Digital microphone Intel smart sound technology fail

[toedm]

Built in microphone for Intel smart sound technology fail. Due to driver/BIOS inconsitensy?

Win 11 25H2. Bios F.25.

Intel smart sound technology OED, BUS and is version 10.29.0.11516 dated 2024-10-14. 

Please release a new driver or advise were to find a solution.

[Deep_World]

Hi @toedm,
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused don’t worry let me help you.

To better understand the issue, could you please provide a few more details?

• Did the microphone stop working after a Windows update or a BIOS update?
• Is the issue consistent across all apps (like Teams, Zoom, or the Windows Voice Recorder), or only in certain programs?
• Have you already tried reinstalling or rolling back the Intel Smart Sound Technology driver?

Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:

Driver & BIOS Checks

• Update/Reinstall Driver: Go to Device Manager → expand Sound, video and game controllers → right‑click Intel Smart Sound Technology OED → choose Update driver. If that doesn’t help, uninstall it and restart your PC to let Windows reinstall automatically.
• HP Support Assistant: Run HP Support Assistant to check for the latest drivers specific to your model. Sometimes HP releases customized audio drivers that work better than generic Intel ones.
• BIOS Consistency: Since you’re on BIOS F.25, confirm on the HP support website if there’s a newer BIOS available for your model.

Windows Settings

• Go to Settings → System → Sound → Input. Make sure the correct microphone is selected and test it there.
• Run the Windows Troubleshooter: In Sound settings, click Troubleshoot under Input devices.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 

Best regards,

Deep_World

 

[toedm]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I will be more than happy to give more information!

Unfortunately I can not tell if the microphone stopped working after a BIOS update or after a Windoes update, because I don't use it very frequently. It is possible, but I can't verify it. I discovered the problem when trying to assit a Google meet meeting, probably it was Oct 1st 2025. 
The issue is consistent across all apps like Teams, Zoom, the Windows Voice Recorder, Wavepad and Audacity.
What I hve done (consulting my AI (Copilot): From Device manager, uninstalling: Realtek audio, Intel smart sound technology for digital microphones, Intel Smart Sound Technology OED and  Microphone Array (Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones). Whenever possible checked the box Try to remove the driver. Rebooted. Issue persists. In no instance was it possible to roll back to a previous driver (under properties)
The BIOS F.25 is the latest and was updated only a few days ago as a part of my troubleshooting. That was my second BIOS update since I bought the PC (new from HP). But it had no impact on the microphone issue, same before as after.
In HP support assistant, there are no available driver updates.
In HP support assistant, the Sound problem diagnostics does not detct any problem. However the HP PC harware diagnostics under decice control, sound, sound recording test reports errors for microphone array for Intel smart sound for digital microphones AND the Realtek audio Stereo mix. ("Units not working correctly, sound level very low")
Go to Settings → System → Sound → Input. Done that. If I make a sharp sound, there is a small visible change on the blue line that shows the input level. But nothing is recorded during the test. (Speaker is on)
I  ran the Windows Troubleshooter in Sound settings, clicked Troubleshoot under Input devices. The only thing it does is asking me if I heard a beep during the test, which I didn't. It tried to update "the driver" don't know which one. The result was  “Absolute volume setting has been re‑enabled on your Windows device.”
None of my actions has resulted the issue to go away.
My Copilot told me that the SST driver should be newer than the BIOS, and tells me to wait weeks or months until HP releases a newer driver. But actually I have no clue.
I hope my imput can be a step forward in the troubleshooting, I am very grateful for any help!

[serena_mas]

I have also the same problem. Did you get the solution?

[toedm]

Not yet, I'm hoping Deep_World will get back with something 🙂 

[Deep_World]

Hi @toedm,

Thanks for your response & Thank you so much for sharing all those details with us  I can tell you’ve already put in a lot of effort trying to resolve this, and I completely understand how frustrating it must be to have your microphone consistently fail across all apps despite all the troubleshooting you’ve done. I’ll do my best to guide you through a few more steps that may help narrow down the cause.

Here are some further actions you can try:

• Check Windows Privacy Settings
  Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Make sure microphone access is enabled for the system and for individual apps like Teams, Zoom, and Audacity.
• Manually Install Drivers
  Even if HP Support Assistant shows no updates, you can try downloading and installing the latest Intel Smart Sound Technology (SST) and Realtek audio drivers directly from the HP support website for your specific model, or from Intel’s official site. Sometimes the OEM assistant lags behind.
• Disable Audio Enhancements
  In Sound Settings → Input → Device Properties → Additional Device Properties, check the Enhancements tab. Disable all enhancements to rule out conflicts.
• BIOS and Chipset Drivers
  Since you’ve updated the BIOS, it’s also worth ensuring the chipset drivers are up to date. These can affect how the SST controller communicates with the microphone array.
• Test in Safe Mode
  Boot into Windows Safe Mode and test the microphone. If it works there, a third‑party application or driver conflict may be interfering in normal mode.
• Run HP Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI)
  You mentioned running diagnostics inside Windows. Try running the full UEFI hardware diagnostics (outside Windows) to confirm whether the microphone hardware itself is detected properly.
• External USB Microphone Test
  If possible, connect an external USB microphone. If that works fine, it helps confirm the issue is isolated to the internal SST microphone array.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, it may point to a driver compatibility problem between the Intel SST driver and recent Windows updates. In that case, the best path forward would be to monitor HP’s support page for your model  new audio driver packages are often released after major Windows updates to restore compatibility

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 

Best regards,

Deep_World

[toedm]

Hi Deep_World,

Thank you for your reply!

Windows privacy setting: Check! Microphone acces is enabled for all apps.
I tried to download a new driver . Perhaps I was a bit unsure how to install it (maybe you can walk through). However whenever I tried to select the downloaded HP driver, Windows always says that Windows has determined that I already have the best and newest driver installed. So the HP driver will never install??
Details: The only available HP driver is Realtek High-Definition (HD) Audio Driver 193.3 MB sp154456.exe. Saved in C:\SWSetup\SP154456.
I have Windows Home 25H2 (installed 2024-‎12-‎17) version 26200.7840.
(Since my first contact with you I have got three Windows updates btw)
In HP driver support it is not possible to chose from Windows 11 25H2. The options available are Windows 11, Windows 11 version 22H2 or Windows 11 24H2.

Microphone array Settings: Enhancments=off

Regarding chipset drivers, I don't know how to check that.
I didn't succeed the safe mode boot due to a bitlocker issue, asking for a key which I did not have in hand at the time.

I did the UEFI check, but i did not offer a check of the built in microphone, only an external mic, which I tried (video camera mic) and it failed.

I tried an USB michrophone and Windows detects a signal, however apps like Audacity and Wavepad fails to record. Also the Windows settings fails the test when I chose the USB mic.
The only thing I can record is streaming audio.

Best regards

[Deep_World]

Hi @toedm,

Thanks for your response. It looks like you’re still having issue with the unit.

To get you the best assistance, we need to take this conversation to a private chat. We're inviting you to a private message to protect your privacy and ensure that any sensitive information remains confidential. 

To access your private message, just click the little blue envelope icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile, next to your profile name. Alternatively, you can click on this link. 

You can use this link as well: 

Private Messages - HP Support Community

We're looking forward to helping you resolve this issue! 

Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience! 

Best regards,

Deep_World

[toedm · Accepted solution]

The issue with the built in digital microphone, not recording, was resolved by a full reset ot the computer (boot Esc F11)

BR 

[LifewitUREyes]

The suggested options didnt work.