Windows 7 Sound Mixer Not Remembering Settings

[gir]

I really need help with this. I've asked on multiple forums and no one knows the answer. I've tried all the fixes across the web and none of worked so far from checking settings to editing the registery and nothing.

My sound mixer is not remember the settings I give to individual programs after they close and reopen. Say a game for instance, if I put the volume to 20% in the sound mixer and then exit the game, then go back on the game and check the volume in sound mixer. Instead of it saying 20% still and remembering it resets the volume to 100%.

This is really annoying. I really hope someone here will help me fix my problem. I need help!

Thanks!

 

[fireberd]

This is not a problem with the actual sound device, but an issue with the programs, or games in this case.

 

[gir]

It happens with every program and every game that I have, they never were a problem before and they seem to work fine on other computers. Any application that closes and reopens does it.

 

[fireberd]

Then the problem you are having would seem to be different from your description.

First make sure the Xonar drivers are being properly loaded when you boot up. I have an HTO Striker 7.1 sound card that uses C-Media drivers and I've seen posts about Asus also using C-Media hardware/drivers. I've had problems with them properly running under Windows 7, so that would be a good place to start.

 

[gir]

Then the problem you are having would seem to be different from your description.

First make sure the Xonar drivers are being properly loaded when you boot up. I have an HTO Striker 7.1 sound card that uses C-Media drivers and I've seen posts about Asus also using C-Media hardware/drivers. I've had problems with them properly running under Windows 7, so that would be a good place to start.

I don't think it is an issue with the Xonar, I only got that recently and I've been having issues with it before then. The drivers are all installed for the Xonar and working. I might just have to reformat with win 7 again. I have no idea how to fix it otherwise.

 

[gir]

Hi again, I'm back and the mixer has got worse.

I've tried everything, reinstall drivers, support sites even reinstalled OS from 64bit to 32bit and back to 64bit and still got the problem.

It is even worse now. The volume mixer doesn't seem to be understanding it has settings, take itunes for example, you turn it down to 0% but it still carries on playing the sound. The only way you can now turn down sound is by using the main speaker controller only. The rest are pretty much useless. It's kinda like having sound still play if you pull your headphones out the jack. It doesn't make any sense.

The little green/grey bars that show when sound is playing/output from an application doesn't show on any of the tabs. Mute doesn't work at all.

It gets worse, you disable the sound driver in device manager and it still plays the sound. The mixer is useless, It can't be just me getting this issue on a new reformat.

Can anyone give me any idea how to fix?

 

[timmerov]

the volume mixer worked fine for me up until a few weeks ago. before then i could selectively mute chrome. and volume mixer would remember that crome is supposed to be muted. i don't know what changed between then and now. but now every time i start chrome, i have to re-mute it in volume mixer. it's not just chrome. this happens with *every* app i've cared to try.

google search result can be summarized as follows:

- microsoft says it's a problem with steam or the game or the audio program - definitely not windows.

- go to control panels -> sound -> communications tab. set action to 'do nothing'. this didn't fix things for me.

- delete some ie7 (!) registry keys. this didn't work for me either.

the only strange thing i've done in that time period is change my account from standard to administrator and back again. and install automatic windows updates.

 

[gotunfarg]

In the Volume Mixer window (your screenshot) you see the text "Speakers (High Definition Audio Device)" in the in the window title. This is the built in audio card! You might have the wrong audio device selected as "Default Device" for output.

First, you need to select the correct output device. Right-click on the audio icon in the systray and open "Playback devices", then select the correct output device and then press "Set Default".

Second, you need to make sure you have the correct device selected in the Volume Mixer window (your screenshot). In the leftmost square labeled "Device" there is an down-arrow with a drop-down menu which lets you select which output to control!

Also a side note: There is a special mode in Windows 7 called "exlusive mode" or WASAPI, this means an application entirely bypasses the built-in mixer, so the windows mixer controls don't work and all other sounds/applications are muted. The up side with (and reason for) this is that the sound is output directly in "bit-exact" mode from the application to the sound card without being re-sampled by the windows mixer (much like ASIO, but you don't need an ASIO compatible sound card). This mode is activated from within the application, and volume and output format is controlled from within the application too. This can lead one to think that there is a problem with the sound settings, but you just have to exit the application using "exclusive mode"/WASAPI or select to use Direct Sound Out and all the other applications will have sound again and the volume controls will work.

 

[dattimr]

Well, I don't know how to solve the volume issue, but, in regard to those "squares" that appear beside the items from your volume mixer, you may do this: in the Region and Language item from the Control Panel, change your format, location, and keyboard to a different setting in their respective tabs; then, switch them back to the correct settings, and restart your computer -- the squares should be gone for good. But, in case they still appear, open the Font item from the Control Panel, click on Font Settings, and click "Restore default font settings." Then, restart your computer once again.

 

[Himself]

Notice that there's a box

I'm having the same problem, in that the sound mixer won't remember my settings and it used to.
One thing I noticed when this change occurred was that a small box appeared next to the title of each program listed in the mixer, and it was not there when the mixer would remember my settings.
If you look at gir's screenshot then you can see what I'm talking about. I think that they are definitely related.
wtf Microsoft?
Any thoughts?

 

[bobrichards]

any solution to this problem?
It started for me about 5 days ago, about the time I did a windows update but cannot be sure this is related to problem