SOUND PROBLEMS WITH AN ACER DESKTOP

Question

SOUND PROBLEMS WITH AN ACER DESKTOP

Peter Axon 0

I currently have no sound on my Acer desktop. There is a white cross on my sound bar which says there is no sound device installed. However a check with Device Manager says Realtek is installed and working correctly. While i am about it my computer does have a microphone installed which has also fallen victim to the not working ethic. It hasn't been operational for over a year.

Any ideas?

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Emma1-N 14,890 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Welcome Peter Axon,

Thank you for posting to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

To help narrow this down, could you tell us:

Which version of Windows are you using (Windows 10 or Windows 11)?
Did the audio stop working recently, or has it been missing for a long time?
Does your Acer model use the built-in speakers, or are external speakers connected?

In the meantime, please try these quick checks:

Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
Find Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder"
Ensure both services show Running and Automatic. If not, right-click each service and select Start

Then check whether an audio device now appears.

Also, please open Settings > System > Sound and let me know whether any device is listed under Output or if the list is completely empty.

I look forward to your reply.

Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-02T04:32:27.56+00:00

Hi Emma and thanks for replying.

I am using Windows 11

The audio stopped working September 30th although the microphone has been inactive for at least a year.

The Acer model I have does have built-in speakers and microphone.

Windows Audio and Endpoint Builder both show Running and Automatic.

The Output on Settings shows: No Output Device Found. Also the sound check for the microphone does not work.

I hope I have covered everything you asked for.

Kind regards

Peter Axon
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-03T09:07:14.13+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

Thank you for coming back.
Could you please check the following?

Press Windows + X and select Device Manager

Expand Sound, video and game controllers and let us know the exact name shown there.

Also expand System devices and check whether there are any entries with a yellow warning symbol.

In Device Manager, click View > Show hidden devices and see whether any audio devices appear grayed out.
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-03T13:35:02.5066667+00:00

Hello again, Emma:

There are four items showing under Sound video and game controllers. They are:

Intel Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones

Intel Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio

Realtek (R) Audio

USB PnP Audio Device.

There are no yellow warning symbols in Systems devices

And no greyed out devices appear in hidden devices.

Kind regards

Peter
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-04T10:27:22.0166667+00:00

Hi Emma:

Further to yesterday's reply. the following might help:

Where the sound motif appears on the task bar there is a white cross on a black circle. Open that and the bottom line - the volume indicator - is, I suppose, to use your terminology - greyed out. It is of a lesser colour than the line above and the volume control will not slide along.

Also, if I click on Settings and go to Sound I am told both sound for the built-in Realtek speakers and the microphone are inoperable. Ie neither is connected.

Any help?

Peter
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-06T07:11:45.2266667+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

Please try the step: Could you please try the following:

Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager

Expand Sound, video and game controllers

Right-click Realtek(R) Audio and select Uninstall device

Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device if that option appears, then restart the PC
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-07T06:45:05.01+00:00

Hello Peter Axon,

Is there any update from you? Please let me know, I will be here to assist you.
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-07T09:48:43.8166667+00:00

Hello Emma:

I am sorry this seems such a complicated matter. Made more so by the fact your diagnosis has to be made from long distance. Were my latest comments of any help?

Before I go ahead with your latest proposal, can you please confirm you are suggesting I uninstall Realtek sound device. I don't want to make a bad situation worse!
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-08T07:32:49.07+00:00

Hello Peter Axon,

If you would prefer the more cautious approach first, you can also right-click Realtek(R) Audio > Update driver > Search automatically for drivers before trying the uninstall. Microsoft recommends updating the audio driver as an earlier troubleshooting option
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-09T11:06:58.2133333+00:00

Hi again Emma:

I am a little confused. Are you suggesting I remove the Realtek Audio facility? If so, what do I then do?

Peter
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-10T08:43:42.95+00:00

Hello Peter Axon,

Yes, I mean uninstalling only Realtek(R) Audio from Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers. You are not permanently removing the Realtek audio facility.

After uninstalling it, simply restart your computer. Windows will then attempt to reinstall the device driver automatically.
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-10T11:57:23.94+00:00

Hi Emma:

Thanks for clearing that up.

I have followed your instructionsd, but on re-starting there appears to be no change. The Realtek motif remains on the taskbar with the white cross on a black circle. And when opened the bottom volume line remains inoperative.

Peter
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Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-13T07:28:42.29+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

Thank you for trying the reinstall. Since the Realtek device has returned but Windows still cannot use the speakers, we can leave the uninstall step behind and check the driver itself.

