no sound

Good day !

Thank you for writing to Dell Community Forum .

To get a better understanding of  this issue I would ask you to confirm these steps ,

*Were any software /hardware changes made to the system .

*Is this issue seen with speakers / headphones / with both of them .

*When the system is powered on are you able to hear the windows chime sound at login .

Awaiting your response .

Have a good day ahead !

Kindest Regards ,

I have the same issue with my Dell Inspiron--no sound from laptop speakers, external speakers, headphones and there are no windows sounds at login.

Hi Cycledawg51,

In this case I would ask you to confirm if the issue is seen after any software or hardware changes were made to the system .

Also in the device manager do you  see the audio drivers listed with any errors.

Do reply to this post with the service tag info ,os info installed on the system (send it via private message ) so that I can check the system specifications .

Awaiting your response .

Kindest Regards,

I got a new Dell E6540. The sound in the right hand corner has a red X. I tried installing a sound driver but it still did not work. After diagnostics test, is says I do not have a sound card. Our IT said it might be a hardware issue. Are the new laptops supposed to come with a sound card already installed? Any suggestions on what I do from here?

Thank you?

I got a new Dell E6540.

Hello. The Latitude E6540 was a late 2013 model, so your "new" one might be a refurbished (used) model or something. Did it come from Dell or a reseller?

Are the new laptops supposed to come with a sound card already installed?

Yes, all of the models have an "integrated" audio system. That means it is a chip on the motherboard, not an actual sound card like a desktop computer might have. The integrated audio on the Latitude E6540 model is a Realtek ALC3226. The Realtek driver for it is available on the Latitude E6540 support page. Note that if you go to that page the first thing you should do is to select your operating system to ensure getting the correct version of the driver.

However, you should not need to install a Realtek audio driver because Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1 all have a native audio drive that is automatically installed when there is no Realtek driver on the hard drive. However You should try installing the Realtek driver anyway (you said you tried "a" driver. You want to be sure it is the correct one -- get it from your support page with the correct operating system selected.

The sound in the right hand corner has a red X.

If you rule out a driver problem, one of the reasons for the red x is that the audio chip has failed. The only way to diagnose that for sure is to perform a system recovery. That means setting it back to the original factory configuration. Doing that will fix any and all software problems with the audio, so if it still does not work after the recovery that would definitely mean that the hardware has failed. Talk to your IT before performing a recovery if it is a company computer.

Which type of recovery method?

The preferred recovery is to use the Factory Image that would have been on the original hard drive. If you look at this link to System Recovery you can see some options for using the factory image.

It is the preferred method because it is a diagnostic tool. If the audio does not work when tested immediately after a system recovery (before connecting to the internet) then you know for certain that there has been hardware failure.

If you created recovery media when the laptop was brand new, before the first time it was connected to the internet, then that recovery media is just as good as using the Factory Image.

If you created recovery media soon after you got the computer, even if not right away, then that is still good to use. If the audio does not work after you use that type of recovery media then you can be 99% sure that there has been hardware failure.

The least desirable recovery method is to perform a fresh installation of Windows from an installation disk or iso image. If the audio does not work after you use that type of media then probably there has been hardware failure but you can't be 100% sure.

Hello, and thank you for your advice.

We bought it from Dell as a new product.

The driver I installed from the dell website was the one you mentioned, Realtek ALC3226. I go through the whole process and reboot. It is still not working. I search for the driver and it is not pulling up.

So I guess my next option is to do a system recovery then, correct? Which type of recovery method?

Thank you!

Hello,

We did a full restoration and it is a hardware issue. Also did a bios update, same issue. Do you know what I do from here?

Thank you!

Do you know what I do from here?

Hello. Sorry for the slow reply but I failed to notice your last post until today.

If the laptop is still under warranty then contact tech support to arrange to have the laptop repaired.

Contact Technical Support