Aurora-R7, no audio through any audio ports

I suggest you connect a computer monitor with no speakers. Also, connect a set of analog speakers (or analog headset) to the 1/8 inch analog audio sockets on the back of the Aurora-R7.

Then do this:

https://www.dell.com/community/Inspiron-Desktops/Inspiron-5676-strange-sound-problem/m-p/6177732/highlight/true#M7611

After you are happy with your working analog audio-card ... you can go back to using HDMI audio.

Thanks for the reply, really appreciate it.

I don't have the option to connect a plain monitor at the moment, the TV is my main monitor. Analog speakers are connect to the back.

The link says delete all audio devices and then 'Let Windows PnP the audio-device', what exactly does that mean?

I have deleted the devices in device manager before and then reinstalled the drivers but there wasn't any automatic windows prompt that popped up to reinstall new hardware?

Cheers

If you are using HDMI, Windows defaults to HDMI for audio and thus speakers do not work.  You have to manually set "Speakers" (Realtek) as the default Audio Playback device to have sound from speakers.  

One option that will avoid Windows defaulting to HDMI is to disable the HDMI audio in the Device Manager. 

It is probably AMD or NVIDIA Hight Definition Audio (if you have a separate video card) or Intel High Definition Audio.  Whatever it is, disable it in the Device Manager.  Then Windows will not default to HDMI audio.  That is what I do with my desktop, that I use HDMI audio for my monitor but want my "speakers" as default audio playback device.

If Realtek is listed in the Device Manager and shown as "working OK" then its enabled.  

One trick that seems to fix many problems is to uninstall the device, in this case Realtek, in the Device Manager but DO NOT uninstall the drivers.  Then restart Windows and when Windows starts it will reinstall (refresh) the device.  See if this helps.

Thanks for replying to this.

I did indeed do a test yesterday where i disabled the tv audio output in device manager and set Realtek to default but it still wouldn’t work. 

Ill try again with a separate monitor (without inbuilt speakers) later on and will post updates. I have a feeling it might be the same result though because it’s display port and display port transmits audio as well, but I’ll report back.

another thing I don’t really understand is why the Alienware bios doesn’t have an audio setting? How could I check if the onboard audio is enabled or not? Do others have an audio setting in their bios?

so the technical support decided, after having a look at it,  that the sound card is faulty will need to be replaced.

the weird thing is that i have received the computer new and the card was dead on arrival. also, until now, i haven't ever come across a dead on board sound card. **bleep** for me because sending it back for repair will take over 3 weeks and the engineers in the UK only come on working hours, which makes it impossible to repair.

Just now i have connected a speakerless monitor to the r7, uninstalled all output in device manager without deleting any drivers and restarted. Unfortunately windows does not want to reinstall the devices again it just has the speaker symbol in the corner with an X saying nothing is plugged in :/

a little at wits end here, i really doubt it is a hardware defect, i haven't come across faulty onboard sound ever, but nothing seems to fix it.

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@rrvvzz wrote:

 

another thing I don’t really understand is why the Alienware bios doesn’t have an audio setting? How could I check if the onboard audio is enabled or not? Do others have an audio setting in their bios?

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I only have an Aurora-R6 here to look at. Whether it's there or not in mine is irrelevant (since it's a different model).

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@rrvvzz wrote:

 

1. I don't have the option to connect a plain monitor at the moment, 

2. Analog speakers are connect to the back.

 

3. The link says delete all audio devices and then 'Let Windows PnP the audio-device', what exactly does that mean?

4. I have deleted the devices in device manager before and then reinstalled the drivers but there wasn't any automatic windows prompt that popped up to reinstall new hardware?

 

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1. Sorry to hear that.

2. good.

3. Uninstall any and all audio driver software presented in "Programs and Features". Then delete the audio-device from Device Manager. Reboot.

4. No, nothing "pops-up" but it does happen. You can also right-click on the audio device to update the driver. It loads a Windows-10 64bit driver from local driver-cache. If there is a newer/better one in the Windows-10 Update driver database, it uses that one instead.

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@rrvvzz wrote:

1. i  have a borrowed monitor connected at the moment, without speakers

2. done, windows starts up with 3 'high definition audios devices' under sound video and game controllers.

3. in the bottom right there is the speaker icon with an output that is not realtek, something 2F audio output.

 

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1. Good

2. Right
- Intel Display Audio (audio associated with on-board video)
- Nvidia or AMD Audio (HDMI audio from dedicated video-card)
- Realtek Audio (standard on-board audio device)

3. What is 2F-Audio ? Do you have a USB sound-card or headphone connected? The idea was to get this working with a minimum of simple/standard devices connected.

i  have a borrowed monitor connected at the moment, without speakers

3.+4.

done, windows starts up with 3 'high definition audios devices' under sound video and game controllers.

in the bottom right there is the speaker icon with an output that is not realtek, something 2F audio output.

after right clicking the top high definition audio device and updating drivers - search automatically, the input devices change to 2 high definition audio devices and 1 realtek. the bottom right speaker icon now has a disabled icon next to it and I can't select an output, it just leads me to the windows troubleshoot which does nothing useful.

8gb 1080, 2 hdmi, 2 dispplayport, 1 dvi as far as i can tell, it came with the r7

btw thanks for looking into this and being so patient

all enabled 7 of them, this is what it says in legacy sound:

1 digital audio hdmi, high def audio device  (not plugged in)

2 digital audio hdmi, high def audio device  (not plugged in)

3 digital audio hdmi, high def audio device  (not plugged in)

4 digital audio hdmi, high def audio device (not plugged in) 

5 digital audio hdmi, high def audio device  (not plugged in)

6 speakers, realtek audio (not plugged in),

-i think this should be the green port at the back, where my speakers are plugged in?-

7 digital audio (s/pdif),realtek audio default device, green tick

Did you check in (Legacy) Control Panel / Sound and make sure no (Playback) devices are disabled?