How to Troubleshoot No Sound from External Speakers on a CyberPower PC

If you have No Sound from the External Speakers on a CyberPowerPC Desktop Computer, this article can help with some troubleshooting steps

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Check Power and Cables
3. Re-seat Audio Cables
4. Check Volume Levels
5. Reinstall or Update Audio Drivers and BIOS
6. Run Diagnostics
7. Reseat Sound Card

Introduction

If you are unable to hear any sound or audio from the external speakers when they are connected to your CyberPower Desktop computer, please try the different steps outlined below to try and resolve your issue.

Check Power and Cables

1. Verify the speakers are powered on and the power LED is on.

2. If there is not a separate power button, turn the volume dial as this may also be used to power on the speakers.

3. If the speakers are still not receiving power, reseat the power cable into the speakers.

4. Verify the AC Adapter is securely connected to the mains power socket. If the Adapter is connected to an extension block, remove from the extension and connect directly to the mains power socket.

5. Replace the AC Adapter with a verified working adapter of the same model and type, if available.

Re-seat Audio Cables

1. Verify the audio cables are connected to the computer.

2. Re-seat the audio cables going into the computer and going into the speakers.

3. Verify if the computer has a sound card in an expansion slot, or if integrated audio is used. An add-in sound card would normally take priority.

4. Make sure the audio cable is connected to the correct port.

Figure 1: Back Panel Connectors

5. For Integrated Audio (the audio ports are connected to the Motherboard), the audio port colors and icons will vary between manufacturers, some maybe color coded others may all look the same, you'll need to pay close attention to the labeling. In this example above the Audio cable going to the speakers should be connected to the Line Out port (Highlighted by the green square in the above image in the middle), on the rear of the system.

   • Audio Out ports intended for speakers and headphones are generally labeled OUT or the connector itself may be colored GREEN. 
   • Microphone In ports intended for speakers and headphones are generally labeled MIC or the connector itself may be colored PINK. 
   • Line In ports intended for speakers and headphones are generally labeled IN or the connector itself may be colored BLUE. 

6. Check there are no headphones connected to the computer in both the front or rear ports, which would mute the audio going to the speakers.

7. If available, try another set of working speakers or headphones to test if the sound is coming from either port and likewise test the speakers or headphones on another system that is known to be working.

Check Volume Levels

1. Verify the volume is not muted by checking the Volume Control icon on the taskbar.
   
   

2. Right click on the Sound icon on the taskbar and select Sounds.
   
   

4. Select the Playback Tab at the top. Make sure the Speaker/Headphones device has a green check mark which indicates the device is enabled and ready for use. (A down arrow indicates that no device is plugged in)
   
   

5. Highlight a device and select Configure to change the type of speaker setup you have installed. (You cannot configure headphones, only speakers)

6. Right-click on a device icon and select Test to test the audio on this device, a short tune is played back.

7. Navigate to the Communications Tab and select the correct options for your device.

8. Right click on the Speakers/Headphones icon and select Properties.

9. Check each tab, General, Levels, Enhancements and Advanced and make sure the options are set to your desired settings.
   
   

10. If sounds are coming out of a different source, for example, your LCD monitors, you may want to disable them as an audio output device to prevent them from defaulting to them everytime your headset or speaker is unplugged.
    
    
11. Right click on these other playback devices such as NVIDIA Output (HDMI output for displays) or specific monitor brands and select Disable to prevent them from outputting sound.
    
    

Reinstall or Update Audio Drivers and BIOS

Audio Drivers and incorrect BIOS settings can often cause minor audio related issues when playing back sound on a PC. Be sure to update the drivers and BIOS regularly to ensure optimum performance.

Reinstalling a device driver

1. Press Windows logo + R key on the keyboard.

2. In the Run dialog box, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter key.

3. In Device Manager window, click the + or > next to Sound, video and game controllers section.

4. Right-click the 'Audio controller' installed on your PC, example: Realtek High Definition Audio and click Uninstall.

5. In the Uninstall Device window, check the box Delete the driver software for this device and click OK.

6. Restart the PC and allow Microsoft Windows to automatically reinstall the drivers.
   If this does not resolve the problem, download and update the latest audio driver.

Updating Audio Driver

To learn how to download and install the latest driver on your CyberPower PC, refer to the CyberPower knowledge-base article How do I download and install device driver?.

Updating BIOS

To learn how to download and install the latest BIOS update on your CyberPower PC, refer to the CyberPower knowledge-base article CyberPowerPC BIOS Updates.

Run Diagnostics

1. Run DirectX Diagnostics

1. To Run the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.

2. Select Start and enter dxdiag into the search box or type dxdiag into the search box

3. Double click dxdiag.exe which will open the DirectX Diagnostic tool window.

4. The tool will run a diagnostic, click Next Page which goes through each tab one by one

5. Any errors will show in the bottom Note box.

Figure 2: DirectX Diagnostic Tool

Reseat Sound Card

If your system uses an expansion card for sound, this can be re-seated to make sure it is connected correctly to the system. The steps below will take you through this process, showing the same steps required.

1. During installation or removal of any hardware always ensure all data is backed up properly.

2. Disconnect any telephone, network, or USB cables from the computer.

3. Disconnect the computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.

4. Remove the system cover.

5. Rotate the release tab on the card-retention latch upward

6. Gently pull the release lever away from the PCIe x16 card until you release the securing tab from the dent in the card, and then ease the card up and out of its connector and remove it from the system.

7. Lift the PCI expansion card up and out of its connector and remove it from the system.

8. Reverse the procedures above to refit the Sound Card back into the system making sure it connects firmly with PCIe port on the Motherboard.