Missing sound under Windows

The sound issue often arises after having formatted your computer. Though it might not be the only reason behind this problem, it is more than often linked to your sound device.
Other causes linked to this problem might be:

1. A virus that has infected your system
2. Bad installation of your sound driver
3. A configuration problem with your sound card
4. Or simply a problem of compatibility between your operating system and the sound device that you are currently using.

In either scenario, you can try to fix this problem by following the steps below:

Step 1: Check that the sound icon is present

If the icon is missing, in the right corner of the screen (where the time is usually displayed), refer to the following steps.

Step 2: For Windows XP/2000/95/98/ME users

1. Go to the Start menu and in the “Settings” option, open “Control Panel”.
2. Browse for the “Sounds and Audio Devices”/ “Sounds and Multimedia”/ “Multimedia” icon and check that the option “Place volume in the taskbar” is checked.
3. If it is the case, go to the “Control Panel” and select the sound icon and check that all the sound volumes are enabled.

Step 3: Check that the drivers are not conflicting with other programs

1. Open your “Control Panel” and browse for the “Device Manager”
2. If there are any conflicts displayed, go to the “Conflicts” section at the bottom of the window
3. If the conflicts section has displayed other devices, move down to the “Other Devices” section.
4. In this section, if the “Sound, video and game controllers” is not listed, move down to the “Missing sound card” section.
5. If you have not faced any conflicts yet in these sections, ensure that your driver is properly installed and that the programs that you have recently installed are not conflicting with the driver’s configurations.

Step 4: For Windows Vista users

1. Open the Device Manager and expand the menu for “Sound, video and game controllers”
2. Browse for the audio device that has been added on your computer
3. Select the device and use your right-click option to access to “Properties”
4. Select the tab labeled “Driver”
5. Hence, choose the “Uninstall” option.
6. Ensure that the option labeled “Delete the Driver Software” is unchecked before clicking “OK”
7. When done, click the “Action” menu found under the Device Manager dialog box.
8. Select the option “Scan for hardware changes”
9. You will be prompted that the device is being installed and you will find the uninstalled audio device in the “Device Manager” section.

Step 4: Verifications

1. If none has resolved your problem, check that you have installed the right sound card driver.
2. Also, check that your sound card does not have any defaults. You might need to change it if the problem persists.
3. You might have been infected by a virus/spyware/adware that has spread on your system. You can download an antivirus from one of the links below:

BitDefender
Download Link: http://www.bitdefender.com/site/Downloads/

Kapersky
Download Link: http://en.softonic.com/s/kaspersky-7

AVG
Download Link: http://free.avg.com/