HP Desktop PCs - No Sound from the Speakers (Windows 8)

• Connectors on the computer marked with a headset only, support output sound only and work with a standard three-pin headphone or a four-pin headphone, for sound.
  Figure : Standard three-pin plug

  
• Connectors on the computer marked with a headset with a microphone , support sound and the use of a microphone when used with a headset with a four-pin plug and a microphone.

  Figure : Four-pin plug

  
  To hear sound, either plug may be used with either connector. Using a four-pin plug that is capable of supporting a microphone in a three-pin connector allows sound to be heard, but the microphone does not work because the computer's three-pin connector does not support a microphone.

1. If your powered speakers have a volume control knob, set it to halfway.
   Figure : Volume control knob for speakers (your speakers might be different)

   
   If you are using speakers that are built into your monitor, make sure sound is enabled for the monitor and volume is set to halfway. Adjust the sound settings for your monitor by using the buttons on the monitor and/or the on-screen menu. To find more specific information about using and adjusting your monitor speaker settings, see the support documentation that came with your monitor.
   Figure : Volume and menu buttons on a monitor (your monitor might be different)

   
2. Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen, right-click, and select Control Panel from the menu.
   Figure : Control Panel

   
3. Click Hardware and Sound. Under Sound, click Adjust system volume.
   Figure : Adjust system volume

   
   Figure : Volume Mixer

   
4. Make sure the volume is not muted by looking at the square Mute buttons below the volume slider. If the button displays a small red circle, the volume is muted.
   If the volume is muted, click the Mute button to enable sound. The red circle on the speaker icon disappears when sound is no longer muted.

   Sound muted	Sound not muted

5. After verifying that the sound is not muted, drag the volume adjuster up until it is at 75%.
6. To test, click the volume slider bar. If you hear a ding sound from all speakers, you are finished troubleshooting.
   Figure : Testing volume

   
   If you still do not hear any sound, set the default speakers and test them.

1. Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen, right-click and then select Control Panel from the menu.
   Figure : Control Panel

   
2. Click Hardware and Sound, and then click Sound.
   Figure : Sound Settings

   
3. If headphones are connected and you are not using them as your main speakers, disconnect the headphones now. Connecting headphones to the computer mutes other speakers.
4. Find your connection type. If you have more than one connection type, such as HDMI and Speakers, then choose the connection type you want to use.

   Speakers		If you are using typical computer speakers or headphones (analog sound devices), make sure Speakers is selected. This is the most common sound setup for a desktop computer environment and includes many types of headphones, desktop speakers, 5.1 and 7.1 sound systems. Many monitors with built-in speakers also support a speaker connection using a separate audio cable connected from the computer to the monitor (not an HDMI connection).
   Digital Output		If you want to send all sound from the computer to digital speakers or a stereo digital device, make sure the playback device labeled with Digital Output is selected.
   HDMI		If your computer has an HDMI connection and you are trying to use the speakers in a TV or monitor, make sure the playback device labeled with HDMI is selected.

5. In the Sound window, select your Playback Device and click the Set Default button.
   Figure : Set Default

   
6. With the default Playback Device selected, click the Configure button.
7. Click your speaker setup in Audio channels.
   Figure : Speaker Setup window with 5.1 Surround (five speakers and a subwoofer) selected

   
8. Click the Test button to send sound to each speaker, or click an individual speaker to send sound to it.
9. If sound is heard correctly from each speaker, you are finished.
   If sound is missing from all or one of the speakers, or if the configuration type was changed, continue with speaker setup by clicking Next. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the speaker setup.
   Play a sound. If sound problems continue, check the speaker connections.

1. Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen, right-click and then select Control Panel from the menu.
2. Click Hardware and Sound, and then click Sound.
   Figure : Sound Settings

   
3. The Speaker Properties window contains a list of color-coded connectors that corresponds to each pair of speakers. Use this information to determine which connector goes with the speaker pairs that you are using.
   Figure : Speaker Properties window for 7:1 Surround setup

   
   The example shown in the image is for a 7.1 Surround setup, where:
   • L R (green, Line Out) is for the front left and right speaker pair (the green connector, usually labeled Line out).
   • RL RR (orange) is for the Rear-left and Rear-right speaker pair.
   • C Sub (black) is for the Center or Subwoofer speaker.
   • SL SR (gray), is for Side Left and Side Right speakers
4. Make sure each speaker cable is connected to its corresponding connector on the back of the computer. The colors shown in the Speaker Properties window match the connector color on the computer.
5. If you have 5.1 or greater speakers, connect the speaker cables to the speaker hardware (usually on the subwoofer). Then match the speaker cable to the connectors on the computer using the colors shown in the Speakers Property window.
6. If any speaker cable connection changed, check for sound again using the steps in Set default speakers and test.
   Play a sound. If you still do not hear any sound, check for sound from headphones.

