If you see the message “Audio output device is not installed,” then most likely there is a problem with the audio drivers on your personal computer. They are missing, outdated or damaged by virus programs. Often users wipe them themselves due to their own carelessness.
What to do in this case?
Since the problem is with the drivers, we do everything in the standard way. We remove the old driver and all its remnants, restart our computer, and download the latest version of the sound device driver from the official website of the manufacturer of our equipment. Install it and reboot again.
Sometimes this may not help if your audio devices are disabled in the BIOS, your sound card has moved away from the slot in which it is installed. Something bad happened and she got burned. Also, the reason may be in the devices that you connect to the audio outputs; be sure to check that they are in good condition and the cables are in good condition.
As practice shows, the problem most often occurs among users of the Windows 7 and Vista operating systems. If the speakers or headphones show no signs of life, then you need to “cure” the problem. Often the reasons are simple: incorrectly installed drivers, failure of the sound card or speakers.
It is not difficult to check the functionality of these elements, and installing the driver is quite simple, but first you need to remove the old version and only then install the new one. There are also cases where sound effects are played, but problems arise with a specific program or game. You should not blame the hardware, as the cause may be hardware incompatibility or local application settings.+ Audio output device not installed: Windows 7 The most important thing you need to do is scan your computer for viruses.
This is especially true in cases where the problem arises suddenly. That is, everything was working, but suddenly it stopped. You can use any reliable antivirus program, and then try to restart the computer and check for sound. If this does not help, then move on to the next step: we need to check the drivers, or more precisely, the correctness of their installation and the availability of more recent versions. To do this, go to the Control Panel and find the "Sound Devices" tab there.
Check to see if the driver is installed, and if necessary, update it through the official website of the developer. Let's not get ahead of ourselves and figure out how to properly connect an audio device. Connecting speakers and headphones Nowadays, most computers contain a built-in sound card. An exception may be the system unit or laptop that you assembled yourself and forgot about this part.
Often, a sound card has several 3.5 mm connectors, usually green, blue and orange jacks. For everything to work, you need to insert the plugs into the corresponding holes of the same color. That is, the green plug is for the green socket, etc. The pink connector is used to connect a microphone. The green one is for playing sound from the speakers, so the first thing you should pay attention to is whether it's connected.
If the system writes: “The audio output device is not installed,” then try to reconnect all the wires and restart the computer. Sometimes the cause may be a break or malfunction of the socket, in which case you need to either go to a specialist or change the cable. The audio output device is not installed: what to do or how to solve the problem Now let's move on to the most important part - installing drivers.
By the way, if there is no sound only in online games, then most likely the problem is in your antivirus, which is blocking passing network packets. It is enough to disable it during the gameplay, and everything will fall into place. To install the driver, you need to find the installation disk, if there is one, of course. In some cases, the necessary software is located along with the drivers on the motherboard, pay attention to this.
If there is no disk, then you can try to use the Internet, this method is also quite simple. Go to Device Manager and find your sound card there. If there is something wrong with the drivers, then next to you you will see a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark inside. If there is no board at all, then reconnect it. Installing the driver: part 2 When the sound card appears, click on it, select "Driver", and then "Update". If you have a high-speed Internet connection, the process will begin automatically.
If at the end you receive an error about a failed update, it is recommended to first select the “Roll Back” function. This will provide you with an initial version that can be updated to the latest version. Restart your computer and enjoy the results.
If all else fails, then it is best to use System Restore. To do this, go to “Start”, select “Programs”, then “Utilities”. Here you will need to select a checkpoint when everything was still working (date, time) and restore the operating system. As a rule, this method helps almost everyone, but if you are not one of them, then reinstall the OS - this should solve the problem with a 99.9% probability. How else can you solve the problem?
There are special programs that allow you to restore damaged system files. Including those responsible for correct sound reproduction. One such utility is ezrecover. The program will do everything itself, after which it will require a restart of the computer. There is another good method that allows you to quickly download the necessary driver for the Realtek audio device. It consists in the fact that the card ID is copied in the device manager, using which the program downloads everything it needs from the official website.
You are guaranteed to receive the necessary driver, which you only need to install. The method is suitable for those who use the Vista or Windows 7 operating system. A few important points There is nothing difficult about installing the audio output device yourself. You can find the latest drivers for free on the Internet, and the rest is a matter of time. But I would like to draw your attention to the fact that if the sound card is not displayed in the device manager, then it is likely that it has burned out.
It can be tested on another computer or using special software. The card can be disabled in the BIOS, you should not forget about this. If you do not understand BIOS, then it is better to call a specialist who will do everything in a few minutes. This is due to the fact that it contains many system parameters, temperature conditions, equipment, etc.
