Sound Troubleshooter

My computer doesn’t have any sound.

Hint 1	Find a working computer like the one not working (there's probably one somewhere in the building, or look at the pictures showing everything connected at "How to Set-up a Computer"). Make sure all cables and equipment are connected the same on both computers. Make sure all sound settings are the same on both computers.
Hint 2	Make sure the physical headphones/speakers actually work - it may not be a computer problem. To make sure they work, swap with a working item. Try them in a computer that you know has working sound - and vice versa - plug the working headphones/speakers into the computer that isn't providing sound.
Hint 3	Speakers/headphones are usually plugged into the green colored jack on the computer, or, if there is not a color code - it should be plugged into the "line-out" jack. They are not to be plugged into the jack on the CD drive - this is for audio CD's only.
Hint 4	Some computers cannot have both the speakers and headphones in at the same time. To use the speakers, unplug the headphones; to use the headphones, either unplug the speakers or turn them off if they have a switch.

Are your volume settings adjusted to an audible level?

Your volume may be set too low, or audio may be muted.

To check your volume settings

1. Double-click the speaker icon on your taskbar.
If you don't see the speaker icon, add it to your taskbar.

Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, click Sounds and Multimedia. On the Sounds tab, select the Show volume control on the taskbar check box.

2. Adjust the volume and balance controls to the levels you prefer.

3. Make sure that none of the Mute check boxes are selected.

4. Make sure the headphone volume is up enough (control along the wire that plugs in) and if the headphones plug into monitor or speaker unit under the monitor be sure that those volumes are up enough.

There’s still no sound.

Are your speakers hooked up correctly?

Check your speaker connections and settings for the following:

Power cord plugged into a working outlet.
Sound cable plugged into the appropriate jack on your sound card or computer. (If you’re not sure, look at another computer like yours that does have sound working.)
Speakers connected to each other.
Speakers connected to the computer.
These connections are often easily dislodged; disconnect and reconnect the cable to make sure that it is firmly connected.
Speakers turned on.
Speaker volume adjusted to an audible level.

If you've verified that your speaker hook up is correct and there is still no sound coming from your speakers, you may have a hardware conflict. If you have reached this point in troubleshooting, fill out the online form to report a computer problem.

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Last updated September 06, 2007 ~ Mrs. K. Bradley
ot_kab@nwoca.org