Audio issue (Very quiet in Windows 7)

[Don Carlos]

Guys,

So lately everything in Windows 7 is really quiet...so much so I have to ramp up my amp to 50 to hear tthings properly. It doesnt matter what I am using either (games, music, youtube etc)

If I play my xbox through my amp at that volume it belts out and is mega loud, just how Windows used to be. I have done all the basic stuff - new audio drivers, messed with the Windows setting etc but nothing seems to be working.

Vista used to be nice and loud but this is doing my tits in...any advice or tips?

I am using onboard audio on an Asus M4A88T-M

Cheers

DC

[Captain]

Go into Sounds Communications

'When Windows detects communications activity' should be set to 'Do nothing'. Try that.

[Don Carlos]

Not worked - still far too quiet :/

[AmIdYfReAk]

how does it work if you plug your speakers in your front panel connector?

[Don Carlos]

Same....quiet

[GONNAFISTYA]

How about buying a sound card/borrowing one and testing the audio again?

[U4EA]

Have you tried raising the volume?

[SoM]

check your volume mixer settings.

Right click on the sound icon on the toolbar to open the volume mixer and check that the individual setting for one of the sound devices hasn't been muted accidentally while all the others are OK

post MSINFO listing to see what is there and what is missing.

[SoM]

you do have the latest M4A88T-M/USB3 driver ?

Driver DL here

[GONNAFISTYA]

check your volume mixer settings.

Right click on the sound icon on the toolbar to open the volume mixer and check that the individual setting for one of the sound devices hasn't been muted accidentally while all the others are OK

Good point. Some of the sliders can be way down. And ensure that all the sliders are visible (by adding checkmarks to everything listed).

Also, if you're running Winamp, check to see if Winamp is adjusting the sliders. There's a setting somewhere in Winamp's options that allows you to turn off Winamp's hijacking of the volume controls.

[Don Carlos]

Done the drivers etc nothing more doing....still too quiet.

Really pissing me off truth me told...

[Scourge]

check your volume mixer settings.

Right click on the sound icon on the toolbar to open the volume mixer and check that the individual setting for one of the sound devices hasn't been muted accidentally while all the others are OK

Good point. Some of the sliders can be way down. And ensure that all the sliders are visible (by adding checkmarks to everything listed).

Also, if you're running Winamp, check to see if Winamp is adjusting the sliders. There's a setting somewhere in Winamp's options that allows you to turn off Winamp's hijacking of the volume controls.

Windows Media Player will do this sometimes too.

[SoM]

re-install the audio driver from the original CD/DVD

i had a similliar problem and HAD to use the original disc, once it was installed, i got new drivers.

[Don Carlos]

Done that as well

Here is the thing - I decided to try the optical out on the board a few weeks ago and it did not work. So I simply swapped back to the speaker out (3.5mm jack) and since then it has been quiet regardless of what I do. Short of reinstalling everything (some which I will not do) I am fresh out of ideas

Oh, and when I go into the speaker option on the bottom right and watch the graphic bouce up and down it never goes over the 50% line like it used to. It always stays nice and safe and green which is rubbish!

Grrrrrrrrrr I R MAD etc

[MKJ]

Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Select Your Output on the Playback Tab > Properties > Enhancements Tab > Enable "Loudness Equalization"

[GONNAFISTYA]

Also, make sure your output is set to "Desktop Speakers" or try one of the other pre-sets (5.1 Surround, 7.1, etc) to see if there's any improvement. I've noticed if you set it to "Headphones" it really tards the sound.

[MKJ]

^ that is true, plugging in headphones will make the OS use a different scale. perhaps it thinks you has headphones plugged in.

[VolumetricSteve]

I think it could simply be that your sound device has a component that is dying due to either age or a manufacturing defect. Generally this will be a capacitor, but sometimes resistors exposed to excessive heat for long periods of time can have their resistive properties altered.

Why not run out to a store and pick up a SB 16 or whatever for really cheap and give that a shot? You could also try completely draining power from your system, and I mean dismantling it, removing the CMOS battery, leaving all of the individual parts disconnected for about a day, and rebuilding your system. There could be a static charge being preserved in your system which can sometimes effect sound cards. I dunno, it's worked for me in the past.

[Don Carlos]

Right, fixed.

Now, for some reason I decided to unplug the PC from my amp and connect it to a different port. BAM. Loud as it used to be straight away. Checked the Sky box on the other port and WHAMMY. Still loud as it used to be. No logical reason for this working, but it does and I am happy again...

Thanks for all your advice guys; I appreciate it

DC x

[obsidian]

And here I thought you were just going deaf.

[MKJ]

what a cunt, making us think of all these solutions while the problem was ONCE AGAIN a user error.
ffs donny

[VolumetricSteve]

.........Soon.

[Don Carlos]

How is it a user error? It worked fine, then it didn't. I swapped the ports and it works again but my other thing works fine. Swap the ports back the volume is low...odd.

No reason for it to go quiet though. None.

[VolumetricSteve]

I still say it's an electronic failure, I've seen a lot of capacitors go bad on sound cards.