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Solve : Windows 8.1 will not recognize *anything* as an audio device?

Answer» <html><body><p>I have an ASUS X75A laptop, with built-in sound card (a proprietary VIA model that ASUS uses; it shows up as a "dev8446"). It came with <a href="https://interviewquestions.tuteehub.com/tag/win8" style="font-weight:bold;" target="_blank" title="Click to know more about WIN8">WIN8</a> pre-installed and I applied the free upgrade to Win 8.1. Everything worked fine for a while, then one day the volume indicator in the task bar had a big red X over it, and claimed I had no audio devices installed.<br/><br/>The Windows sound troubleshooter can't <a href="https://interviewquestions.tuteehub.com/tag/figure-248565" style="font-weight:bold;" target="_blank" title="Click to know more about FIGURE">FIGURE</a> out the problem -- i.e. the proper Services <a href="https://interviewquestions.tuteehub.com/tag/start-239994" style="font-weight:bold;" target="_blank" title="Click to know more about START">START</a> up and are running.<br/>The device drivers are all up to date and none of them show a problem.<br/>The Sound panel in Control Panel is checked off to show disabled/disconnected devices. Says there are no input or output devices present.<br/>The sound card is not turned off in the BIOS, in fact there is no place in the BIOS to do that.<br/><br/>I don't have any malware. <br/>Nothing else in Windows is behaving oddly.<br/>I don't recall installing anything interesting (or anything at all, actually) right before it happened, except for a MS automatic update.<br/>I tried a restore point when it first happened, and that didn't help. The relevant ones have long since been overwritten.<br/><br/>Now here's the interesting part: <br/><br/>I got a cheap USB external sound card, and the same <a href="https://interviewquestions.tuteehub.com/tag/thing-25656" style="font-weight:bold;" target="_blank" title="Click to know more about THING">THING</a> happens -- it's recognized, the drivers load, and it doesn't show up as an audio device in the Sound panel. Since I would rather get a root canal than have to reinstall Windows and all my software (I despise Win 8 and do not use Metro apps -- I've tweaked it so the Desktop loads automatically and I can use it like Win 7 or XP -- this means I have to reinstall everything if I do a repair installation from the recovery partition), I tried connecting a Bluetooth headset. No dice. The headset is recognized properly as a Bluetooth device; the properties indicate the system knows it's a headset -- and it does not show up as an audio device, so I still have no sound! I even tried to reroute the sound to my iPhone (there's software for that) and that doesn't work <a href="https://interviewquestions.tuteehub.com/tag/either-967193" style="font-weight:bold;" target="_blank" title="Click to know more about EITHER">EITHER</a>. The connection is established, but it's not recognized as being an audio output, so it doesn't play sound.<br/><br/>I repaired computers professionally for almost 20 years, and have never seen this problem.<br/>Can you think of anything else I can try doing besides reinstalling Windows?I would try re-installing the sound drivers from the laptop manuf. Driver CD that shipped with the PC.Have you tried doing a system file check? sfc /scannowQuote</p><blockquote>this means I have to reinstall everything if I do a repair installation from the recovery partition</blockquote>A repair will not affect any of your important data or programs. Patio's advice about re-installing the drivers may fix it.Quote from: strollin on March 21, 2014, 07:47:03 AM<blockquote>Have you tried doing a system file check? sfc /scannow<br/></blockquote><br/>I tried that (knew there was something else I had done that also didn't work -- that was it).<br/><br/>Quote from: SuperDave on March 21, 2014, 12:38:57 PM<blockquote>A repair will not affect any of your important data or programs. Patio's advice about re-installing the drivers may fix it.<br/></blockquote><br/>I will try rolling back the driver to what ASUS originally had installed, and if that doesn't work, try the Windows repair.<br/><br/>Thanks!</body></html>


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