Member Avatar for torbonator

my friends pc running vista, lost all sound after defagging her pc, i told her to update her sound drivers through the device manager but it still isnt working.

does anyone know how to fix this?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by steve charles

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A concise expert addendum for the “no sound after defrag” Vista case (builds on the thread but adds steps not yet shown):

Start with non‑destructive diagnostics and recovery. If a restore point exists from before the defrag, perform System Restore first. Run the built‑in Playing Audio troubleshooter (Control Panel → Troubleshooting → Hardware and Sound → Playing Audio). Test with a known‑good USB headset or powered speakers (this quickly separates software from hardware). If a third‑party defrag/optimizer was used, uninstall it and check its activity/logs before doing anything invasive.

If that doesn’t help, check disk and core system files and gather error evidence (Event Viewer) so the cause isn’t guessed at. From an elevated command prompt run these to repair common problems and to inspect installed driver packages:

sfc /scannow
chkdsk C: /f
pnputil -e
pnputil -d oemXX.inf    (replace oemXX with the package number from -e)

Also verify the Windows audio service stack (Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder) and perform a clean boot (msconfig → disable non‑Microsoft services) to rule out third‑party conflicts. If safe‑mode/clean‑boot still shows no audio, test hardware by booting a Linux Live USB—if sound works under Linux, the issue is Windows/software; if not, suspect a hardware fault.

This sequence complements ’s driver work and ’s service checks while avoiding an immediate reformat (as suggested). Back up important data before any destructive step; reformat or full reinstall should remain the last resort.

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Member Avatar for jccaldz

Hi there,

Try to download the the driver from the OEM site.

This might work. If it does not try to reformat the NB to clear waya all software issues. If its still the same it is now time to consider this as HW.

Edited by crunchie because: url snipped-keep it on site
Member Avatar for Cool Silence

Hi there.
Go into device manager and delete the sound drivers you have there, Restart the machine and let it detect and install the generic sound drivers for your Motherboard or sound card. Afterwards, restart the machine again and install the updated drivers for it.
Hope this helps!

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

Hi there,

Try to download the the driver from the OEM site.

This might work. If it does not try to reformat the NB to clear waya all software issues. If its still the same it is now time to consider this as HW.

You always seem to suggest a reformat as the only resort if the first step fails. As a tech, you would know that there are other things that can be tried rather than telling the OP to wipe out his data. Or do you?

How about checking the Winows Audio service?
How about making sure that the sound card is set as the default audio device?
How about trying to see if generic audio drivers work?
How about trying the steps here

Member Avatar for jccaldz

Hi,
I always recommend a reformat. This is what I do everyday.

This will save time and is a sure fix if its software.

commented: Stop handing out half-baked "advice" - it never helps and often hinders! +0
Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

Good for you lad. However, people have data on their systems and don't want to lose it. NOt everyone takes backups or has multiple partitions to store data. Besides, a reformat is always the last option when troubleshooting computers. Let's not give any advice here which can cause distress to people.

: Have you tried any of the steps mentioned above?

Member Avatar for torbonator

i sent my friend the page, im not sure what she did but she said it didnt work

Member Avatar for kaninelupus

i sent my friend the page, im not sure what she did but she said it didnt work

The audio device hasn't simply been muted or disabled has it? I know GE did hint at that, but just asking more explicitly :) Also, was she using the inbuilt defrag tool, or a 3rd party utility for the job?

-Stop being a d1ck and handing out half-baked (and often quite contradictory) advice! The prob with simply recommending a fresh install is that the user then learns nothing about what actually went wrong, and leaves them in exactly the same position if the problem reoccurs down the track. It's just another example of the bad advice you keep peddling!

Member Avatar for steve charles

Just curious. I have used win 95 98 xp vista 7
oldtime people always said backup your data before you do defrag
now windows 7 & vista have auto defrag function.
I have windows vista on this pc, I had auto update and auto defrag before.
NTFS file system corrupted and need to restore many times.
After i disable auto update and auto defr all no problem now..
Many of my friend's windows vista PC hard drive need replace every a few years.
They have auto update and auto defrag on.
I wonder if there are any connection ?
thanks sorry for a long paragraph..

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