# How do you tell if your computer has a sound card? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 3, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993 "2013-11-03T17:24:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/41 "2013-11-04T15:06:54Z")
Here’s another suggestion. If you have a nerd friend, this is a 6-pack-worthy investigation. The result might be “I can’t tell” but it’s worth the few bucks to try. Or a neighbor with a teenage kid, in which case beer isn’t advised. The only tool required to open a case is usually a Phillips-head screwdriver or a small nut-driver, but if you’re hesitant, go with your gut instincts on that! Don’t be alarmed if your nerd friend does. There are “user-serviceable” parts inside! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/42 "2013-11-04T15:17:06Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > I’ve made a decision–I’m getting a paid geek to work on this. Before you go paying someone to help you with this, go back to whoever sold you the computer. Ask _them_ to address the issue. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/43 "2013-11-04T15:26:33Z")
You may just want to get a [USB sound card](http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008658%20600011978%208000&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=RATING&PageSize=100). ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/44 "2013-11-04T20:53:22Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > I’ve already done most of what is in this Thread, that I do understand. > > And I can’t understand half of what you are telling me! And yes, I have taken University course in computers. ☹ > > I’ve made a decision–I’m getting a paid geek to work on this. > > Again, I thank you all. Bolding mine… And you have never opened a computer tower? Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/45 "2013-11-04T20:56:46Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Bolding mine… > > And you have never opened a computer tower? Huh? At my college a class in “computers” was little more then “Here’s how to double click”, “Here’s how to use the University’s library system/Blackboard”, “Here’s how to use a word processor”. These weren’t people that had any interest in cracking open cases, they just wanted to be able to navigate Windows well enough to not have to call their kids just to help them find the AOL icon. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/46 "2013-11-04T21:32:35Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Bolding mine… > > And you have never opened a computer tower? Huh? A couple of decades ago, a BSci CompSci degree was essentially mathematics, focused. Not much to do with hardware at all. Getting inside a computer was _beneath_ most of the Department’s professors. The most important hardware was a chalkboard, followed by a card punch. (Yeah. I’m that old.) It always bugged me, because I love electronics, and theory is just theory until you can instantiate it in software/firmware/hardware. But for those guys, “theoretical” was the highest compliment you could pay. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/47 "2013-11-04T21:56:35Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > I’ve made a decision–I’m getting a paid geek to work on this. Very smart decision. Or take it to the nearest computer shop. They’ll fix you up in a jiffy, and it shouldn’t cost you a bundle. Faster than trying to understand what we-all are telling you. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/48 "2013-11-04T22:50:57Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Before you go paying someone to help you with this, go back to whoever sold you the computer. Ask _them_ to address the issue. I will. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/49 "2013-11-04T22:52:06Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Bolding mine… > > And you have never opened a computer tower? Huh? No. I never said the local training was much good. Hence, my ongoing limitations with computers. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/50 "2013-11-04T22:53:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > At my college a class in “computers” was little more then “Here’s how to double click”, “Here’s how to use the University’s library system/Blackboard”, “Here’s how to use a word processor”. These weren’t people that had any interest in cracking open cases, they just wanted to be able to navigate Windows well enough to not have to call their kids just to help them find the AOL icon. OOOHH! Did we go to MTSU together?😃 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/51 "2013-11-04T22:58:35Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > OOOHH! > > Did we go to MTSU together?😃 Nope, sorry, I was in Wisconsin. I’m actually pretty good with computers. I can build them from a pile of parts without much of a problem. I just remember overhearing some of those classes while I was in the library. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/52 "2013-11-04T23:13:36Z")
