“No Audio Device” is the error message, Fixed

A Windows “No Audio Device” issue is most likely a sign that your sound card isn’t installed correctly.

‘No Audio Device’ Error

A Windows “No Audio Device” problem indicates that your sound card has not been correctly installed. The most typical cause of this error is a sound card that has been incorrectly installed. A problem with the motherboard’s audio controller or if the audio card isn’t correctly plugged into the motherboard will result in this error. Alternatively, the device you are trying to utilize might not be compatible with the motherboard you have.

Fixing the most common problem

To fix the most common problem, an incorrectly installed card, here are a few steps:

Before anything else, you’ll need to find your audio controller. It is through this controller that you may change the sound for all of your devices. Go to your control panel from the start menu. Add the hardware by searching for it in the Add Hardware section. Avoid letting the computer look for it automatically, as it may not be found if it is incorrectly installed. Then, go to the Sound Devices section and look for your audio controller. Make sure the gadget is installed correctly by checking its characteristics. A yellow question mark will appear next to the device’s name if it hasn’t been installed correctly.

• Uninstalling your sound card and drivers is the best way to fix this issue. Restart the computer and go into the BIOS to turn off the onboard audio, the game port, and MIDI ports. Then reboot into Windows and check to see if any programs for the device have been removed from Add/Remove Programs.
• After that, you’ll need to reinstall the sound card and its drivers. It’s a good idea to check the manufacturer’s website to see if any driver upgrades have been made since the sound card was manufactured and distributed. Restart the computer once more after you’ve done this. As a rule of thumb, if you’re still using the onboard audio device as the default device in audio properties, you’ll need to switch to one of the creative devices to get it working.
• In most cases, a simple uninstall/reinstall of the sound card will take care of the issue.

Various other methods of troubleshooting

The following suggestions may help if you’re still having issues.

• Before purchasing a new sound card, I would suggest borrowing a working one from a friend to determine if the problem is with the card itself rather than the computer.
• Windows may detect it as brand new if you use a different PCI slot instead of the one it is already in. This can also assist you in figuring out if a particular slot machine is terrible.
• Onboard sound cards can interfere with external sound cards, so make sure they are disabled before using a separate sound card.
• Make sure that the sound card you buy is compatible with your motherboard before you buy it. Before making a buy, conduct some research online if it doesn’t mention so on the packaging.