One of the elements that make up the hardware of our computer is the sound card, thanks to it we can listen to audios on our computer. Many of these cards incorporate the Realtek HD Audio chip, which has become almost a standard. However, sometimes it fails and we are forced to act on the Realtek High Definition audio drivers.
Many times we do not realize that there is a mismatch or a problem with the sound card until we are ready to listen to music or watch a movie or series. Then we find that our computer is apparently unable to play the audio. What can be done in these cases?
Most often, the bug affects the Realtek HD Audio drivers. The solution is to uninstall them (in order to avoid compatibility or duplication problems), and then download and install them again. This is all we need to know to complete this small but necessary intervention on our computer:
HD Realtek Audio
Each component of our computer performs an important function. That of the Realtek Audio HD sound driver is to ensure that the sound control playback in Windows is executed correctly.
In this sense, the Realtek name is synonymous with high-quality audio. DTS, Dolby and Surround Sound. Realtek HD Audio drivers are essential to ensure the best performance of our sound card.
This essential role of drivers in favor of optimal sound reproduction can come back to haunt us when these drivers do not perform their task well or simply stop working. Sometimes problems come to us after a Windows update, although there may be other reasons. In any case, the solution that we are going to apply will always be the same:
Troubleshoot Realtek HD Audio drivers
As we pointed out in the previous paragraphs, the correct order of the steps to follow is as follows: first uninstall the drivers and then download the new ones and install them. Let's see how it's done:
Uninstall the drivers
It is known that It is not a good idea to install two drivers for the same hardware.. So there is no point in looking for the solution in another generic driver installation. The only thing that is achieved by doing this is incurring in incompatibilities and conflicts that, in the worst case, could even affect other connected devices.
The first step is to uninstall the drivers that are not working. These are the steps to follow:
- Let's go to the box first. start menu search. There we write "Device administrator".
- In the next menu we click on "Sound, video and game controllers".
- There we look for the option "Realtek Audio" and click on it with the right mouse button.
- In the small menu that appears, we select “Uninstall the device”.
- In the new window, check the box “Remove the driver software for this device” and confirm the action by clicking on the button "Uninstall".
Finally, to complete the uninstallation of the Realtek HD Audio drivers that are causing problems, you need to restart your computer.
Download and install new drivers
Only when we are sure that we have uninstalled the previous drivers, we can start downloading and installing the new Realtek High Definition Audio drivers. There are three ways to do it:
- Manual mode (only recommended for advanced users).
- Automatic mode.
- Using the Realtek HD Audio Manager application.
In the first two modes, the first thing we need to do is download the latest drivers that we find in the Realtek's website. You only have to click on “Download”, after which a new window will appear where we must click on the link and the download of the file will start. It's about a .cab file, which we will then have to extract with a file decompression program such as WinRAR, WinZIP or similar.
For Automatic mode (recommended), go back to “Windows Device Manager” and from there to “Sound, video and game controllers”. In the “Realtek Audio” option, press the right mouse button to select “Update driver”. That easy.
Realtek Audio Manager
The easiest method to install the new drivers is to use the services of Realtek HD Audio Manager, a handy application to manage all sound functions. It can be downloaded directly from your web page.
All you have to do is select the Windows option on your computer (32 or 64 bit) and click on the button "Download" that appears on the left. On the next page we enter our email, accept the conditions and click on “Download this file”.
Once the new drivers have been downloaded (the process may take a few minutes, since they are large files), you just have to let the installation wizard guide you. It is a very simple process, available to any user.