Speaker icon has a Red X on it, "no audio output device is installed".

Anonymous

original title: No audio output device is installed.

I have done nothing different to my computer but noticed yesterday that the speaker icon in the system tray has a red and white "X" over it and says that "no audio output device is installed." I have Windows Vista. When I go to my control panel and click on "Sounds and Hardwar," and again click on "Sound," it tells me that "No audio devices are installed." Yesterday I went to --> All programs --> Accesories --> System Tools --> System Restore and I did a system restore that way. After my computer re-started, the audio problem was solved but somehow my anti-virus protection was no longer installed. I fixed this with the McAfee support online chat and the audio was also working all day yesterday. However, today, it again says that "no audio output device is installed," and I do not want to restore my system again and have to deal with the anti-virus software going haywire again. Is there another way to fix this? Please help me. I have looked this up on other support sites and have found the answers too technical for me to understand. I have a one-year-old Toshiba Satellite M205 with an Intel Centrino processer and Vista with Service Pack 1 installed although I don't know if that is important information or not. My computer has a sticker on it that says "Dolby Sound Room," whatever that means. Thanks in advance!

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Anonymous

Hi m_kelsey,

It sounds like you might have an audio driver that isn’t working properly, please do the following:

1. Click Start

2. In ‘Start Search’ type Device Manager, press Enter (provide administrative credentials if prompted)

3. Click the “+” next to Sound, video and game controllers to drop down the menu

4. Check the status of any device listed in that category by right-clicking that device, clicking Properties, and then under the General tab check what it says under “Device status”. Let us know what the status was.

5. Then check all the devices (especially any that had a problem under “Device status”) listed in this category for updated drivers by right-clicking that device and then clicking Update Driver Software… (this step may take a moment so be patient).

Get back to us with your results so that we can further assist you if need be. We look forward to hearing back from you.

Brian

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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190 additional answers

Anonymous

2009-07-07T18:21:05+00:00

Brian, First let me say thank you for being here for me and others. I have done what you advised and I still have the x on the speaker. What should I do now? Hope to hear from you soon.
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Anonymous

2009-07-07T18:43:08+00:00

Hi Brian,

Same problem, and I tried everything you said to do. The device status says it's working properly and I updated driver software. But I still have no sound and a note in the bottom right corner of my screen that says, "no audio output device is installed." Please, PLEASE help! We have been dealing with this for over a month - I have been in touch with Dell and they haven't been able to help me with it either.

Pam
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Anonymous

2009-07-07T21:15:48+00:00

Hi Brian,

Same problem, and I tried everything you said to do. The device status says it's working properly and I updated driver software. But I still have no sound and a note in the bottom right corner of my screen that says, "no audio output device is installed." Please, PLEASE help! We have been dealing with this for over a month - I have been in touch with Dell and they haven't been able to help me with it either.

Pam

===========================================

Maybe the following articles would be worth a look:

(948491) How to troubleshoot sound

problems that you experience after you

install a Windows Vista Service Pack

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/948481/

(948465) Information about Service Pack 2

for Windows Vista and for Windows Server 2008

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/948465

John Inzer - MS-MVP - Digital Media Experience
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Anonymous

2009-07-08T18:26:14+00:00

Is somebody at Microsoft looking in to this because we tried everything under the sun and no change,it looks that it is happening with a variety of computers or is every body reporting this using hp product ?
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