Please open Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers, right-click Realtek(R) Audio, and select Properties > Driver

First, please tell me:

the Driver Date

the Driver Version

whether Roll Back Driver is available or grayed out

If “Roll Back Driver” is available, please don't select it yet. Just let me know what you see.
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-13T11:38:29.0466667+00:00

Hi Emma: Thank you for perservering.

So, Driver Date is 03/03/22

Driver Version is 6.0. 9321.1`

Roll Back Driver is greyed out.

Kind regards

Peter
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-14T08:42:38.4266667+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

Thank you, that information is helpful.

Since “Roll Back Driver” is grayed out, there isn't a previous Realtek driver available through Device Manager for us to return to. So please don't make any further changes there for now.

Let's check whether Windows has another audio driver available:

Open Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options

Under Additional options, select Optional updates

If Driver updates appears, expand it and look for an audio-related update, particularly one mentioning Realtek or Intel.

If one is available, install it and restart the computer.

If there are no audio-related driver updates listed, don't install anything unrelated. Just let me know what appears under Optional updates
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-14T10:38:11.12+00:00

Hi Emma:

There are no audio-related driver updates listed. Under Optional updates I get the following:

There is a white blank box. Then Firmware - 535. 10.40 and an instruction to Select the updates you want to install and a Download and Install box which is greyed out.

I did press Bluetooth and Devices and there was a Devices option for Audio and an Add Device option that is in Blue.
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-15T05:33:58.36+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

Thank you for checking. Since there are no audio driver updates available through Windows Update, let's take a different route and identify the exact Acer model before changing anything else.

Please try this:

Press Windows + R on your keyboard.

Type “msinfo32” and press Enter.

The “System Information” window should open.

On the right-hand side, look for “System Model”.

Please send me exactly what is written next to “System Model”.

There is no need to select “Add device” or install the firmware update at this point.
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-15T09:41:38.86+00:00

Okay:

It says Aspire C24 - 1700

Peter
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-20T04:52:19.6+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

Thank you. Aspire C24-1700 is exactly the model information I needed.

The next step is to check the audio driver supplied specifically for your Acer model.

Go to Acer’s official Drivers and Manuals page

Search for Aspire C24-1700. If Acer asks for the Serial Number/SNID, you can use that instead

Select Windows 11 and open the Drivers section

Look for an Audio driver

Answer 2

Peter Axon 0

Emma: Not sure if what I have is what you want. But I have followed your instructions, so here goes:

I have a SNID number.

I put it in to Drivers Section - Audio driver.

Dowload option is Realtek 2024/03/18 6.0. 9601.1 Do I download?

I may be wrong but can't help but believe that a stupid error on my part is responsible for this. My computer is in good shape and is not used for endless downloads - or any in fact. I suspect that somehow I have disabled the sound and microphone and that there is a simple fix for this.

Regards

Peter

Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-24T09:38:37.56+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

I am sorry for the lately response. You can try the step:

Download the driver from Acer's page. It will usually be saved to your Downloads folder as a ZIP file.

Right-click the ZIP file and select Extract All, then open the new folder with the same name.

Double-click setup.exe (or “install.exe”) and select Yes if Windows asks for permission.

When the installation finishes, restart the computer, then check Settings > System > Sound to see whether a speaker device now appears under Output
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-24T12:33:09.7333333+00:00

Hello Emma:

Thank you for your latest email.

Not everything went quite as you suggested it should, but as always, thank you for such detailed instructions.

In this case I was asked to download an I/O driver before downloading the touchpad, which I didn't attempt. Anyway I went ahead with the Realtek download, which seemed to have worked. I didn't see an Extract All option, nor a setup. exe option, but as you said, the download is in Zip form and in my download folder.

So it appears it is just a question of downloading it successfully onto the Sound system which I wi;ll have to delay until you advise me of my next move.

Dare I say we are almost there?

Kind regards

Peter
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-27T06:57:37.7333333+00:00

Hello Peter Axon,

Please ignore the I/O driver and touchpad for now.

Go to File Explorer > Downloads, right-click the Realtek ZIP file and look for Extract All. After extracting it, open the new folder and look for Setup or Install

If neither Extract All nor a Setup/Install application appears, please stop there and tell me exactly what options or files you see. I don't want you installing anything else unnecessarily
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-27T09:55:43.2566667+00:00

Hello Emma:

I have extracted the file.

There are about 30 files within it. The bulk of which are headed as OxOcOc Configuration settings that seem to run numerically up to Ox O405/424 then two larger numbers 804 and 816.

There are five setup files, four small and one large Application file, which I assume is the main one.

I hope this makes sense.

PETER
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-28T07:07:57.3433333+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

Thank you for the detailed description. Yes, that makes sense, and you have successfully reached the extracted Realtek driver files.

The numerous Configuration settings files are part of the driver package, so please do not open or change any of those individually.

