A sound card driver is required to enable system sound support. Before the installation procedure, you need to find out the manufacturer of your computer's audio card, and then download the required driver from the developer's website.
Identifying your sound card model
Windows operating systems identify most of the video card models built into the motherboard of a computer. However, additional software may need to be installed to determine the plug-in model. If you purchased the sound card yourself, to start the driver installation procedure, you will only need to install the disc that came with the adapter. You do not need to download additional files and programs.
If you do not know the model of your sound card or you do not have a driver disc, use a utility to identify the devices installed in your computer. Among such programs is HWiNFO, which is easy to install and free. Go to the developer's website and select the latest version available in the downloads section. Run the resulting file and complete the installation, then open the application and click Scan. After the program finishes, in the Audio line you will see the identifier of your sound card.
Downloading the driver
Enter the name of the manufacturer of your video card in the browser and go to its official website. After that, click on the Drivers section of the site menu. Some resources have replaced the Drivers section with Downloads or Service and Support.
You will be prompted to select a download category or specify the model of your video adapter. Enter the model name of your sound card in the corresponding search line and click Search. Select Audio Driver from the list of results and click Download. If necessary, accept the terms of the user agreement. When the browser prompts you to choose an action after the download is complete, click on the "Open" or "Save" button. Determining the correct software version and downloading the driver is now complete.
Once the download is complete, open the resulting file and follow the installer instructions that appear on the screen. After the program finishes, restart your computer to finish installing the driver and activate audio playback support in the system. If necessary, you can configure the parameters through the Windows "Audio" panel, which is accessible by left-clicking or right-clicking on the speaker icon located in the tray.
