Audio devices disappear after failed update

I was really hoping that would not be necessary, as, due to my work in photo and video editing, I have a very convoluted install with lots of interdependent programs that I might use once every few years (and thus have forgotten how to set up properly) but, when needed, are absolutely vital. The chances of a clean install messing up my work in the future in hard-to-recover-from ways are high; unfortunately, it doesn't seem as if there's any way to avoid this now.

Nonetheless, one of my concerns is that this was caused by a consistent crash while attempting to install KB50003637, a problem that persisted even after doing a repair install. At this point, I'm not sure whether this was due to something about my installed system (a driver issue or something) or whether it might be an actual hardware problem requiring me to do a full system rebuild (which is close to being due in the first place).

The problem is that, while I agree that the reinstall should be done slowly and gradually, there are certain programs (mainly financial/accounting) I need to use every day, or at least every few days. Were I to do a clean install, I would need to be able to install and use those programs immediately. If it turns out that I do a clean install and find it is a hardware problem, having to then shut my operations down until I could order and receive parts to build a new system would be a complete non-starter. If that were the case, I would prefer to be keeping my machine in its current state, where most things outside of audio are functional, until I had the components on hand to rebuild everything.

My thought for how I could best approach this would be to temporarily pull the boot drive, replace it with a spare HD I have sitting around, and doing a clean install to that drive, including the problematic update. If everything in the bare install works well, I'll know it isn't a hardware problem and can replace the boot drive and proceed with the clean install "for real." On the other hand, if trying this technique results in more crashes with KB50003637 or some other update, then I'll have reason to suspect it's a fundamental hardware issue, and will be able to disconnect that "test" HD, reconnect my current boot drive, and be able to continue working in its current reduced-capacity condition until I have the parts in hand to do a new build.

Is there any reason why I should fear that this approach would not work, or would cause problems even after doing a clean install to my current boot drive (assuming the test install worked)? I can't see why it would, myself, but a friend who works in tech support at Microsoft suggested it could cause problems, and I thought I should run it by you before trying anything.

I am experiencing the same exact thing. All audio devices stopped working but shows in device manager just fine. Think it also happened with the latest update for me...

Hi James -

I'd confirm the onboard display adapter is disable in BIOS, and that you also don't have Switchable graphics which are handled a different way and can interfere if not set properly in the controlling adapter's settings:

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/opti...

https://www.microcenter.com/tech_center/article...

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support...

Otherwise since everything has been gone over to no avail, if you've also done the Repair Upgrade and it didnt' help, then what is left is the gold standard Clean Install in this link which compiles the best possible Install of Windows which will stay that way as long as you stick with the tools and methods given, has zero reported problems, and is better than any amount of money could buy: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

I know you were hoping to avoid it but realize this is an investment in the kind of install that never has these problems again. Millions of consumers have done the Clean Install in that link and not one has come back to report further problems that I've seen. This is because it teaches everything that works best with WIndows 10 and how to maintain it. It is one of life's great learning experiences that will permanently make you the master of your PC because you will learn everything that works best and how to keep it that way.

Keep in mind you also have a one year manufacturer's support, repair and replacement warranty that comes with the PC so if problems persist you can call on them to fix or replace it, making sure it gets done soon enough so you can ensure the repairs work in time for the warranty expiration, or extend it. It might also still be under Store return policy.

Are you saying you're experiencing the same problem? When did it start? Was it with the most recent update, and did the update fail (as on my machine) or did it actually succeed in updating, but turned out to have disabled the audio?

The BIOS is at its current version already.

I think I may have inadvertently sent you down a rabbit hole with an unclear comment about display drivers. I wasn't talking about the display driver for my GTX 980; indeed, I updated that to the most current version this past Friday. What I was referring to was the VGA driver from ASUS, which is only used when you're using the CPU's Intel HD Graphics instead of an external graphics card. When you have a GPU plugged into a slot in the motherboard, as I have, the Intel HD Graphics are disabled in the BIOS, don't exist as a device in Device Manager, and therefore cannot have a driver installed -- the install program terminates with an error message that the computer's hardware does not support this. The Intel HD Graphics had never been enabled during the lifespan of this computer, and can only be enabled by a custom toggle in the advanced section of the BIOS which can itself cause further problems when you are using a separate GPU.

I went through all the links you provided. I was originally going to include a step-by-step run-through of all of them, but, while I will do so if you want me to, it really would be a substantial waste of your time, because virtually every link has almost the exact same list of steps (update the device to the current driver, update the chipset drivers, run SFC, reset the BIOS to default), all of which I've already done, usually many times. The only additional suggestions were to "run Windows Update" (which, of course, is what caused this problem in the first place; it only showed up after KB5003637 BSODed my machine and Windows attempted to roll it back) or to "reset the O.S." -- which, as far as I'm concerned, would be my absolute last resort, as trying to reinstall the many different programs I use (some of which are dependent on several others, particularly in my photo and video editing work) would be an absolute nightmare.

I continue to be struck by the fact that this showed up after the failed update. While all of the methods in those links above seem to work from the assumption that it's the device/driver itself that is the problem, the fact is that, in this case, those exact devices and drivers were working perfectly before the failed update and then the automated rollback. I can't help but think that something in the rollback itself didn't work right, and corrupted something that didn't get fixed by the repair install I tried before my last response.

Thanks for continuing to work with me on this. If you want me to include the file where I went through each of the links you provided took notes, I'll be glad to, but I think all it would establish is that, indeed, I actually read them all.