Sound will not 'unmute'

[SportiveUK]

Two days ago I lost all audio. My sound is muted and nothing I can do will 'unmute' it. After dragging the slider, the volume just goes back down to zero and I have an annoying display on top left of my screen (see image below). My mute button (F6) is also showing a permanent orange light to denote the muted status.

I have updated drivers, re-installed drivers tried different (generic) drivers and according to the system everythig is working correctly. Trouble shooting does not flag anything unsual other than the fact volume is low.

I note that many people seem to have audio issues all of a sudden however unlike some other reporting issues, there is nothing to denote that the audio device is not working.

Any ideas?

Many thanks

Andrew

[DavidSMP]

Hi @SportiveUK,

Good Day. A warm welcome to the HP community. I reviewed the case regarding assistance audio issues of your notebook. I will be delighted to assist you here.

Superb description, brilliant troubleshooting and terrific observations made before posting. Kudos to you for that. 🙂

For better clarity and to assist you better I would require more information regarding this:

• Did this happen after a software or Windows update?
• Did you run diagnostics on Audio?
• Please provide the correct model# or product# of the computer to assist you better as I was not able to locate your information with what was furnished.

For now, try these steps:

• Please run diagnostics on the computer’s hardware to ensure that the audio module is not faulty. Follow steps from this link: http://hp.care/2uoegKc and run the component tests on audio and video.

If diagnostics pass, then try these steps:

• Right-Click on start button> click device manager> expand sound video and game controllers>then select the sound drivers and right-click on it and uninstall the audio drivers. Then check the box delete the software for this device.
• Then restart the computer and create a new local user account as an administrator from this link: http://hp.care/2rZfJBC
• Again restart the computer and log in to the new user account.

• Now update the bios, chipset audio and graphics drivers from this link: http://hp.care/2syreDe and select the country and type the product# of the computer. Then follow the on-screen instructions.
• Then check if the situation has been corrected.

This should do the trick for you as long as the computer’s hardware is fully functional.

If audio diagnostics fail, make a note of the failure code and contact HP phone support to get the computer serviced.

HP Technical Support can be reached by clicking on the following link: http://hp.care/2r9wSvP

• Once the support page opens please select the country in which you're located. Next, enter your HP model number on the right.
• Next, choose the 'Contact Support' tab at the top and scroll down to the bottom of the 'HP Support- Contact' page to fill out the form provided with your contact information.
• Once completed click the 'Show Options' icon on the bottom right.
• Lastly, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select 'Get phone number.' A case number and phone number will now populate for you.

They will be happy to assist you immediately.

If the unit is under warranty, the manufacturer’s warranty should take care of it for you.

Please perform all these steps patiently as it is critical to resolving the issue. The trick is to remain patient. Going by your technical expertise and competence I am sure you will be able to perform these steps without breaking a sweat.

Hope this helps. Let me know how this goes. I genuinely hope the issue gets resolved without hassles and the unit works great. 🙂 Please reach out for any issues and I'll be there to assist you.

To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help.

If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution” as it will help several others with the same issue to get it resolved without hassles.

Take care now and have a splendid week ahead. 🙂

[DavidSMP]

Hi @SportiveUK,

Please let me know how this goes.

Let me know how it goes and you have a great day!

To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help. If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution” as it will help several others with the same issue to get it resolved without hassles.

Take care and have a blessed week ahead. 🙂

[SportiveUK]

Hi,

Please see the answers to your initial questions:

For better clarity and to assist you better I would require more information regarding this:

• Did this happen after a software or Windows update?

Not as far as I am aware. Looking at the update history, only definition updates for Microsoft Security Essentials have occurred over the last 2 weeks and the issue began circa 21/22nd December.

• Did you run diagnostics on Audio?

I ran the usual windows diagnostics and no issues reported other than being informed "your volume is low".

• Please provide the correct model# or product# of the computer to assist you better as I was not able to locate your information with what was furnished.

Please see below an image denoting my system:

This is the link to my laptop on the HP website:

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/product/HP-Pavilion-13-s100-x360-Convertible-PC/8499316/model/9044224

Please see below the steps I have taken:

For now, try these steps:

• Please run diagnostics on the computer’s hardware to ensure that the audio module is not faulty. Follow steps from this link:http://hp.care/2uoegKc and run the component tests on audio and video.

