Trouble with conexant SmartAudio on my Envy 360

[Mrgenman55]

Hello,

Trouble with conexant Smart-Audio (Band & Olufson) on my Envy 360. Every time I restart my laptop the sound works fine but only for about 5 minutes, then it drops off, then I have to reboot.

While troubleshooting it states: "Your device is missing important security and quality fixes", yet my security is up to date. Very confusing and frustrating!!

Help?!?

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Mrgenman55 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

I understand how frustrating it must be when the sound works perfectly for a few minutes and then drops out, especially after you’ve already checked security updates and run troubleshooting. 

You’ve taken the right first steps, so let’s build on that with some targeted actions to stabilize the Conexant SmartAudio on your HP ENVY x360.

 

Step 1: Update Audio Drivers

• Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
• Right‑click Conexant SmartAudio HD and choose Update driver.
• Select Search automatically for drivers.
• If Windows doesn’t find anything, download the latest Conexant driver for your model from HP’s support site.

Here’s the support page for your ENVY x360 m6‑aq005dx:
HP ENVY x360 m6-aq005dx Drivers and Software

 

Step 2: Reinstall the Driver

• In Device Manager, right‑click the Conexant SmartAudio device and select Uninstall device.
• Restart your laptop. Windows will reinstall the driver automatically.
• If it doesn’t, use the driver package from the HP link above.

 

Step 3: Check Windows Updates

• Go to Settings > Windows Update.
• Click Check for updates and install any optional updates, especially those under Driver updates.
• Sometimes audio drivers are delivered through optional updates rather than the main security patches.

 

Step 4: Configure Playback Settings

• Right‑click the speaker icon in the taskbar and select Sounds.
• Under the Playback tab, ensure Speakers (Conexant SmartAudio / Bang & Olufsen) is set as default.
• Click Properties > Advanced and uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.”
• Apply changes and test again.

 

Step 5: Run HP Hardware Diagnostics

• Download and install HP PC Hardware Diagnostics – Windows from HP’s site.
• Run the Audio Playback Test to confirm hardware functionality.
  HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Windows

You’ve already shown persistence by running troubleshooting and checking updates. With these steps—driver refresh, playback settings, and diagnostics—you’ll be able to pinpoint whether the issue is driver‑related or hardware‑related.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye