Having trouble with audio or sound on your Dell PC? If you notice symptoms like no sound or no audio, stuttering, jarring, crackling or choppy audio, intermittent audio, distorted audio, follow the troubleshooting steps below.
Expand the sections below for more information and follow the troubleshooting steps in a sequence.
For help with microphone issues, refer to the Dell knowledge-base article How to troubleshoot microphone issues
Audio performance issues may occur if there is any type of damage caused to the audio cables or the audio ports on the PC. You may experience symptoms like audio playback stops working, works intermittently, choppy or distorted audio, static noise, etc.
Audio ports are exposed to elements that may cause a build-up of dust or even physical damages. If you notice that the port or connector has dust or other contaminants, use a can of compressed air to clean the ports.
If you do notice a physical damage, contact Dell Technical Support to learn more about repair options that are available in your region. If there is no damage, proceed to the next step.
Back to topA simple reboot can resolve many issues almost immediately. Restarting your PC is an effective way to clear the memory (RAM) and ensure that any errant processes and services that started is shut down.
Restarting your PC closes all the applications or software running on your PC, applications running on the taskbar and dozens of other services that may be running in the background which were started by various applications.
If the audio playback issue persists, proceed to the next step.
Back to topMost desktop PCs come with 3 or more audio connectors and laptops usually come with one audio connector. Verify that the speaker cables are properly connected from your speaker to the PC. Audio connectors and plugs on the sound card are normally color-coded to help with proper connection (Figure x).
If the audio playback issue persists, proceed to the next step.
If the audio playback issue persists, proceed to the next step.
The default audio playback device is the device that Microsoft Windows uses to output (play) sound. When you connect speakers, earphones or headphones, bluetooth headset, or other audio devices to your PC, you can select which device you want to use by default. Windows can play audio through the speaker port, bluetooth, HDMI or DisplayPort (DP) ports. It is essential to select the correct playback device and check the volume settings, for audio playback to work on your PC.
If the audio playback issue persists, proceed to the next step.
Microsoft Windows includes a variety of 'troubleshooters' designed to quickly diagnose and automically resolve many PC problems. Although Windows Troubleshooter cannot fix hardware problems, they are a great place to start if you encounter a problem with your PC. Windows Troubleshooters are built into the Control Panel in Windows 10, 8.1 or 8 and 7.
If the audio playback issue persists, proceed to the next step.
Back to topDell recommends updating the device drivers and BIOS as part of your scheduled update cycle. Device drivers and BIOS updates may contain feature enhancements or changes that will help keep your system software current and compatible with other system modules (hardware and software) as well as increased stability.
It is essential to update the following device drivers for optimal audio or sound playback performance and to resolve common audio or sound playback related issues:
To learn how to download and install a device driver on your Dell PC, refer to the Dell knowledge-base article How do I update the device drivers on a Dell PC?
To learn how to download and update the BIOS on your Dell PC, refer to the Dell knowledge-base How to Download or Update the BIOS on a Dell PC?
Update your System Setup (BIOS) - (2:06)
If the audio playback issue persists, proceed to the next step.
Back to topRunning a hardware diagnostic test can help you identify hardware related problems and provide you troubleshooting steps to help resolve the issue. To determine if your Dell PC is experiencing a hardware problem, it is recommended that you first run a hardware diagnostic test on your PC. Dell offers both built-in and online diagnostics. Dell ePSA hardware diagnostic test will help check if the hardware devices are working correctly.
If your PC is able to boot into Windows and has an active internet connection, run a hardware diagnostic test on the sound or audio card using Dell SupportAssist.
ePSA Pre-boot System Assessment (Official Dell Tech Support) on YouTube - (2:28) English Only
Use the Dell Interactive Support Agent (English only) to get information about ePSA or PSA diagnostic error codes.
Alternatively, you can visit the SupportAssist Pre-Boot System Performance Check page to get more information about ePSA or PSA diagnostic error codes.
To learn more about Dell ePSA or PSA diagnostics, visit the Dell knowledge-base article Resolve Hardware Issues with Built-in and Online Diagnostics (ePSA or PSA Error Codes).
If the Dell ePSA diagnostics and other troubleshooting steps has not identified the cause of USB issue, we recommend that you consider running a hardware checkup using Dell SupportAssist. Dell SupportAssist diagnostic test helps you troubleshoot a problem and get automated fixes.
Performing Hardware Scan - Dell SupportAssist - (2:11)
If the audio playback issue persists, proceed to the next step.
Back to topWindows updates can support your Windows operating system in many ways. Windows updates can solve specific problems, provide protection from malicious attacks, or even add new features to the operating system.
If the audio playback issue persists, proceed to the next step.
Back to topSystem Restore is a built-in Windows tool designed to protect and repair the operating system. When something goes wrong with your PC, System Restore should be used prior to restoring the PC to factory defaults.
Select the Operating System installed on your PC to find more information about how to perform System Restore:
If the audio playback issue persists, proceed to the next step.
Back to topIf the diagnostic tests on the USB ports passed, it is most definitely an issue related to software installed on your PC. If the above troubleshooting steps did not resolve the issue, you can try to restore your PC to factory defaults as a last resort.
Dell PCs are built with a small amount of hard disk space reserved for reinstalling your operating system. This method is the easiest way to restore your PC to factory condition. The restoration process deletes all user data from the PC, so be sure to back up all your files prior to starting this process
Select the Operating System installed on your PC to find more information about how to restore your PC to factory defaults:
Perform a Reset in Windows 10 - (1:36) English Only
If the audio playback issue persists, contact Dell Technical Support.
Back to topHow to Fix Audio Problems (Official Dell Tech Support) on YouTube - (1:54) English Only
How to Fix Audio Problems in Windows 10 (Official Dell Tech Support) on YouTube - (2:14) English Only
Troubleshooting Audio Issues in Windows 8 or Windows 10 - (2:26)
Troubleshooting Audio Issues in Windows 7 - (1:31)
Article ID: SLN146399
Last Date Modified: 12/14/2018 05:21 PM
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