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No sound on my laptop

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
I've lost the sound on my Toshiba laptop. The sound symbol at the bottom right of the screen has a white x on a red background next to it, which wasn't there before. When I click on the symbol, it doesn't bring up the sound control. I've phoned Toshiba, but they refuse to help me because I don't have a support agreement, which costs a lot. I don't personally know anyone who can help me with this. The guarantee has expired. Does anyone know how I might restore the sound? I've never had this problem before on any computer and I have very little technical knowledge.

Comments

  • MaisyMaisy Posts: 701 Part of The Mix Family
    Hey Robert,

    ​Has the sounds come back yet?
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, and I still have no idea how to bring it back.
  • CharlotteCharlotte Posts: 229 Trailblazer
    my old dell laptop lots all sound from external speakers worked with headphones plugged in, just wondering how old is the laptop.
  • MaisyMaisy Posts: 701 Part of The Mix Family
    If sound works with headphones, then the speakers physically may be broken, so it's worth trying that first of all to determine whether the issue is physical or not.

    ​If there's no sound at all, not even with headphones, then it may be a driver issue, which is a bit more complicated to fix but not impossible.
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I never use headphones or additional speakers. The sound always came directly out of the laptop.

    It's 5 years old.
  • MaisyMaisy Posts: 701 Part of The Mix Family
    Assuming it's not a physical issue, you can check the version of drivers by going to the control panel, then the install/uninstall program option and search for your audio drivers. Scroll across and look at the date and version number. Then go to the manufacturers website (Toshiba) and see if you can download drivers. Then search for your current driver and see if there is an updated version that you can use. Once downloaded you can run the installer and hopefully it should let you know if you are trying to install an older version. If you're installing a new version then it shouldn't be a problem.
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It says no audio devices installed. How can I find out what I should install? I don't know the model of my laptop and the number has been worn off the sticker.
  • MaisyMaisy Posts: 701 Part of The Mix Family
    That's odd.

    ​Go to 'run' then type in dxdiag and hit enter. It should give you the model number and other information related to your laptop :)
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've done that and now know the model number etc. I've tried 2 links: the first failed due to a network error and the second demanded that I pay a fee.
  • MaisyMaisy Posts: 701 Part of The Mix Family
    Have you tried this http://www.toshiba.co.uk/support/drivers/laptops/

    ​Drivers should be free, so I wouldn't trust any website that says you have to pay.

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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's not any of the series that are listed on that link, so I can't use it. Mine is a C50D-A-138.
  • MaisyMaisy Posts: 701 Part of The Mix Family
    Ah, I looked and can see that yours has been discontinued, so that might explain why it's hard trying to get hold of them. Perhaps you can take it to a computer repair shop and see if they can help? Otherwise, I'm out of ideas, sorry!
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They'd probably charge me to look at it, and might tell me that they can't repair it or that it will take a lot of time and money to fix.

    This problem started immediately after I restored the laptop to factory settings. I did that because it was the only way to get rid of an adware virus that was causing hundreds of popups every day. The reset removed the adware, but somehow removed the sound. I'd reset this laptop and other laptops to factory settings before - and that never affected the sound. Someone suggested that if I do another reset to factory settings it will restore the sound.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I tried resetting it to an earlier date, which has solved problems that have been caused by updates on other laptops I've had. However, my attempts to do that on this laptop failed.

    =================================
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Robert, you may be able to get sound when buying an inexpensive little sound board, one which plugs into the side of your laptop via USB 2.0. On the opposite end is a 3.5 mm socket so you can plug in headphones or remote speakers. Many are just plug-and-play.
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