If you do something wrong, your computer or laptop may no longer turn on, which will result in more expensive repairs. Conclusion In some cases, it makes no sense to go too deep into the problem, since the solution lies on the surface. For example, poor contact, broken socket, etc. In such cases, damage can be found visually, but if this cannot be done, then use the methods described above.
If the audio output device is not installed, what should I do? We have already discussed Windows 7 above. Also, do not forget to remove old ones before installing new drivers, as without this simple step you will not succeed. Use the DriverPack program: the utility automatically searches for outdated components and downloads updates for them.
Look at the sound card and download new drivers for it. A yellow square with an exclamation mark indicates that the drivers may not have been installed correctly earlier. Go to device manager, click on devices with an exclamation mark. The "refresh" icon will appear. If it doesn’t help, then right-click on the square with the sign and select the property line. Next is the rollback line. This will remove an old or incorrectly installed driver version. Then you update to the new one.
1. If using the system settings “it is not possible to remove the unit from the device,” you will have to reinstall the sound system drivers, first removing the old ones. If the sound device is built into the MP, drivers are available on the disc for the MP.
2. Sometimes it’s easier to roll back the system to a time when everything worked. In this case, it is necessary to save the latest documents to external media (flash drive, etc.).
3. In laptops, you can restore the system to its original form - in this case, all additional programs installed will have to be installed again.
Windows OS is a rather unstable operating system, with which many users have a tense relationship. Among the many problems that may arise during the operation of a computer, today we will look at the “Audio output device not installed” error.
Error "Audio output device not installed" indicates that there are problems with sound. What exactly influenced the occurrence of such an error is up to you to find out.
Reason 1: audio equipment malfunction
If you connect, for example, external speakers to your computer, you should definitely make sure they are working by trying to connect them to any other device, for example, an mp3 player. If the speakers with another gadget work fine, the problem is clearly not with them.
Reason 2: Problems with sound drivers
Often, a similar error can be caused by the sound driver installed on your computer. It may, for example, fail as a result of a system failure or the action of viruses, as a result of which the problem will not be solved until the driver is installed.
Previously, our website covered the issue of installing sound drivers in more detail. Try installing them again, and then be sure to restart your computer.
Reason 3: Computer malfunctions
A conflict with the program or another type of glitch could cause a problem with the sound. In this case, you should run Windows diagnostics to check for problems.
Reason 4: viral activity
Viruses are a very unpleasant thing that can affect various aspects of the operating system, so you should not be surprised that it was their fault that the sound disappeared.
In this case, you are recommended to scan your system for virus activity, and it is advisable to run this procedure from Windows safe mode, which increases the chances of successfully finding all threats and eliminating them.
To enter your computer into safe mode, you will need to reboot it and, at the very early stages of turning it on, start pressing the key F8 until the system boot type menu appears on the screen. Accordingly, you will need to select the item "Safe mode".
From safe mode, you should run either a system scan available in your antivirus, or use a separate utility designed for this (a healing utility has been mentioned more than once on our website, which is an effective tool for finding and removing any types of viral activity).
If the scan results reveal that there are viruses on your computer, you will need to eliminate them, and then restart the computer in normal mode and check the sound status.
Reason 5: BIOS settings
If you have previously made adjustments to the BIOS, the sound may have disappeared precisely for this reason. The simplest solution, regardless of the cause of the problem, is to reset the BIOS.
You can reset the BIOS settings in three ways: using the BIOS settings menu, by switching the jumper, and by removing the battery. This was previously discussed in more detail on our website.
Reason 6: System failure
Actually, this reason hides a general solution that can help if the computer and sound were working normally some time ago. In this case, the recovery function can help you, which can roll back the system to a time when there were no failures in its functioning.
To launch this function, you will need to open the menu "Control Panel", and then go to the section "Recovery".
Open section "Run System Restore". After a moment, a window will appear on the screen in which you will need to select a suitable rollback point, during which everything worked normally, and then start the rollback procedure.
Please note that the duration of the system rollback procedure can take quite a decent amount of time - everything will depend on the time passed and the number of changes that have been made to the operating system since the day it was created.
Reason 7: Audio jack not working
Finally, you should suspect that the problem is a broken speaker or microphone jack. You can only be told in more detail at the service center after diagnostics have been carried out.
And finally. If you have the opportunity, try reinstalling Windows. By starting to use the operating system from scratch, many problems in its operation are eliminated.
