As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!
Q: I can’t get any sound out of my computer. Do I need a new sound card?
A: Before you invest that kind of money, try these easy fixes:
- Are headphones plugged in?
- Is the volume turned up?
- Are speakers plugged in? This is my personal favorite. About once a year, this happens to me. The solution is exacerbated because I can’t reach the back of my CPU (the tower) to check the plugs. Can’t being a relative word, because I do finally do so and my problem is fixed!
- Is the sound muted? Check the icon on the systray, or the collection of icons in the lower right corner of your monitor.
- Are the speakers broken? Plug in a set of speakers that you know work. Does that fix it?
If the sound still doesn’t work, you can check the sound card by plugging headphones into the port for that function, probably at the front of your CPU tower. If they don’t work, you have isolated the problem to the sound card.
Good job!
Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I’ll answer it within the next thirty days.
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
