After updating to Build 26200, audio completely stopped working

Hi TALENTRO SHUBHANKAR,

I can understand why you suspect Build 26200 is involved, especially when you found a thread on similar behaviors from 2025. Since the audio stopped immediately after the update and the issue persisted after driver reinstallation, it's reasonable to think this may be a regression that need to be fixed.

That said, I must note that Microsoft Q&A is just a user-to-user forum. Moderators, contributors, including external Microsoft staff, cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or escalate problem reports to the internal teams. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance based on official documentation.

While posting here may help attract others who have observed similar behavior, it is unlikely that the thread itself will be reviewed by the Windows engineering team. So if you believe this is a regression and are looking for it to be resolved in next update, the most appropriate avenue for the report is through the official Microsoft feedback channels:

• Press Win + F to open Feedback Hub > submit the issue and include diagnostic logs.
• Check daily for whether there's an update on this or newer Insider build is available.
• If audio functionality is critical, consider rolling back to the last build, if it's available.

Since the audio stopped immediately after updating to Build 26200 and you've already reinstalled the drivers, this appears more likely to be an audio stack or device enumeration issue rather than a simple driver problem. While waiting for updates, I also have a few checks that may help making your report more detailed:

• Open Services (services.msc) and confirm both are Running + Automatic:
  • Windows Audio
  • Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
• Since MMDevices\Audio\Render appears empty, check whether audio endpoints are being detected at all:
  • Device Manager > View > Show hidden devices > look for disabled or ghost audio devices
  • Especially check under Audio inputs and outputs and Sound, video and game controllers.

For now, I am not aware of any official Microsoft confirmation for this specific audio issue in Build 26200. However, the fact that Windows is enumerating zero audio endpoints despite driver reinstalls does suggest the problem may be occurring before the Realtek driver layer is reached.

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