# Sound stops suddenly



## agbe981 (Feb 13, 2009)

I upgraded my Dell inspiron 3542 to windows 10 from windows 8.1, just yesterday the sound stop playing even though everything shows its working normal. I reset the pc this morning and yet still the sound wont play.

how can I restore it to dell factory setting since I still have the recovery partition on the drive. Can I still create recovery media for restoring it with all the dell software and other applications that came with it when I first bought it.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

> I upgraded my Dell inspiron 3542 to windows 10 from windows 8.1, just yesterday the sound stop playing


The *Dell Inspiron 3542* laptop is optimized for Windows 10 and does have Windows 10 drivers for all of its primary devices (graphics, audio, ethernet, wireless, etc.).

If the audio in your laptop wasn't working after upgrading it from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, all you probably needed to do was install the Windows 10 audio driver.



> I reset the pc this morning and yet still the sound wont play


What do you mean by "I reset the PC"?

Did you revert it back to Windows 8.1 or did you do something else?

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## agbe981 (Feb 13, 2009)

I went to recovery and I selected reset this pc with the option of keeping the files. after upgrading from windows 8.1 to 10, I have used it for more than 3months now without issue. I uninstalled the drivers and installed again and still did not work. even after resetting too the sound is still not working. I did not revert it back to windows 8.1


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

If you've been using Windows 10 for about 3 months, I'm going to assume you used its built-in factory restore/system recovery partition to revert it back to its original new condition.

Did that laptop originally come with and is it now Windows 7 64-bit or Windows 8.1. 64-bit?

What's the "service tag" number and/or "express service code" number on it?

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## agbe981 (Feb 13, 2009)

service tag: 7XLJ512 express service code: 17269025078. I used the RESET THIS PC in windows 10. the laptop originally came with windows 8.1 64-bit


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

> I used the RESET THIS PC in windows 10. the laptop originally came with windows 8.1 64-bit


So you're saying that Windows 10 did allow you to revert back to Windows 8.1?

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## agbe981 (Feb 13, 2009)

No, it was restored back to windows 10. the option to revert back to windows 8.1 was not available. now the sound is working but the volume is very low


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

> service tag: 7XLJ512 express service code: 17269025078


Here is the support site that's assigned only to your *Dell Inspiron 3542* laptop.
You should add and save this site in your browser's favorites/bookmarks list so you can quickly refer to it when needed.
It was purchased in September 2014 in the U.S.A. and came with Windows 8.1 64-bit.

These are the primary drivers listed for your laptop for Windows 8.1 64-bit:
Realtek ALC3223 high definition audio
NVIDIA GeForce GT840M/GT820M/GT920M graphics
Realtek RTL8106E-US/RTL8111G-US ethernet 
Dell Wireless 1705 802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth
Intel chipset

I recommend you download and save these drivers, then burn them to a disc or copy them to a USB thumb drive.
If you decide to do a clean install of Windows 8.1 64-bit, you'll have these drivers readily available afterwards to install if needed.

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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

> No, it was restored back to windows 10. the option to revert back to windows 8.1 was not available. now the sound is working but the volume is very low


I wish you had clarified that earlier.
If the sound is working but the volume is low, you probably need to adjust or change some settings.

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## agbe981 (Feb 13, 2009)

the sound was off entirely, it came with lower volume and now it off again. i have downloaded the audio drivers from link you gave and still not working


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

One of the most common complaints from users who have upgraded from Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 is their computer losing sound.

The audio driver that I linked you to in post #8 is for Windows 8.1 64-bit. 
Here is the audio driver for Windows 10 64-bit.

If that driver doesn't work, I don't know what else to advise you.

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## agbe981 (Feb 13, 2009)

could it also be a hardware issue? i have restored it to dell factory setting with windows 8.1 but still no sound.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Go into the Device Manager, then expand the *Sound Video And Game Controllers* heading.
What's the exact name of the sound device listed there?
Double-click that device to open its properties window.
Does it say it's working properly or does it say something else?
Click the Driver tab.
What's the exact driver version list there(if there is one)?

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## agbe981 (Feb 13, 2009)

the driver version is 6.0.1.7161. i have attached screen shot of my device manager


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Go here.
Accept the terms and click "Next".
Click the "Global" link for the 64-bit executable file(second one down from the top of the list) - which is version 2.79(*6.0.1.7541*).
Download and save it, then close all open windows.
Double-click it to start the install process.
Follow the instructions from there.
After you're all done, submit images of the "General" and "Driver" tabs.
Advise if the sound is now working.

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It's been awhile since I used a computer that has Realtek high definition audio, but I'm pretty sure it places a Realtek Audio Manager or similar-named entry in the Control Panel.
This app allows you to test the speakers and make setting changes.

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## agbe981 (Feb 13, 2009)

still the sound is not playing but meanwhile when i connect headset it plays fine. i have attached the screen shot of device manager after installing the new driver


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

That laptop's audio device is detected by the Windows operating system and appears in the Device Manager as working properly and is emitting sound through the headset, so it's obviously working.
Double-check all the audio settings and make sure they're correct. 
It's possible there's a hardware issue with the built-in speakers, but I somehow doubt that.

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