So, why does it actually occur, and what are the ways to fix this? If you are looking for some easy ways to tackle this error on your Windows PC, you have landed on the right page. But, before we tell you about the solutions, we should talk a little about the error itself.
Problem Overview – Audio Services Not Responding
As the error message itself explains a lot, it’s simply an error related to the audio services. Now, what are these audio services, and what are the possible reasons for this error to occur? Well, if you are receiving such a message, there’s probably something wrong with the audio drivers, the sound system, or maybe the software which you are using to play the music or videos. Apart from the audio drivers or any other hardware, such an error can also arise due to the presence of any bug or malware present on your PC. However, it doesn’t matter what the actual issue is, we have all the necessary solutions to remove this error from your PC permanently. Hence, make sure to read all the solutions thoroughly, and try them out one by one as mentioned.
Audio Services Not Responding (Solutions)
Since the reasons for this error to occur are multiple, the solutions are multiple too. Thus, we are listing down all the solutions which you can test out one by one according to the order, and say goodbye to such errors.
Fix 1: Restart the Audio Services on your Windows PC
Let’s begin with the most effective solution first, which will most likely solve this error in a few minutes. Since the error message says that Audio Services are not responding, restarting the service may make them come back to life. So, follow the steps mentioned below properly to restart the Audio services on your Windows PC:
While on the desktop screen, press Windows Key + R shortcut to open the Run Dialogue box. Now, type in “services.msc” and click on the Ok button. The services window will appear on the screen, look for Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder options. Right-click on them, and click on Restart. Do this for both fields.
Fix 2: Check for Hardware issues and Sound Settings
If the Audio Services error persists, we need to start looking from the tiniest details. So, to begin, click on the sound icon on the Taskbar and ensure the sound is not on Mute. If it is, enable the sound. Apart from that, also make sure which device is selected for the audio output and ensure if it’s connected properly with the computer and there’s no loose wire. Apart from that, modern headphones and speakers come with their own volume adjustments, so make sure the devices are not on mute too.
Fix 3: Disable the Audio Enhancements
Windows is built quite well and offers you multiple tweaking options. That said, if you are using the audio enhancement features on your Windows computer, maybe disabling it for a while might help you. Although this feature is provided to make the sound better, many users have reported this feature is buggy and interferes with other processes on the computer. Hence, keeping it disabled is the best option.
Press the Windows key, and search for Sound Settings. Click on the Sound Settings option. Under Related Settings, click on the Sound Control Panel. Right-click on the audio device which you are using, and go to Properties. Go to the Enhancements tab, and make sure the Disable all Enhancements is check-marked. Click on Ok, and close the window. Now, restart your PC.
Fix 4: Update the Audio Drivers and the HD Audio CODEC
Most new laptops and computer motherboards come with HD Audio Codecs that help to enhance the sound quality. However, if the audio drivers of the codec are not updated from time to time, it’s possible to encounter such error messages on your computer. To fix this problem, you need to follow some simple steps as mentioned below:
Use the Windows + R shortcut to launch the Run Dialogue box on your computer. Now, type “devmgmt.msc” and press the Enter key. This will take you to the Device Manager window. Here, double-click on the Sound, Video, and game controllers option to expand the list of drivers. Now, right-click on High Definition Audio Device, and select the “Update Driver Software…” option. Choose the Search automatically for updated driver software option, and follow up the installation process. Once the drivers are updated, restart your PC.
Fix 5: Rollback or Repair Audio Drivers
Maybe your computer is already running the latest drivers, but it’s possible that the latest released drivers are buggy or not compatible with your computer. In that case, you can repair the drivers on your PC by simply moving back to using previously installed drivers. Actually, there’s no need to search for the drivers online, as Windows allows you to roll back to previous drivers. Let’s see how:
Press the Windows Key + X key on your keyboard to access the quick settings menu. Click on the Device Manager option. Double-click on the Sound, Video, and game controllers option to expand the list of audio drivers. Right-click on the driver, and you can choose to disable it. Then, enabling it back will restart the drivers. If you go to the Properties, then click on the Driver tab, you will find the option to Roll Back drivers, which will bring back the old drivers.
