A couple days ago I logged into my computer only to notice that there was no startup sound and when I tried to watch a video on YouTube there was no audio. My computer doesn’t seem to want to play .wav files. I have been to several forums in search of a solution and nothing seems to work. I’ve even gone so far as to do a system recovery but to no avail. I’ve messed with the registry, installed and reinstalled drivers and nothing works. Is there any more that can be done or is my computer just shot?
First, do any sounds play through your sound card? If it’s strictly .wav files that are giving you trouble, we’ll look into file associations and see if we can get those files to play properly once again. If nothing plays, then we’ll need to troubleshoot the sound card and its settings.
Since audio isn’t working with YouTube either, I suspect the problem is with your sound card. Hopefully an updated device driver is all that’s needed. My sound card frequently fails right after a Windows Update. Upon rebooting, it always returns. This happened the other day after an automatic Windows Update. So, do me a favor and reboot your computer before trying any of the following steps.
Setting File Associations
First, let’s check to be sure that .wav files are set to open with an actual program such as Windows Media Player. Go to Start and right-click it. Now, choose Explorer. Enter *.wav in the Search box and a list of .wav files will appear. Right-click any one and choose Open With. Choose Windows Media Player and make sure that it is set as the default program for this type of file.
Check the Sound Scheme
Windows is set to play specific .wav files on specific events. For example, that little chime that you hear as Windows starts up is a .wav file. The sound scheme can be changed and turned off completely. If it’s turned off, turning it back on should solve your computer’s problem with playing .wav files for system events. To check this, go to Control Panel and click on the Sound icon. Click the Sounds tab and find the Sound Schemes section. Make sure that it is set to Windows Default.
Sound Card Issues
If there’s more going on with your sound than the inability to play .wav files, then it could be a problem with your sound card or the sound card’s settings. I’m sure you’ve already checked the obvious such as the mute button and speakers. Have you checked the sound card in Device Manager yet? That should be the next step. Go to Control Panel > System > Device Manager. Now, look under the Sound and Video Controllers category for your sound card. Is there a yellow warning icon next to it? If there is, double click the sound card and see if the error message reveals any clues. It could be a simple matter of updating the driver. To update the driver, click the Driver tab followed by Update Driver. From there, choose Automatic and let Windows check for an updated device driver. You will need to reboot once a driver has been installed.
Celeste Stewart | June 15th, 2009
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