Every update destroys my audio

Question

Every update destroys my audio

Sleepingmydayaway 25

Every since 2024 my audio has cracks and pops. I thought it was headphones, so i bought new ones. turns out i now have two perfectly fine headphones.

I ran through every solution ont he interne. Reinstall driver. update audio, chipset, and whatever.
I changed audio settings removed enhancements that are not there.

Changing PCI in power settings.

Bios updated.

latency check.

Every damn solution that exist, and repeated the solutions as well.

Now, latest update, has my audio go completly out and back delayed, like it has issues running any audio. Even windows own audio.

I swear this may actually convert me to linux, i can't watch movies, listen to music, game or anything with how bad it is.

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Answer accepted by question author

The Great Buran 115

Unfortunately It cannot be fixed, The engineers at windows did something 3 Years ago that has absolutely killed Realtime audio on Windows. It cannot be fixed, It isnt your hardware. Move to Linux.

Windows 10/11 Has not been able to handle Realtime audio on games or Apps without popping and clicking on pause/Playback of certain sounds.

And no Its not Realtek or Creative, As these issues are present on every motherboard/Sound card with windows Sonic drivers as well as Dedicated ones.

SteamOS is suggested if your playing games.

Coming here you will be told to update your drivers, and when that doesnt work, Microsoft will tell you your hardware is broken lol.

Sleepingmydayaway 25 Reputation points

2025-09-28T18:44:44.9666667+00:00

The unfortunate part is, that i have multiple game si play that see Linux as an issue.
Overall, after a lot of testing and searching, your answer is pretty much on point.
The Great Buran 115 Reputation points

2025-10-01T00:28:25.9233333+00:00

Sorry man, Same issue here, Example Tarkov doesnt run on Linux. Annoying but il have to cope with steam/Epic games on SteamOS

Shame microsoft engineers are more focused on AI than the Audio Substack popping issues. the latency is bad. never mind the crackling and popping it causes.

Most users wont notice it sadly. and will tell you they dont have the issue. They do. again 12 PC's same issue. Different properties/Drivers/Peripherals.

2 additional answers

Your answer

Sleepingmydayaway 25 Reputation points

2025-09-28T18:44:44.9666667+00:00

The unfortunate part is, that i have multiple game si play that see Linux as an issue.
Overall, after a lot of testing and searching, your answer is pretty much on point.
The Great Buran 115 Reputation points

2025-10-01T00:28:25.9233333+00:00

Sorry man, Same issue here, Example Tarkov doesnt run on Linux. Annoying but il have to cope with steam/Epic games on SteamOS

Shame microsoft engineers are more focused on AI than the Audio Substack popping issues. the latency is bad. never mind the crackling and popping it causes.

Most users wont notice it sadly. and will tell you they dont have the issue. They do. again 12 PC's same issue. Different properties/Drivers/Peripherals.

Answer 1

Hendrix-V 18,515 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Sleepingmydayaway,

I'm Hendrix, here to help with your query on the Microsoft Q&A forums. Apologies for any inconvenience you are experiencing. I know how maddening crackling, popping, or delayed audio can be, especially when it suddenly gets worse after an update.

To my knowledge, Microsoft has already shipped fixes for specific scenarios and continues to roll out improvements via cumulative/optional updates. Installing the right updates and removing a few conflicts typically restores clean audio.

Below is the guide that has consistently helped Windows 11 users fix exactly this problem, please kindly follow:

1 - Install available Windows updates (including Optional)

Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates.
If you see an Optional update related to audio/Bluetooth/USB, install it too (these often carry targeted audio fixes).

Microsoft has shipped stability fixes for audio stutter/NDI/driver interactions in recent builds.

2 - Disable unused HDMI/Display audio devices

Right‑click Start → Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers.
Right‑click → Disable device for NVIDIA High-Definition Audio, AMD/Intel Display Audio, or monitor/HDMI audio outputs you’re not using.
Test audio again.

