I'm experiencing a serious audio issue on my Windows 11 PC, and I would appreciate your help.
System Information:
- OS: Windows 11 Version 26H2
OS Build: 26300.9818
Recent update: KB5127936 (2026-10 Preview Update)
Headset: HyperX Cloud III (wired USB-C connected through a USB-A adapter)
Problem:
The problem started on November 4, 2026. My headset suddenly stopped producing sound. When I open Sound Settings or mmsys.cpl, the Playback tab shows no audio devices.
Device Manager reports that the audio device is working properly, but Windows cannot detect any playback devices.
Troubleshooting I have already tried:
Uninstalled the KB5127936 preview update and restarted the PC, but the problem remained.
Checked Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder services.
Windows Audio Endpoint Builder is running, but Windows Audio (Audiosrv) keeps stopping.
Attempted to start Windows Audio manually, but it fails with error 0x80070005 (Access Denied).
Checked the service dependencies. RPC and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder are listed.
Checked the Windows Audio service account, which is set to NT AUTHORITY\LocalService.
Ran DISM and SFC. DISM completed successfully, and SFC reported no integrity violations.
Checked the permissions and existence of Audiosrv.dll and es.dll. Both files exist, and their permissions appear normal.
Checked the EventSystem service. It also keeps returning to the STOPPED state after attempting to start it.
Checked the EventSystem ServiceDll registry value, which is set to %systemroot%\system32\es.dll.
Event Viewer Error:
Event ID: 7023 Source: Service Control Manager
Message: "The Windows Audio service terminated with the following error: General access denied error."
I have tried several troubleshooting steps, but the issue still persists.
My questions:
What could cause both Windows Audio and EventSystem to fail to start?
Why does Windows Audio return error 0x80070005 even though the service account and DLL file permissions appear normal?
Could this be a Windows 11 26H2 issue related to the KB5127936 update?
Is there a way to repair the Windows services without performing a clean installation?
Would an in-place repair installation fix this issue while keeping my personal files and installed applications?
I would appreciate any guidance or advanced troubleshooting steps. Thank you.I'm experiencing a serious audio issue on my Windows 11 PC, and I would appreciate your help.
System Information:
OS: Windows 11 Version 26H2
OS Build: 26300.9818
Recent update: KB5127936 (2026-10 Preview Update)
Headset: HyperX Cloud III (wired USB-C connected through a USB-A adapter)
Problem:
The problem started on November 4, 2026. My headset suddenly stopped producing sound. When I open Sound Settings or mmsys.cpl, the Playback tab shows no audio devices.
Device Manager reports that the audio device is working properly, but Windows cannot detect any playback devices.
Troubleshooting I have already tried:
Uninstalled the KB5127936 preview update and restarted the PC, but the problem remained.
Checked Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder services.
Windows Audio Endpoint Builder is running, but Windows Audio (Audiosrv) keeps stopping.
Attempted to start Windows Audio manually, but it fails with error 0x80070005 (Access Denied).
Checked the service dependencies. RPC and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder are listed.
Checked the Windows Audio service account, which is set to NT AUTHORITY\LocalService.
Ran DISM and SFC. DISM completed successfully, and SFC reported no integrity violations.
Checked the permissions and existence of Audiosrv.dll and es.dll. Both files exist, and their permissions appear normal.
Checked the EventSystem service. It also keeps returning to the STOPPED state after attempting to start it.
Checked the EventSystem ServiceDll registry value, which is set to %systemroot%\system32\es.dll.
Event Viewer Error:
Event ID: 7023
Source: Service Control Manager
Message:
"The Windows Audio service terminated with the following error: General access denied error."
I have tried several troubleshooting steps, but the issue still persists.
My questions:
What could cause both Windows Audio and EventSystem to fail to start?
Why does Windows Audio return error 0x80070005 even though the service account and DLL file permissions appear normal?
Could this be a Windows 11 26H2 issue related to the KB5127936 update?
Is there a way to repair the Windows services without performing a clean installation?
Would an in-place repair installation fix this issue while keeping my personal files and installed applications?
I would appreciate any guidance or advanced troubleshooting steps. Thank you. (P.S. I use ChatGPT to write this)