Forums

Does the left speaker actually work? Try physically swapping it over with the right one (which you know works).

 

[m1001879]

Yeah, it works fine, I did this earlier and got no sound through the other speaker instead. It seems to be a problem with either the driver or windows 7.

 

[Anthony]

Check the jack is all the way in, these things are tight when they are new.

 

[m1001879]

The speakers aren't new. The only thing that is new is the laptop. The USB connection to the sound card is fine as the other speakers are working, just not the left.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

m1001879, Welcome to SF. These audio issues are most often related to the pin and connector not making a good contact. I would suggest you make and unmake this connection many times and also hit the hole with some air. Then use a small amount of surface enhancer like Caig Gold ! When making the connection rotate the plug and likely the contact will return also if the cable is under any tension it can be an issue as well, please make sure the cable drapes so no tension is on pin and plug.

 

[Anthony]

I see, Whats the make and model number of that USB sound card from Maplin.

Link would be helpful.

 

[m1001879]

Thanks for the welcome! There's definitely no problem with any of the cables or connections. This exact same set up works fine when run through Linux (on my old laptop) with no physical adjustments at all. The issue is definitely software related.

 

[m1001879]

5.1 USB Multimedia Sound Card : Sound Cards : Maplin

 

[linnemeyerhere]

I would play with the left speakers lead while some music is playing. Grab it at the speaker and move and grasp it all the way back to the input/output. I suspect the wire could have a break in it !

 

[Anthony]

It says its not Windows 7 Compatible:

 

[m1001879]

There definitely isn't a problem with the wire. I've just played some music from my old laptop without moving anything and all speakers were working perfectly.

This is not a hardware issue, it's a software issue.

 

[m1001879]

It says its not Windows 7 Compatible:

Scroll up, about 6 lines up there's this update...

Please note: The item is now supported on Windows 7. The driver can be obtained by clicking A18FW driver here


Dimensions: 85(w) x 125(h) x 25(d) mm

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Ok, so if we can eliminate the physical connections then do you have the latest drivers and bios updates for your new laptop. Just cause it's new doesn't mean you have everything updated. Looking at the manufacturer download site for you model will often show updates for audio issues, read though and double check and update the drivers. A bios update is not what I'm suggesting at this moment but it's worth checking while you're at this!

 

[linnemeyerhere]

If all drivers off mfgr's site and the sound card are installed and up to date then I think you could have a bad adapter. Try swapping the front channel cables with one another. If the right goes out then the adapter is bad and you should RMA or return it.

 

[m1001879]

All of the cables and adapters are working fine, I've also installed the windows 7 driver for the sound card. The issue is that Windows 7 is playing the left speaker sounds through the central speaker (as well as the central speaker sounds) rather than the left one.

To reiterate - everything works fine when run on Linux

 

[Anthony]

It says its not Windows 7 Compatible:

Scroll up, about 6 lines up there's this update...

Please note: The item is now supported on Windows 7. The driver can be obtained by clicking A18FW driver here


Dimensions: 85(w) x 125(h) x 25(d) mm

Excuse Me?

 

[m1001879]

No idea where the emoticon came from, must have been a combination of some of the letters and numbers in the update

 

[linnemeyerhere]

How about removing the driver and letting windows find a driver for the device on it's own when it's plugged in?

 

[m1001879]

How do i remove the driver?