Completed. The audio component test failed but as far as I could tell this was merely based on the question "could you hear audio playback"? The answer was always going to be "no" on the basis the sound is muted so we won't necessarily know from this whether there is actually a component failure or not. However there was a failure code:

GTRK3V-82U8T8-GXGJMF-21UN03

As such I have not continued with the next steps of updating the bios or chipset drivers. As previously noted I have uninstalled and re-installed the drivers via Windows.

Regards

Andrew

[DavidSMP]

Hi @SportiveUK,

I have reviewed the comprehensive reply. Brilliant effort. You've displayed remarkable patience, fabulous troubleshooting competence and infinite resolve to try and get the issue corrected. Kudos to you for that. 🙂

You've nailed it, This confirms everything. We are running this test outside of windows.

These diagnostics are designed perfectly to figure out what is faulty with each and every component on the computer. It is comprehensive and definitive.It pinpoints exactly where the problem lies.

• Your audio is muted in windows 10 which only a software. It is an operating system that makes recognizes and makes your computer hardware work only if it is functioning correctly.
• But these UEFI diagnostics are working not within windows but outside of windows. The Audio does not get muted while running diagnostics. It is testing your computer hardware.
• It either works or does not work. if it does not work or if there is no audio then the audio component or module on the motherboard has failed and the computer needs to be serviced by calling HP phone support.
• Since the sound card and speakers don't work, you got the failure code.
• That is also the reason why the audio is muted in windows because the sound card is faulty which was confirmed by running the Component tests.
• These tests are scientifically designed and work with great precision and are installed on all HP computers. These diagnostics are used to detect hardware failures.
• The tests are used to isolate the issue to being hardware or software related.
• If the hardware is faulty outside of the Windows operating system, then it will also not work within windows also.
• That is why the audio module is muted within Windows as it is not working outside of windows.
• When you ran diagnostics on it, you did so outside of Windows and did not hear anything as it is faulty. Hence it did not work in Windows also and continues to remain muted.

So please contact HP phone support to get the computer serviced. 

HP Technical Support can be reached by clicking on the following link: http://hp.care/2r9wSvP

• Once the support page opens please select the country in which you're located. Next, enter your HP model number on the right.
• Next, choose the 'Contact Support' tab at the top and scroll down to the bottom of the 'HP Support- Contact' page to fill out the form provided with your contact information.
• Once completed click the 'Show Options' icon on the bottom right.
• Lastly, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select 'Get phone number.' A case number and phone number will now populate for you.

They will be happy to assist you immediately.

If the unit is under warranty, the manufacturer’s warranty should take care of it for you.

Please perform all these steps patiently as it is critical to resolving the issue. It will definitely fix the issue for you.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes. To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help. If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution” as it will help several others with the same issue to get it resolved without hassles.

Take care and have a blessed year ahead and Happy Holidays 🙂

Cheers!

[SportiveUK]

Hi,

The link you gave above does not work (page doesn't exist) and I can't seem to find anywhere I can open a case, I just get in a loop of the usual diagnostic tools. The one link I did find again sent me to a page that didn't exist.

I am thinking it will be quicker, easier (and possibly no more expensive) to buy a new device which is a shame as I like this model. 

Thanks

Andrew

[DavidSMP]

Hi @SportiveUK,

I read the post. Thanks for the response. Your patience in this regard is greatly appreciated. I was away for my weekend and could not respond to you immediately.

Please visit this link: to update the audio drivers: http://hp.care/2syreDe  It is crystal clear that the sound card has failed on the computer. Updating the drivers will not help. You could try to contact HP phone support to try and get the computer serviced by following the information provided in my previous post. It is only the drivers link that was not working All the other links from the previous post work.

Now it has been correctly diagnosed that the audio module on the computer has failed which can be confirmed by connecting an external headset or earphones. Also, trust me I've done all I can to assist you by keeping your best interest in mind. If you plan to buy a new computer, it is left to your discretion. I would suggest that you contact HP phone support for further assistance before opting to buy a new computer.

If this helps then to simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help. If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution” as it will help several others with the same issue to get it resolved without hassles.

Take care and have a blessed year ahead and Happy Holidays 🙂

Cheers!

[Ilya170888]

Hi , 

Whats the resolution path for this issue ? 

Have encountered the same issue , with my laptop as well

[Arthur-c]

Hello,

Thank you for posting in this thread. Unfortunately based on when the last response was made, I have closed this thread to help keep comments current and up to date. We recommend starting a new thread for your issue by clicking here.
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