Windows 10: My audio driver keeps crashing and when put audio through my headphones how do i fix this.

My laptop is an Alienware r14 x2. Over the past few months, my headphones haven't worked when I plug them in; I go to the device manager and uninstall my Realtek audio drivers and everything related to Realtek. It fixes the issue upon restart, but the issue presents itself again every time I turn my laptop on. Thus, I have to go through this process over and over again. How do I fix this so I don't have to deal with it?

:)

 

headphones directional audio issue

Hi

Welcome to Microsoft community.

It sounds like you've identified that your Razer Kraken headphones have suffered some physical damage that affects the directional audio, and you're looking for a way to make them usable by playing all audio through the working part of the headphones. Here are a few steps and suggestions you can try to achieve this:

Step 1: Enable Mono Audio and Adjust Volume

Since you mentioned that enabling mono audio makes the sounds incredibly quiet, you can try to increase the system volume and the application volume to compensate. Here’s how to do it:

1. Enable Mono Audio:
   
   • Open Settings.
     
   • Go to Ease of Access > Audio.
     
   • Toggle on Turn on mono audio.
     
2. Adjust System Volume:
   
   • Right-click the sound icon in the taskbar and select Open Volume mixer.
     
   • Ensure all volume sliders are set to maximum.
     
3. Adjust Application Volume:
   
   • Open the application you are using (e.g., Fallout 4).
     
   • Go to the audio settings within the application and ensure the volume is set to maximum.
     

Step 2: Check Realtek Audio Console Settings

Since you have Realtek Audio Console, ensure it’s configured correctly:

1. Open Realtek Audio Console:
   
   • Search for Realtek Audio Console in the Start menu and open it.
     
2. Check Speaker Configuration:
   
   • Go to the Speakers tab.
     
   • Ensure that the Headphone Virtualization and Front left and right full-range speakers are configured correctly.
     
3. Use Loudness Equalization:
   
   • Go to the Enhancements tab.
     
   • Enable Loudness Equalization to help balance out the audio levels.
     

Step 3: Hardware Fix (Optional)

If you're comfortable with a bit of DIY, you could try to repair the headphone cable. This involves:

1. Cutting the damaged part of the cable.
   
2. Soldering the wires back together or using a new 3.5mm jack.
   
3. Covering the exposed wires with electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.
   

There are many tutorials online that can guide you through this process. However, this requires some basic knowledge of electronics and soldering.

If none of these solutions work, it might be time to consider investing in a new pair of headphones.

Let me know if you need further assistance.

Best regards

Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

Windows Audio Crashes

My audio stops working when ever a mic is turned on.

On login, audio output works normally, however, when ever any mic is used, both audio input and output crash and a red x shows up on the taskbar audio icon.

It seems the Windows Audio service is what crashes.

After the first crash, the audio does not come back no matter what I do until I restart my pc.

I can replicate this with the following steps:

1. Login to pc
   • audio output working fine
2. Open sound settings, opens to playback tab
   • audio still fine and also able to play test sounds
3. Click on Recording Tab
   • The sound feedback indicator on the right side is missing
   • The window freezes, error window appears about DLL crash
   • If there is no connected or enabled recording device, nothing happens everything else seem to run normally
4. Proceed to follow various trouble shooting steps
   • Some troubleshooting steps seems to get rid of the red x on the taskbar volume icon
   • The recording tab in the sound settings is also now accessible
   • However things may seem fine at first, audio input/output is still not working and playing a test sound fails.

Solutions I've Tried:

• DISM (ended with no errors)
• sfc /scannow (found corrupted files, required restart)
• Restarting Windows Audio Service (results in err 1061, service then gets stuck on stopping)
• Disabling and re-enabling audio drivers
• Reinstalling audio drivers from manufacturers site
• Using windows generic audio drivers
• Restarting my PC

As you can see, I've spent a lot of time trying to fix this issue and it is starting to get really frustrating.

 

Audio driver keeps failing

Hi Krishna,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community, we appreciate your interest in Windows 10.

I understand your concern about accessing the audio on your device, do let us know the following to assist you better with this issue:

• What is the make and model of your device?
• Where exactly are you trying to access the audio from?
• What are all the troubleshooting steps you have tried in resolving the issue along with uninstalling and updating the audio drivers?
• Is this issue specific while playing any audio from device/ website?

I suggest you to refer to the below Microsoft article, try the troubleshooting steps that haven't deployed and check with the status of this issue.

Fix sound problems

Hope it helps. Reply to the post with an updated status of this issue and required information, we will be happy to help you accordingly.