How do I restore the sound on my Gateway laptop? I have no sound at all.
The Mystery of Missing Sound
Sound problems are among the most common issues that we deal with. In fact, my own laptop is consistently flakey when it comes to sound. I’ve noticed that after updating Windows, my computer’s soundcard frequently stops working. You want to know how I fix it? It’s a bit embarrassing for a Tech Jock to admit it but I reboot the computer and the sound almost always comes back!
Windows Updates and Sound Errors
In my case, I believe that during some of the Windows updates, my soundcard is also being updated with the latest device driver. When a device driver is updated, the computer generally needs to be rebooted in order for the update to complete and all of the necessary device drivers loaded. So, my first piece of advice is the most basic: reboot your computer.
Next, let’s double check that the sound hasn’t been inadvertently muted. See the little sound icon in the lower right corner? Double-click that and make sure that the volume lever is not all the way down or the mute button depressed. If either of these are set too low, the volume will be turned off so adjust as needed.
Using System Restore to Restore Sound
If rebooting your system didn’t do the trick and you’ve ruled out the obvious such as mute buttons, speakers being turned off or not plugged in, etc, the next step is to use a couple of built-in system tools to troubleshoot the problem: System Restore and Device Manager.
System Restore, available in Windows XP and Vista, is ideal for dealing with newly introduced system problems. If enabled, you can effectively rollback your system to an earlier point in time by choosing a “restore point” that was created previously. For example, if your sound stopped working today, you could choose a restore point from yesterday and your computer will work just as it did yesterday - sound and all!
System Restore doesn’t affect data so you don’t need to worry about losing your sales reports or projects. It does affect programs and newly installed devices, so you may have to reinstall programs or devices installed after the restore point. In addition, System Restore can be undone if the results are undesirable.
Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore and see if a restore point is available from before the sound problem started.
Using the Device Manager to Restore Sound
The Device Manager is a built-in utility for managing your computer’s devices including the soundcard. The soundcard needs device drivers in order for your computer to understand how to interface with it. Occasionally, device drivers can be overwritten, deleted, or otherwise destroyed. This can happen innocently enough (such as by installing or uninstalling a program that makes the change), maliciously (such as when a computer virus goes on a rampage and deletes files), or accidentally (such as a power surge or unexpected shutdown).
Launch Device Driver via the Control Panel. Click the plus sign next to the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers category. Double-click your soundcard, read the error message, and follow any troubleshooting steps offered. Next, click the Drivers tab followed by Update Driver and choose Automatic. Windows will attempt to locate and install new drivers. Once complete, reboot your computer.
If Windows doesn’t find the appropriate drivers, you can download them from the soundcard’s manufacturer’s Web site. Use information from Device Manager to identify your soundcard and then start hunting for the manufacturer’s download device drivers webpage. Manufacturers usually provide detailed instructions for installing your newly downloaded drivers.
Celeste Stewart | May 13th, 2009
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