Basic Troubleshooting Speakers

After downloading a new track from your favorite online music store, you’re ready to jam. Much to your disappointment, you discover there’s something wrong with your computer’s speakers. You can’t hear a thing, even though the program you’re using to play the track appears to be outputting sound. In this article, we’ll look at some of the things you should check when there is no sound coming from your computer’s speakers. Most laptops have built-in speakers. With a laptop, you also have the option of connecting external speakers. Many laptops have the ability to mute the speakers and adjust volume using hardware buttons on the laptop. If you have a desktop computer, there may be an integrated speaker in the case, but you will need separate, external speakers in order to play music and other audio files. Sometimes, the sound card in your computer, rather than your speakers, causes the audio problems you’re experiencing. If you suspect this is the case, take a look at our articles on troubleshooting sound cards ("You’re Having Audio Problems") and ("Basic Troubleshooting: Audio Cards"). No Sound At All

Problem: You click a link to an audio file on a Web site, but hear nothing.

Solution: Some Web pages open a separate window in order to initiate the audio player. Popup blockers sometimes block this new window from opening. If you have a popup blocker installed, add the Web site you’re accessing to the whitelist to allow all popups. For more information on popup blockers, see “You’re Pestered By Popup Ads”. If you don’t have a popup blocker, or if it’s set to allow all popups from the site you are visiting, make sure your computer has completely dowloaded the audio file you’re trying to listen to. Depending on your Internet connection speed and the size of the file, it could take a few seconds or a few hours to download an audio clip. Finally, check to see if you can hear sound from other applications. Put an audio CD in your computer’s CDROM drive and play the files using an audio player such as Windows Media Player. If you’re able to hear sounds from other applications, make sure you have the appropriate software plug-in to listen to the audio file, keeping in mind that some Web sites use very specific audio players.

Problem: Regardless of the application, I cannot hear sound coming from my computer speakers.

Solution 1: Check all of the jacks that connect your speakers to the computer. Disconnect and reconnect the cords to ensure there is a solid connection. Make sure you have the appropriate speaker cords plugged into the appropriate jacks on your computer; look for Line In, Line Out, Microphone, and Joystick specific jacks.

Solution 2: Verify the external speakers have power by looking for a light on the speakers. Plug a different device such as a lamp into the same outlet to make sure that the outlet is live.

Solution 3: If your speakers have an external volume control, turn up the volume past the minimum sound level. If you’re having difficulty hearing sound in a specific program, check to see if the program has volume controls or a mute button that you may need to adjust.

Solution 4: Check the volume settings within Windows XP; navigate to the Control Panel and then open Sounds And Audio Devices. In the Sounds And Audio Devices Properties dialog box, make sure the box next to Mute is unchecked. Check other volume settings in this dialog box and click the Speaker Volume button to set the volume level for your speakers. Open the master Volume Control by clicking the Advanced button. In the Volume Control dialog box, make sure that none of the boxes next to Mute are checked.

Solution 5: Make sure the appropriate driver for your sound card is installed. To check for drivers, right click My Computer, select Properties, navigate to the Hardware tab, and click the Device Manager button. In the Device Manager, expand the tree for Sound, Video And Game Controllers. First, verify that the sound card is enabled. If the sound card is disabled, there will be a red X through the device icon in the tree listing. If there is no red X through the sound card icon, right-click the sound card and choose Properties. In the sound card properties dialog box, navigate to the Driver tab. On the Drivers tab, you will see driver information for your sound card. To update the driver for your sound card, click the Update Driver button. A wizard will walk you through the update process. For more information on troubleshooting sound card problems, see "Basic Troubleshooting: Audio Cards".

Problem: I hear audio from a Web site, but it stops abruptly.

Solution: Make sure the audio file has finished downloading; be patient, especially if you are using a dialup modem or are downloading multiple things at once.

Problem: I can hear sound from some applications, but not others.

Solution: Check all settings within the program that will not play sound. Look for any volume control or mute options. You may also want to look into the possibility that the program you are using is having a conflict with your sound card. If necessary, contact the software manufacturer for information on troubleshooting with your sound card. In addition, it never hurts to check the volume settings on the speaker to make sure they are set to appropriate levels. Next, check the volume settings on your computer to ensure they are turned up and not muted. You may need to check the volume settings both in Windows and in your specific audio player. To check volume settings in Windows, click the Start menu, navigate to All Programs, then highlight Accessories, Entertainment, and click Volume Control. In the Volume Control window, make sure all sound levels are set to appropriate levels and not muted.

Problem: I have a multispeaker setup, and I’m only hearing sound from some of the speakers in my setup.

Solution: Check to make sure that your computer is set to use all of your speakers. Navigate to the Control Panel, and double-click Sounds And Audio Devices. Select the Audio tab, and then click the Advanced button under Sound Playback. On the Advanced Audio Properties Speakers tab, choose the speaker setup that most closely resembles your setup. If you change this setting, click Apply, OK, and then OK again to exit the Sounds And Audio Devices Properties dialog box. Also, make sure you have the most current driver available for your sound card.

Problem: I can hear audio from programs on my computer, but I’m unable to hear audio from music CDs that I’ve inserted into my CDROM drive.

Solution: Check the wire that connects your sound card to your system’s CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive to verify it is properly connected. Also, make sure the CD audio isn’t muted and is set to an appropriate level in Volume Settings. Jam Time With a little bit of time, you should figure out what’s preventing your speakers from producing sound. If you suspect that the problem is with your sound card, rather than your speakers, refer to "Basic Troubleshooting: Audio Cards".