Member Avatar for WASDted

I'm about to install SP1 for Windows 7, it seems like it includes a lot of already-installed improvements but it also promises to include "improvements to features and services in Windows 7, such as improved reliability when connecting to HDMI audio devices, printing using the XPS Viewer, and restoring previous folders in Windows Explorer after restarting."

So here we go... and by the way I can definitely use the improved reliability when connecting to HDMI audio devices on my Media Center at home too.

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Short expert summary and a practical checklist based on the thread: Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 does explicitly include “improved reliability when connecting to HDMI audio devices,” but some setups saw regressions after installing it (see ’s report), while others (for example ) had clean installs. ’s note about ATI/Radeon cards is a good reminder to check vendor notes before upgrading. (support.microsoft.com)

Quick, prioritized troubleshooting checklist (do these in order)

  1. Playback devices: open Control Panel -> Sound -> Playback. Right‑click the empty area and enable both “Show Disabled Devices” and “Show Disconnected Devices.” If an HDMI/Digital device appears, enable it and set it as Default Device. (learn.microsoft.com)
  2. Restart audio system services (Services.msc) — restart Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder. From an elevated command prompt the equivalent is: 
    net stop "Windows Audio"
net stop "Windows Audio Endpoint Builder"
net start "Windows Audio Endpoint Builder"
net start "Windows Audio"

    Restarting services often reinitializes the HDMI handshake. (support.microsoft.com)

  3. Driver chain: HDMI audio is usually provided by the GPU/display driver package (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel). Install the latest vendor package for the exact GPU/motherboard model (use the vendor site, not an auto-detect). If the vendor package includes an HDMI/Display Audio component, install it. (nvidia.custhelp.com)
  4. If updating does not help, remove the HDMI audio entry in Device Manager (Sound, video and game controllers) and check “Delete the driver software for this device,” then reboot with the HDMI cable connected so Windows/vendor installer can re-create the device. Intel and Microsoft guidance show this as a standard recovery step. (intel.com)

Extra notes drawn from the thread: for older ATI/Radeon islands (the 4200 series noted by ) prefer vendor-stable driver releases rather than the newest betas; if the problem only appears after SP1, roll back via System Restore or uninstall SP1 on a test machine before applying fixes to a production Media Center. Always create a restore point and backup before major updates.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for dee101g

I've successfully installed SP1 on a number of machines, no glitches.

I support two machines with ATI Radeon 4200 cards, however, that have experienced some serious resolution difficulties. Both are 32-bit Windows7 Pro, Intel Duo-Core. The issues are with WVGA screen sizing when running on larger (not 'optimal') screens (for vision difficulties).

Since part of the reason you are doing this is video, you might check out forum comments and MS Technet relative to your specific video card before doing this upgrade. I'm sure there will be drivers to fix any issues at some point ... but limping through a few weeks waiting for them to come is annoying if it can be avoided.

Member Avatar for WASDted

Thanks for the feedback @dmcaarlson... so far so good.

Member Avatar for hotmatrixx

Heh.

I had a copy of Win7 that I don't USE, but I do play with it, a lot - a sandbox for new programs, etc. I will tell you that SP1 does not like HAZAR RemoveWAT 2.25

Good.
Less Pirates.

Member Avatar for billbo72

I've installed SP1 on my main PC with Windows 7 Professional x64, my notebook with Windows 7 Professional x64, my netbook with Windows7 Starter Edition x86 (Because it will only use 2 GB of RAM anyway) and my Motion Computing LE 1600 with Windows 7 Ultimate x32 (Because it will only use 2 GB of RAM anyway).

All have installed and run flawlessly.

Member Avatar for WASDted

meh, it works fine on my work PC but after i installed it on my Media Center at home i now have HDMI audio issues. i need to unplug hdmi then plug it back it for sound to work each time. The funny thing is that this is exactly one of the things SP1 was meant to fix. I did not have this issue before, now i do. Grrr Microsoft, grrrr!!!

Member Avatar for hotmatrixx

meh, it works fine on my work PC but after i installed it on my Media Center at home i now have HDMI audio issues. i need to unplug hdmi then plug it back it for sound to work each time. The funny thing is that this is exactly one of the things SP1 was meant to fix. I did not have this issue before, now i do. Grrr Microsoft, grrrr!!!

That's Kind of funny - I am not laughing at you , I promise! But it is tipical of MS stuff. "Grrr Microsoft, grrrr!!!" Yarp.

Ummm....
My thought is maybe you could look directly on the support site for the patch, download that specific KBxxxxx / hotfix file and try it. I don't have HDMI, so i cannot help you , but (for the benefit of others)
MS SUPPORT
The HDMI Fix for Win7

Failing that, my next steps would be to uninstall+delete the drivers from device manager, and reinstall using the latest versions, downloadable from windows update, or the devices' manfacture. no device has been mentioned, so I cannot help you here. Besides, the how-to for that is outside the scope of this thread, and is well-covered elswhere. you are welcome to ask me about that, though.

"If all else fails, reinstall Windows - like every newbe 'I want to help you' suggests". LOL. NO I DON"T RECCOMEND THIS! LAUGH ALREADY! :-)

Member Avatar for WASDted

Excellent advice hotmatrixx, thanks! I will try the HDMI fix for Win7 tonight and let you know how it goes.

P.S. the weird thing is i did reinstall all the latest drivers and it still did not solve the issue. I am confident the hot fix can resolve this however.

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