A sound device is responsible for playing audio on a computer, but it does not always work properly. The source of the problem may be a failure in the OS or hardware, which is accompanied by the error “Sound devices are not installed.” What to do on Windows 7/8/10 to fix the problem is described in this article.
Causes of malfunction
The following factors can cause a malfunction:
- The driver did not load when the OS started due to a failure or absence;
- Audio device is disabled in Device Manager;
- motherboard chipset software failure;
- physical malfunction of the sound unit.
You can solve the problem yourself. If it turns out that the problem is with the built-in audio adapter, you should contact a service center.
Solution options
With such a malfunction, the speaker icon in the tray, which displays the sound status, will have a red cross.
Click on it. If a window appears asking you to enable your audio device, do so by clicking "Apply this fix."
Note! Possibly a one-time error. Restart your computer to fix it. Otherwise, you need to install drivers for chipsets and sound cards from the manufacturers' official websites.
Virus check
Some viruses can affect the performance of the audio adapter. To find and remove them, use an antivirus with the latest virus signatures like “Dr. Web CureIt!
Chipset software update
To install drivers for motherboard chips, use the AIDA64 program to obtain the necessary information.
Installing the sound card driver
The operation of the audio adapter is ensured by the appropriate software. Sometimes it crashes or needs to be updated. To install it, use the built-in device management tool.
Note! These instructions apply to Windows 7. In other versions of the OS, the appearance of some items may differ.
- Open “Start” → right-click on “My Computer” → “Properties”.
- Select Device Manager.
- Go to “Sound, video and game devices” → right-click on the desired item → “Update drivers”.
- Specify automatic (via the Internet) or manual (selecting files on PC) installation method.
conclusions
The message that audio devices are not installed in Windows appears due to a software or hardware failure. The first case can be fixed by yourself by installing or updating the sound node drivers. If there is a problem with the hardware, you must contact a service center.
Error message “ No audio output device installed” can be issued in several cases:
- Incorrect connection devices for sound output or their exit from the operating state,
- Computer infection viruses,
- Blocking antivirus software,
- Crash in the operation of the audio driver.
If this error occurs, a few simple steps can help resolve it.
Troubleshooting Wizard
Before using other methods, it is worth trying the standard method offered by the system. To do this, right-click on the speaker icon and select “ Detecting audio problems", after which the built-in program will start. At this stage, it is worth doing all the steps suggested by the wizard to troubleshoot problems.
Scan your computer with an antivirus program
The first step in case of strange behavior of programs and operating system is to check your computer for viruses. To do this, you must have an antivirus installed and updated to the latest version. If it is not there, then you need to download it as soon as possible. Currently, on the Internet you can find many different paid and free utilities for detecting and removing viruses, but you should only download them from official websites.
In case the antivirus not installed or does not start, it makes sense to download programs that do not require installation. These include “ DoctorWeb CureIt!”, and, in especially advanced cases, “ Kaspersky Rescue Disk”, which can be installed on a flash drive and check the system without the participation of the operating system. 
Disabling antivirus
If the antivirus does not detect anything and no suspicious activity is noticed on the computer, there is another option related to antivirus software. Your defender may have suspected the audio output program to be a virus.
In this case it will help temporary shutdown antivirus, and then disconnect and connect the sound device. If the problem is solved using this method, then you should think about reconfiguring your antivirus or replacing it.
Correct connection of the audio device
It is necessary to check the connection of output devices. To do this, you need to pull the plug out of the connector and check again whether it was plugged into the right socket. If this does not help solve the problem, you should check device on another computer. If the error occurs there too, then it’s time to repair or replace it. If there is no error on the other computer, then you will have to continue to struggle with the error “The audio output device is not installed.”
Reinstalling the driver and restoring the system
To reinstall, first of all you need to go to Start -> Control Panel -> device Manager. Next, you need to select audio playback devices, open the menu by right-clicking and select properties. In the window that appears, click on the “ tab Drivers”, in this menu you can either Roll back drivers, if the sound disappeared after installing new drivers, or update. You may have to do both. 
If none of the methods help, you should return the system to an earlier state when everything worked. To do this, go to Start -> Control Panel -> Recovery. Next, you need to click Start recovery, and in the next window, select the recovery point when problems with sound have not yet been observed. 
One of the reasons why there may be no sound on computers running Windows 7 is an error "Output device not installed". Let's figure out what its essence is and how to deal with this problem.
The main symptom of the error we are studying is the absence of sound from audio devices connected to the PC, as well as a cross on the speaker icon in the notification area. When you hover over this icon, a pop-up message appears "Output device is not enabled (not installed)".
