HP Envy audio shuts off

[0rion]

HP Envy, purchased in 2013. Running Windows 8.1. The sound on my laptop will sometimes shut off, and I need to restart it for the sound to work again. Restarting it usually helps, but not always. I can't seem to establish a trend that would explain why it is shutting off. Sometimes I can watch a whole movie and the sound stays on, sometimes it will turn off a few minutes into a YouTube video. I've checked the audio drivers, they are up to date. I deleted and reinstalled the audio drivers, that didn't fix the problem. I reloaded the operating system, but saved my existing files. After this happened I had to download updates and restart the computer multiple times, but this didn't fix the audio problem either. Any other suggestions? Can an audio card go bad, resulting in these symptoms? If it is bad, can I install an external audio card? I'd prefer not to buy a new computer just for this (even if it is six years old). Thanks for any help.

[Echo_Lake]

@0rion
Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help,  I have a few troubleshooting steps we could try to fix the issue:  

Firstly. perform Windows Update and HP Support Assistant:   (do not skip any troubleshooting steps even if you feel steps are repeating)

To check for updates now, select the Start button, and then go to Settings  > Update & security  > Windows Update, and select Check for updates.

Install updates from HP Support Assistant: Go to Download HP Support Assistant to install the tool.

1. To open the HP Support Assistant, double-click the HP Support Assistant icon .
2. Click My devices in the top menu, and then click Updates in the My PC or My notebook pane.
3. Click Check for updates and messages to scan for new updates.
4. Review the list of updates. Updates with a yellow information icon are recommended. Updates with a blue information icon are optional.
5. Click the update name for a description, version number, and file size.
6. Select the box next to any updates you want to install, and then click Download and install.

Use the troubleshooting tool in Windows

The audio troubleshooting tool in Windows can automatically fix common audio recording and audio playback problems with your computer. Run the troubleshooting tool using the following steps:

• In Windows, type find and fix audio into Search, or right-click the speaker icon  in the taskbar and select Troubleshoot sound problems.
• Select Find and fix audio playback problems or Find and fix audio recording problems from the Search results.
• Click Next.
• Select the device you want to troubleshoot and click Next.
• Wait while the troubleshooter detects problems and makes changes (or prompts you to make changes).
• When the troubleshooter is done, the Troubleshooting has completed page is displayed, listing any problems found and what changes were made to the computer.
• Click Close.
• If a recommended action is displayed, select Apply this fix.

Restoring the audio driver in HP Recovery Manager:

1. In Windows, search for and open Recovery Manager.
2. Click Reinstall drivers and/or applications.
3. Select the audio driver in the list, and then click Install.
4. Wait for the driver to reinstall. When the installation is complete, click OK.
5. Close HP Recovery Manager and then restart your computer.
6. Test for sound. If the audio problem persists after reinstalling the driver, try updating the driver using Device Manager.

Updating the audio driver using Device Manager:

Make sure the audio device is enabled and then update the audio driver using Device Manager as follows:

1. In Windows, search for and open Device Manager.
2. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers.
3. If a sound device is listed with a down arrow, the device is disabled. Right-click the sound device name and select Enable to re-enable the device.
4. With the sound device enabled, right-click the sound device and select Update Driver Software.
5. Click Search automatically for updated driver software.
6. Windows checks for and installs any updated drivers found. The window displays whether the computer already has the latest available driver or if Windows was able to successfully update the audio driver.
7. If a window opens asking you to restart the computer, restart the computer.
8. Test for sound. If the audio problem persists after updating the driver, continue to the next step.

If you completed these steps and the latest driver was already installed, use the following steps to uninstall and then reinstall the driver:

1. In Windows, search for and open Device Manager.
2. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers.
3. Right-click the sound device and select Uninstall.
4. Restart the computer to reinstall the driver.
5. Test for sound. If the audio problem persists after reinstalling the driver, continue to the next step.

BIOS Update: Follow steps from the link: https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c00042629

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

[0rion]

I followed the steps listed. My computer is up to date. The driver is up to date. I've deleted and reinstalled the driver. The driver is enabled. 

I used the audio troubleshooting tool and got this:

Is it possible for the driver to have a problem, but still get sound sometimes? I can hear videos for a minute or two, but rarely does it last longer than that now. Can I use an external sound card? What can I do that doesn't involve replacing the computer?

[Echo_Lake]

@0rion

Thank you for posting back. 

I appreciate your efforts to try and resolve the issue. To get the answer to this question, Yes! it looks like an audio driver related issue. 

However, we can try a few more troubleshooting steps to isolate the issue. 

Firstly, let's perform Audio driver rollback:

• On your, Key Board press Windows key + X 
• Press M to open Device Manager 
• Expand  Audio Inputs and outputs
• Right-click on the  Audio driver
• Click Properties 
• Click on the Driver tab 
• Click on Rollback driver if the option is available

If that fails, then we can try performing system factory recovery which will put the computer back to its original state. 
Click here to perform a System Recovery (Windows 10 )
 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.