Since you can see several files named “Setup”, I need the one that Windows identifies as an “Application”. Please do the following:

In the extracted Realtek folder, locate the Setup file whose Type is shown as Application. From your description, this may well be the larger Setup file, but please use the “Type” rather than the file size to identify it.

Double-click that Setup application.

If Windows asks Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?, select Yes

Follow the installation instructions that appear on screen. When the installation has completed, restart the computer.
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-28T16:46:28.7233333+00:00

Hi Emma:

I have followed all your instructions and the instructions provided by the computer.

That is to say I uninstalled the defunct Realtek Audio and installed the new one and the reboots occured on each occasion.

With your instructions and the prompts on the computer only an idiot could go wrong!

However, let me introduce myself!!!

Suffice to say it appeared to work but it reality, it didn't.

I did get a message informing me I had left a page open (I thought I shut everything down); is it possible that could have made a difference?

I really am sorry I am making such a meal of this. Once again, thank you for your patience.

PETER
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-28T17:59:00.72+00:00

Emma:

Further to my previous comment, I feel this must be a fault with the computer.

In essence, the old Realtek system has been removed and a new one installed - all proven by the installer's built-in comments. If it is still malfunctioning, surely it must be a computer fault.

Peter
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-29T04:28:52.6466667+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

Thank you for the update, and please don't apologize. You have followed every step carefully, and nothing you have described suggests you did anything wrong.

On your question about the page left open: that is very unlikely to be the cause. Your computer has restarted several times since the driver was installed, and that would have cleared any leftover window.

Your reasoning also makes sense. Because the new Realtek driver installed correctly and the problem is still there, a fault with the audio hardware is a real possibility. Please try the step:

Restart the computer and press F2 repeatedly as it starts to enter the Acer BIOS/UEFI setup. Look for an option called “Onboard Audio”, “HD Audio Controller”, or similar, and see whether it is set to “Enabled”. Please note the current setting before changing anything. If you can't find an audio option, just exit without making changes.
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-29T09:56:30.6266667+00:00

Thank you for your comments, Emma.

I am afraid there is no joy with the F2 suggestion.

When the computer loads and I start pressing F2 nothing happens. Pardon the pun, but there is a short window to do this because as the computer loads I am prompted to enter my password. F2 is then transferred to the prompt and that ends the session.

PETER
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-29T10:50:53.9033333+00:00

Not sure if this is relevant, Emma but my computer problems started after Microsoft's last update two or three weeks ago. As well as the sound difficulties my screen went to black-and-white. To my astonishment - with a little help from users online - I fixed that. Something to do with black-and-whire being a setting for people who are colour-blind. Anyway, I did assume that if there was an epidemic of sound problems after the update you would have known about it by now so did not see fit to mention it. But, when the chips are down anything is worth a mention!

While I am on, clicking on Settings and Sound, Audio reports Sound is not Enabled.

Thanks

Peter
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-30T06:59:26.9066667+00:00
Hello Peter Axon,

Thank you for telling us about the timing and the F2 problem. Both are useful, and there is no need to apologize. Mentioning the timing was the right thing to do.

You can reach the same setup screen from inside Windows, so you don't need F2. Please try this:

Select Start > Settings > System > Recovery

Next to Advanced startup, select Restart now, then select Restart now again if Windows asks you to save your work.

When the blue screen appears, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings, then select Restart

Look for an option called Onboard Audio, HD Audio Controller, or similar, and tell me whether it says Enabled or Disabled

Please don't change anything else on those screens. If you do find an audio option set to “Disabled”, make a note of it, change only that one to “Enabled”, then save and exit. If you can't find any audio option, just exit without saving any changes.
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-10-30T15:48:06.97+00:00

Couldn't progress beyond the blue screen, Emma. Restarted twice when UEF1 appeared and then nothing resembling Onboard Audio etc. came up. I was just asked if I wanted to save changes or discard them. I opted to discard and got out of it before I did something dangerous.
Peter Axon 0 Reputation points

2026-11-02T16:43:58.5033333+00:00

Emma:

My sound problem is fixed.

One of my neighbours works in computers and he was able to sort it out. Of course it was more straightforward for him when he was able to see what was happening as opposed to trying to make sense of it from long-distance.

The ghist appears to be that the right Realtek sound system was downloaded and installed when we did it but it didn't take. He downloaded the same Realtek version from the Acer website and it worked. I have probably over-simplified what he did, but it might mean something to you. At least I won't have to buy a new computer!

Thank you for your time and effort.

Kind regards

PETER
Emma1-N 14,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-03T03:33:31.0266667+00:00

Hello Peter Axon,

That's great news, and thank you for letting us know. I'm glad your sound is working again, and you won't need a new computer.