Even when Realtek/USB is set as default, display audio drivers can still interfere and cause pops before notifications or when sound “starts”.

3 - Switch to Microsoft’s generic audio driver (fast rollback)

In Device Manager, right‑click your primary output (e.g., Realtek(R) Audio).
Update driver → Browse my computer → Let me pick.
Choose High-Definition Audio Device (Microsoft) → Next → Yes.
Test audio.

Some Realtek/UAD builds after 24H2 don’t play nicely on specific models. The in‑box Microsoft driver is a clean baseline that often eliminates crackling.

I look forward to receiving your update and I'm willing to collaborate with you till we resolve the issue. Please keep me informed. If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. Accepting an answer helps us track the effectiveness of our support efforts.

Sleepingmydayaway 25 Reputation points

2025-09-16T19:43:17.9333333+00:00

My windows is always up to date(even optional) so that solution does not resolve it.

Second solution i have tried and still have sound issues.

Third solution i still also have same issues after.

What had helped is that i went back to win 10, i still get pops in audio, but it is very minor, but i have no cut off or delayed audio at all. Since that is not a solution to really go with, since win 10 is gonna lose support in october this year(2025). I am currently dreading upgrading back to win11 and i am gonna drag out not upgrading for as long as possible.
Hendrix-V 18,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-20T06:49:15.2866667+00:00
Hi Sleepingmydayaway,

Thank you on updating on the issue. You have tried a lot of solutions then decided to go back to Windows 10, I really understand how comfortable it is for you.

Since going back to Win10 still get minor pops in audio, perhaps, you can consider runing LatencyMon on Win10 and note the top offenders (often ndis.sys for network or nvlddmkm.sys for GPU), please let me know the result.

If network drivers spike, disable Wi-Fi adapter temporarily when gaming or streaming.

If GPU drivers spike, disable Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling (HAGS) in Win11 after upgrade.

Additionally, you can check which driver version gives you the “minor pops” state on Win10:

Device Manager → Audio device → Properties → Driver tab (please note: Driver Provider, Driver Version and Driver Date).

Download this exact version from:

Your PC manufacturer’s support page (OEM site), or

Realtek’s official site.

After upgrading to Win11, manually install this version and block automatic driver updates:

Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Driver updates → Turn off.

I look forward to receiving your update and I'm willing to collaborate with you till we resolve the issue. Please keep me informed.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. Accepting an answer helps us track the effectiveness of our support efforts.
The Great Buran 115 Reputation points

2025-10-01T00:29:36.43+00:00

up to you to fix this, we tried all of this years ago lol. but we know you will ignore it and say its our hardware or power lol, Despite many of us having the issue on multiple PCs and in different countries aahahahaah.

Answer 2

I had a similar problem and managed to get it somewhat fixed. I still have the odd occasion where updates break my system and I'm pretty much back to square one. But give the following a try:

Disable sysmain> Press Win Key + R> type in services.msc> find sysmain and open it (double click or right-click and select properties)>under service status stop the service> under startup type switch to Disabled. Hit Ok and restart the machine. This fixed most of my problems.
Turn off any enhancements> Go to Settings in the menu > System> Sound > Scroll down to more sound settings> Right-click on your Default audio device> Go to the advanced tab and see if there's any enhancement enabled and disable if there is
A more recent one that stumped me is the addition of the Voice enhancement APO. Right-click on start menu> open device manager> Typically located just below your Audio inputs and outputs (but not in the sub directory) is a new addition Called Voice Enhancement APO (or something along these lines). Uninstall that, that also caused some issues for me.
Then get yourself the Glary Utilities app and go to the advanced section (up arrow in the bottom right corner of the app) and find Registry repair, it should run a check that you can repair. Then after the check and fix, in the same registry repair window scroll down to the Deep Scan section, tick the Deep scan box and run it again, fix the registry.

Hope that helps!