1. Find and unplug all audio cables from the back of the computer.
2. Plug the headphones directly into the speaker out connector on the back of the computer. The speaker out connector might have a symbol of a speaker or a circle with an arrow pointing out, or it might be labeled as OUT.
3. Test for sound in Windows. Double-click the volume icon in the taskbar, and then click the volume control slide in the Volume Mixer.
   Figure : Testing volume

   
   Each time you click the master volume slide bar, you should hear a beep sound through the headphones.
   • If you hear sound through the headphones, the sound hardware on the computer is working, and the issue is probably related to the speakers or speaker cables. Disconnect the headphones and reconnect the speakers.
     When done, test again for sound using the same steps as above with the volume control slider. If sound still does not work correctly after reconnecting the speakers, try replacing the speaker cable (if possible), or speaker fuse and test again.
   • If you cannot hear sound through the headphones, make sure that you are connecting the headphones into the correct connector, and try again. If there is still no sound, continue to the next step when you are sure the headphones are connected to the correct audio connector on the back of the computer.
   Figure : Computer with 3 rear audio connectors
   
   1. Microphone connector or Center/Subwoofer Out
   2. Front speaker connector (to front powered speakers or headphones)
   3. Line-in or Rear speaker Out
   Figure : Computer with 6 rear audio connectors
   
   1. Side speaker out
   2. Rear speaker out
   3. Center and subwoofer out
   4. Microphone
   5. Line-out (to front powered speakers or headphones)
   6. Line-in

note:

If the computer was upgraded to Windows Vista before being upgraded to Windows 8, you might not be able to use all the features of an integrated audio device that is compliant with Audio Codex '97 (AC '97) specifications. To resolve this, update the audio driver. See Step 8: Updating the audio driver.

1. Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen, right-click, select Device Manager from the menu.
   Figure : Device Manager

   
2. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers.
3. Right-click the name of the audio device and select Properties.
   Figure : Device Manager audio device properties

   
4. Click the Driver tab.

   note:

   Audio devices will vary depending on the configuration of your computer.

5. Click Roll Back Driver.
   Figure : Example audio device properties - The audio devices on your computer may be different.

   
6. Click Yes to roll back to the previous driver.
7. Test for sound.

1. Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen, right-click, select Device Manager from the menu.
   Figure : Device Manager

   
2. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers.
3. Do the following, depending on what displays:
   • If a sound device is not listed and the computer uses a sound card, reseat the sound card into the motherboard slot. Go to the next step if problems continue.
   • If a sound device is listed with a down arrow, the device is disabled. Right-click the sound device name and select Enable to re-enable the device. Go to the next step if problems continue after enabling the device.
     Figure : Enabling a disabled sound device

     
   • If a sound device is listed, right-click the device name and select Properties to view more helpful troubleshooting information in the Device Status window. If Device Status shows that the device is working correctly, the problem is probably related to sound settings, the speakers, or the cables.

note:

HP occasionally makes updates to its HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) environment. To download the latest version, go to the HP Hardware Diagnostics website. For more information about installing and using the HP PC Hardware Diagnostic tests, see Testing for Hardware Failures (Windows 10, 8)

1. Hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer.
2. Turn on the computer and immediately press the F2 key repeatedly, about once every second.
3. The HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) main menu is displayed. Click Component Tests.
   Figure : HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) main menu

   
4. The Component Tests menu displays. Click Audio.
   Figure : Component Test menu with Audio selected

   
5. Click Run once to start the test.
   Figure : Audio Playback Test

   
6. Select Speaker to begin the test.
   Figure : Testing the Speaker

   
7. During the test, a few music notes will be played in sequence and repeatedly. Listen carefully and select the number of notes you hear in the sequence. If you enter a tone number incorrectly, run the test again. If you hear nothing, select No sound.

   note:

   Some HP models have a Volume control in the test window. Make sure you increase the volume level before you make a music tone selection.

   Figure : Entering the number of notes

   
8. When the Audio Test is complete, the results are displayed on the screen.
   If the audio test passes, return to the Main menu to exit and restart the computer.
   If the audio fails the tests, a failure ID will be provided. Write down the information so you have it available when you contact HP Customer Support. The information is also available in the Test Logs, on the Diagnostics UEFI main page.
   Figure : Audio test results

   

1. Turn off power to the subwoofer and unplug power to the speakers.
2. Remove the fuse cover and then the fuse, and look through the glass cylinder. If the wire inside is separated, has dark spots, or burn marks, replace the fuse. If the fuse looks good, swap the fuse anyway and keep the older fuse as a spare.
3. Buy a new fuse. It is a good idea to take the old fuse to the electronics store when purchasing the new fuse. This way, the old fuse can be used to make sure it matches the new fuse purchased at the store.
4. Install the new fuse, replace the fuse cap, apply power, turn the speakers on, and test for sound.

• Turn off the speaker volume control before applying power to the speakers.
• Like a high-quality home stereo system, it is not good to raise the volume more than half the range of the control knob. Doing so reduces the quality of the sound and is harder on the speakers. Poor sound quality occurs when lower sound levels are raised to a peak level. Lots of sound occurring at one peak level stresses the speakers.