Sound Gone After Windows Reset

I reset windows 10 (build 18362) installation on an old computer with Asus M5A78L-M LX motherboard. The files were kept, but all programs removed.

After the reset the sound is not working. Without the manufacturer driver the speakers remain in unplugged state even when they are plugged. After trying all the possible drivers (from Asus site as well as directly from realtek), the speakers did finally appear in the sound control panel and the volume meter works. However, there is no output, and also when the speakers are removed they still appear plugged in.

Sound still works through a bluetooth headset normally. Only the front/back panel is not working.

I also updated the GPU drivers as well as the newest BIOS version which resulted in no difference. The windows troubleshooter is also not helping.

Any suggestions on what to do to troubleshoot the issue?

dalchina said:

Hi, I'd guess you're running this:
Version 6.0.1.7040 2013/09/27289.32 MBytesRealtek Audio Driver V6.0.1.7040 for Windows Win8.1 32bit & Win8.1 64bit---(WHQL).
from
M5A78L-M LX Driver & Tools | Motherboards | ASUS USA

Is that so?

Appears to be primarily supported to Win 7, with some for Win 8

You may need to use older rather than later drivers- which might include the graphics driver and the chipset drivers, and might need to be installed in compatibility mode.

You are in unspecified territory, operating out of spec, as millions do, so trying to run Win 10 on it is at your own risk, of course.

Check you have the correct default output device set:


Check your Volume Mixer settings.


There are others reporting the same with this board:
asus audio driver for windows 10 | Tom's Hardware Forum
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...0-bf1351d19806

This one seems to be about a problem with Win 7, not 10:
Brand new motherboard no sound. | TechPowerUp Forums

Thank you for your response.

Currently I run the latest realtek audio codec from their website. I have tried the driver you suggested multiple times before (although installed normally without issues). The motherboard does not have integrated graphics, but an old Nvidia graphics card. I also should add that the realtek HD audio manager does not work, nothing happens when it is double-clicked.

I have checked the setting as you suggested.

Is there any way to test the audio without windows getting in the way, just in case the problem is the MOBO as it seems in the links you provided? I find it unlikely given the audio worked before the reset, but worth a test. I also have other computers with win 10 installed.

dalchina said:

An independent check can be made by booting from a pre-made live boot disk- very useful to have. E.g.
Toolkit Item: Kyhi’s Rescue Disk – Win10.Guru

https://www.aioboot.com/en/bob-ombs-modified-win10pex64/

You need to be able to create a bootable disk from an iso file (which does NOT mean copying the iso file to it.
Sample instructions available in a tutorial on creating a Win 10 installation boot disk if needed.

Thank you, I will try this out ASAP. In the pre-installation environment, do I need to install the drivers or how does the audio work?

dalchina said:

You should just need to boot from the disk.

There are also Linux based disks to be quite independent of Windows..

The 5 Best Rescue and Recovery Disks for a Windows System Restore

Okay, I tried running the pre-install environment. The sound control panel still says speakers are not plugged in.

Is there anything that can be checked on the mother board side or should I just conclude that the sound is toast?