Fix 6: Add the Audio and Network Services Manually
If the above methods are not helping out to solve the problem, and you have already tried to fix all the issues with the drivers. You can try to fix the audio and network service manually using a few simple commands.
- First of all, using the Windows + X key, access the quick settings menu.
- Now, click on Command Prompt (Admin) option to open a cmd window on your desktop.
- In the command prompt, enter the commands:
net localgroup Administrators /add networkservice net localgroup Administrators /add localservice
- These commands will successfully reset the audio and network services on your computer. After that, simply reboot your computer to save the changes.
Fix 7: Use the Windows Audio Trouble-shooter
In case the error is not resolving even after trying out so many fixes, the Audio Troubleshooter of Windows will probably help you out. It’s an inbuilt feature of Windows which not only finds the problem but also fixes them on its own.
Click on the Start icon and search for the Control Panel. Open the Control Panel and search for Troubleshoot. Go to the Troubleshoot window, and click on Troubleshoot audio playback under Hardware and Sound. Now, a troubleshooting window will be launched, and it might take a few minutes to find the problem. If an issue is found, you will be provided with significant fixes to resolve the error.
Other Common Audio Problems in Windows
Although we have provided you with plenty of fixes to solve the audio-related problems in your computer. There are several other problems which you might face in the future or maybe currently facing. So let’s discuss them, and we will also tell you how you can avoid such problems.
Problem 1: Audio devices not visible on the system
In some cases, people have reported that their speakers or other audio devices are not visible connected to the computer. In that case, you must ensure that all the connections are made properly and there’s no loose wiring. If the connections and wiring are proper, it may be because the audio drivers cannot identify the device, so updating the drivers will solve the problem.
Problem 2: A specific Audio Device is malfunctioning
With a computer, you have extreme flexibility to connect multiple audio devices at the same time. In case any specific device is malfunctioning, you can fix it by running the Windows Troubleshooter. Apart from that, what else you can try is to disconnect all the audio devices from your computer and connect them back one by one.
Problem 3: Audio and Video are not in sync
Whenever you feel like the audio, and the video are not in sync, the majority of the time it’s because of a missing file component. So, the best option you have is to download that file once again. However, if you have played the file earlier and it worked fine back then, there may be some issue going on with the audio drivers on your PC. You can try to reset or update the drivers on your PC, or a simple reboot will also work fine to solve this issue. By any chance, if the video file is corrupted, you can try to repair it using some third-party software.
Problem 4: Bitrate or Audio format not supported
If you are trying to play a specific audio file on your computer which has a significantly lower or high bitrate that’s not supported by Windows, you’ll encounter errors. On the other hand, audio files can be of different formats, and maybe the format of that particular file is not supported by the media player you are using. In that case, you can try using a media player that supports the audio file’s format, and also try to change the bitrate settings on your computer. For that, go to the Sound section in the Control Panel. Right-click on the Audio device and go to its Properties. Then, move to the Advanced tab and adjust the bitrate.
Problem 5: Some other problems related to Audio
Apart from these common issues, if you face any other severe audio-related issue on your computer, it may be happening because of a bug in the system files. In such situations, whenever you notice your PC behaving abnormally, always check if there’s a Windows system update available or not. If there’s an update available, download and install the updates as soon as possible. That will significantly help you in fixing almost all the problems going on with your computer.
How to Keep the Audio Services Working Perfectly in Windows
To make sure all the components are working fine on your computer, you have to keep a few important things in mind.
It is essential to update the Windows System on your computer from time to time and always try to use the latest version possible. Do not install any kind of drivers from any third-party websites, as they might be faulty or maybe some malware. Do not tweak any settings related to bitrate until and unless you have proper knowledge about it. Always keep the audio drivers on your computer up to date. Use a media player which has support for almost all audio formats and can run any file without any error. Never immediately shut down your PC after launching a file or software, as it may damage the system files and cause errors later.
Conclusion
That’s it for this article, we hope you have understood all the methods and fixes properly. We suggest you try out these solutions in the same order as we have mentioned to effectively solve this audio services error on your PC. Apart from that, we recommend you to not play around with any of the computer’s settings for no reason, and always keep all the drivers and Windows system updated to avoid such errors. For any other queries, you can leave down your thoughts in the comments section or reach us directly. Comment * Name * Email * Website
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