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Okay, if your laptop used to make sound but doesn't anymore, there are a few simple things you want to check before you delve too deep into fixing it.

Mute: Its not muted is it? I cant tell you how many times I've gotten started on troubleshooting some broken hardware only to find it was turned off. Check the volume control in your system tray, there's not a check in the box for mute on any of those sliders is there? They're not turned all the way down are they? (has your volume control icon disappeared? that's a sure sign of a lost audio driver... skip ahead to that)

In addition to the software mute in the windows volume controls, many laptops have a separate volume/mute control system hardwired in. This may take the form of some media control buttons above the keyboard or elsewhere on the machine. Look it over carefully for any buttons with the little speaker-with-a-slash mute logo on it.

There may also be mute and volume controls available through a special function key combination on your keyboard. Look on your keyboard for a button which says "function" or "fn" on it, there will be correspondingly colored icons on some select keyboard keys. Pressing these keys while holding the "function" or "Fn" key down activates them. Look for some volume and/or mute controls within this system and ensure that the sound has not been inadvertently muted or turned all the way down.

Drivers: Sometimes the sound drivers on your computer can just get messed up and/or lost. Maybe something caused it, maybe not who knows, but for whatever reason there's no volume control icon in your system tray & no sound coming from the speakers. So here is what you do. Reinstall the audio drivers. Hopefully you can do this the....

Easy way: Who made your laptop? Compaq? Dell? Gateway? IBM? some other big-name computer maker? Good! Just go to their website & look for the support section. In there look for anything dealing with drivers or downloads or downloading drivers. Almost all of them have a simple menu where you click what model you have & what you need drivers for (audio). Download the drivers from there, its usually just a .exe you would run like any other program install. After installing them, you may need to restart. If you cant find the drivers that way, you may have to use the....

Hard way: God only knows who made this laptop, whoever it was sure wasnt very proud of it because they didnt bother putting their name on it. Not to worry though, there are programs out there that can help us find out what kind of soundcard you have & where to look for drivers. Follow the related question link below "How do you find out what sound card you have?" for details.

Not as likely, but possible:

Sometimes a small screw or paperclip can find its way into the headphone jack, this has the effect of bypassing the speakers as now the computer thinks there are headphones plugged in. Examine the headphone jack carefully with a flashlight.

The speakers in laptops are often connected by thin printed ribbon-type cables which latch into their connections sometimes in odd ways. This may have come disconnected due to jarring of the system or some such. If you suspect that is the case i highly recommend you take it to a professional to have it looked at. Never take a laptop apart yourself unless you're willing to never see it run ever again. If it has any value to you at all, have a pro do it.

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16y ago

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