HP ENVY 13 Audio devices disappeared after Windows 11 24H2 update

[AlanL72]

After Windows 11 24H2 update, the speakers and mic disappeared on my HP ENVY 13 laptop. 

Un Device Manager under Sound,video,game controllers, the drivers all appear to be present but the devices still cannot be found.

HP Support troubleshooting tool, Microsoft troubleshooting tool, and Intel troubleshooting tool all identify the drivers, and did updates as needed but they all failed to identify and resolve the underlying problem. 

I don't really want to update the BIOS which appears to be the current version from HP. I don't really want to have to uninstall the WIndows update and then reapply as it takes quite a while and previous painful experience suggests that the problem will just reappear.

From similar previous posts from 2023 and 2024 (posts now locked hence this new question) it's a recurring issue. (See below for the solution that was used)

[AlanL72 · Accepted solution]

The solution is not obvious but similar to the one used here  from APril 2023..  

Note that the HP ENVY 13 is an Intel processor so there are a host of Intel drivers (rather than AMD drivers)

Possibly a 2-part solution as necessary. Open Device Manager.

Firstly, Update all the drivers under the basic Sound,Video,Game controllers.

• This will include one for your speakers (Realtek in my case), NVIDIA virtual audio perhaps, and possibly the most crucial in my case an Intel Display Audio driver. 
• Do a reboot just to be sure. If that doesn't resolve things (and it probably won't from all other similar cases logged in the forum)then continue .....

  just try updating several other audio related drivers..... open Device Manager

• Near the top, under Audio Inputs & Outputs, try to update the drivers there for the mic and the speakers
• Down the list under System Devices, look for Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) Audio Controller and then OED Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) OED. Try to update both of these.
• If all these updates appeared to work, then restart the laptop and hopefully all will be well.

If not then secondly try the following. In my case updating the driver for the Intel OED device failed with error message "This device cannot start (Code 10). Failed to load external libraries". 

• So, you need to Uninstall the driver completely, rather than just updating it. Start with the Intel OED service since from all other previous similar issues & solutions, this seems to be common culprit. DO this via right-click the service name, click the tab for Driver, and there's a button for Uninstall. This seems quite destructive and you worry about how easy t'll be to find the driver from Intel (quite difficult in reality, but you don't need to go there). RESTART the laptop and the drivers will be reinstalled automatically. 
• If that doesn't work, do the same for the other drivers in the first section above. Restart the laptop.

That resolved things for me. It's a shame that the HP, Microsoft and Intel troubleshooters/driver update checkers don't find this. I hope this helps some others. It seems to be a common recurring issue.