Microsoft would send VIA labelled AC97 drivers to use for just about every AC97 sound card, but often it didn’t work, oh the drivers would install and say there is a sound card…but the sound system itself just wouldn’t work. The solution is to find the driver for the hardware… for that model of motherboard, or for that model of sound card. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/53 "2013-11-05T01:52:30Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > And I can’t understand half of what you are telling me! This is to your credit though, because there has been a lot of irrelevant advice in this thread. I’m not trying to call out anyone in particular but I have no idea why they keep telling you to go into the device manager and look for the audio when it is clearly not installed. There could be a dozen “unknown devices” in there and you have no way of knowing which one is which. And people keep telling you to click on the speaker icon that you have established is not there. I will break it down as simply as possible. You have the hardware. You need the software. If you can find the motherboard model number, we can find the software in seconds. All you are missing is that piece of information. Once we have that, it’s as easy as double clicking the software package and letting it do its thing. Take a picture of your computer’s guts or tell us if there is a model number on it and we can save you a lot of money. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/54 "2013-11-05T23:33:14Z")
I’m gonna try talking to the guy who built it, first, when I get a free moment. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/55 "2013-11-06T00:27:09Z")
I think we’re all very curious at this point, so do let us know! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/56 "2013-11-06T16:39:47Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > What are you using to test whether or not you have sound? A couple of years ago we went through something similar with **Twickster**. After a long thread getting into all sorts of obscure possible problems, none of which seemed to help, it eventually turned out that she was testing for whether or not she had sound exclusively by trying to play Youtube videos, and she had all videos on Youtube muted by default. There was nothing wrong with her computer’s sound system at all. You ask _one_ stupid fucking question around here and you never live it down. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/57 "2013-11-06T16:50:47Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > This is to your credit though, because there has been a lot of irrelevant advice in this thread. I’m not trying to call out anyone in particular but I have no idea why they keep telling you to go into the device manager and look for the audio when it is clearly not installed. There could be a dozen “unknown devices” in there and you have no way of knowing which one is which. And people keep telling you to click on the speaker icon that you have established is not there. I’m sorry, but while some of this advice has been repeated it represents the ONLY ways to guide someone to a solution. If there are audio jacks, there is either a sound card or a “dead plate” installed. If there is a sound card, it will show up either as a speaker/volume control or in some of the other “audio device” listings suggested, or as an “unknown device” in Device Manager. If the OP had come back and said there was a speaker icon, it leads to another set of suggestions for fixing the problem. If they had said there was one (or more) unknown devices, it leads to another. Thanks for dismissing the generally very useful and helpful, if somewhat serially redundant advice given here. As for your own, other than that there is a jack on the back of the computer that took an audio plug, **we have absolutely no confirmation that this system has audio hardware installed**. I have run into 1/8 jacks on other hardware, and separately-cabled plates for audio output, which could be connected to nothing. Your advice is lower in value than much of what’s been posted here because of your unwarranted assumption. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/58 "2013-11-06T16:53:29Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > What are you using to test whether or not you have sound? A couple of years ago we went through something similar with **Twickster**. After a long thread getting into all sorts of obscure possible problems, none of which seemed to help, it eventually turned out that she was testing for whether or not she had sound exclusively by trying to play Youtube videos, and she had all videos on Youtube muted by default. There was nothing wrong with her computer’s sound system at all. Yeah, I am always amused when someone asks how is an atomic bomb made or how do swindlers cheat a bank and a mod locks the thread because “we don’t want to tell people how they can commit a crime”. This with an audience who after several pages of instructions can’t figure out if their computer has a sound card. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/59 "2013-11-06T16:55:11Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > You ask _one_ stupid fucking question around here and you never live it down. :smack: Hey, at least you didn’t screw a sheep. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993/60 "2013-11-06T17:15:38Z")
It was mentioned earlier, but I want to remind people: It could be that the hardware is there but it is turned off in the BIOS. Someone might have done that if they were using a sound card that was better than the built-in audio and removed the card when they sold the system, forgetting to turn the built-in audio back on. The OS won’t “see” the hardware in this case, so nothing in Devices, no speaker icon. The OP seems like someone who might not be comfortable entering and changing the BIOS settings, so I’ll not give details. (Esp. since the magic key to enter the BIOS at bootup varies, etc.) But if a tech person is going to look at it, it would be wise to suggest that as a possibility to that person. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-tell-if-your-computer-has-a-sound-card/672993.md?page=4)