The above error can occur either as a result of a banal disconnection of the audio device by the user himself, or due to various failures and malfunctions in the system. Let's find out ways to solve the problem on Windows 7 in various situations.
Method 1: Troubleshooter
The simplest and most intuitive way to eliminate this error is through the system troubleshooter.
If the troubleshooter was unable to correct the situation, then in this case, proceed to the following methods for eliminating the problem with sound, described in this article.
Method 2: Enable the audio device in Control Panel
If the above error occurs, you should check whether audio devices are disabled in the section "Control Panels" responsible for sound.
- Click "Start" and go to "Control Panel".
- Go to section "Equipment and Sound".
- Click on the inscription "Manage audio devices" in the block "Sound".
- The Audio Device Manager tool will open. If it displays options for the connected headset, you can skip this step and go straight to the next step. But if in the opened shell you only see the inscription "Sound devices are not installed", additional action will be required. Right click ( RMB) along the inside of the window shell. From the context menu, select "Show disabled...".
- All disabled devices will be displayed. Click RMB by the name of the one through which you want to output sound. Select an option "Turn on".
- After this, the selected device will be activated. All you have to do is press the button "OK".
- The problem with the error we are studying will be resolved and the sound will begin to be output.
Method 3: Enable the audio adapter
Another reason for the error we are describing may be the disconnection of the audio adapter, that is, the PC sound card. You can use it by performing manipulations in "Device Manager".
- Go to "Control Panel" in the same way as described earlier. Open section "System and safety".
- In Group "System" click on the inscription "Device Manager".
- A window for the specified "Dispatcher". Click on the section name "Sound devices...".
- A list of sound cards and other adapters will open. But there can only be one element in the list. Click RMB by the name of the sound card through which sound should be output to the PC. If the context menu that opens contains the item "Disable", this means that the adapter is turned on and you need to look for another cause of the sound problem.
If instead of the point "Disable" in the specified menu you observe the position "Engage", this means that the sound card is deactivated. Click on the indicated item.
- A dialog box will open asking you to restart your PC. Close all active applications and press "Yes".
- After restarting the computer, the audio adapter will turn on, which means the problem with the output device error will be resolved.
Method 4: Installing Drivers
The next factor that can cause the problem under study is the lack of necessary drivers on the computer, their incorrect installation or malfunctions. In this case, they must be installed or reinstalled.
First of all, try reinstalling the drivers that are already on your PC.
If the described method did not help, but the error appeared quite recently, then there is a possibility that the “native” drivers of your audio adapter have failed.
They could be damaged or deleted due to some kind of failure, system reinstallation and some user actions, and in their place a standard Windows analogue was installed, which does not always work correctly with some sound cards. In this case, you can try rolling back the drivers.
But there may also be an option that the button "Roll back" will not be active or after the rollback no positive changes will occur. In this case, you need to reinstall the sound card drivers. To do this, simply take the installation disk that came with the audio adapter and install the necessary objects. If for some reason you don’t have it, you can go to the official website of the sound card manufacturer and download the latest updated version.
If you cannot do this or do not know the address of the manufacturer’s website, then in this case you can search for drivers by sound card ID. Of course, this option is worse than installing from the manufacturer’s official website, but in the absence of another option, you can use it.
If you do not want to perform the above steps to search for drivers by ID, you can make everything easier by installing a special one on your computer. One of the best options is this. After launching this software, the OS will be automatically scanned for all necessary drivers. If the required driver option is not available, it will be automatically downloaded and installed.
Method 5: System Restore
If you have never had a problem with the audio output device before and it appeared not so long ago, and all the above solutions did not help, then you can try using various options to restore the system.
First of all, you can check the integrity of system files. They can be damaged due to various failures or viral infection. By the way, if you suspect the presence of viruses, be sure to run.
You can directly scan the system for damaged files using "Command line" in standard mode or from the recovery environment using the following command:
If the absence of system files or a violation in their structure is detected, a procedure for restoring damaged objects will be performed.
If the above option did not bring the desired result, but you have or created before the sound problem arose, then you can roll back to it. The disadvantage of this method is that not all users have a pre-created system backup that meets the above-described condition.
If none of the listed options helped, and you do not have the necessary backup, then to correct the situation, all that remains is to reinstall the system.
As you can see, there are quite a few reasons why an error occurs when installing an output device. Accordingly, for each factor there is its own group of ways to eliminate the problem. It is not always possible to immediately determine the immediate cause of this problem. Therefore, use the methods in order of their complexity: as they are listed in the article. Use the most radical methods, including restoring or reinstalling the system, only when other options have not helped.
