Fix Generic Audio Driver Error Message on Windows
Windows 10 is currently Microsoft’s latest version of Windows, our beloved operating system. It is no secret, however, that users face many problems that can be difficult to diagnose. One consistent error that many keep facing is generic audio driver detected.
Keep reading ahead to know how to deal with this problem as we provide all the possible fixes.
What is Generic Audio Driver Detected Error?
If you are having some issues playing sound on your PC or laptop, you probably have encountered the generic audio driver detected message.
The Windows troubleshooter displays the Generic Audio Driver error message when your sound device has issues responding to your PC’s commands.
There are many causes for this problem, usually a missing driver for your audio device or an outdated one.
How to Fix Generic Audio Driver Detected Error Message
You can try a few methods to fix this error message and resume enjoying sound on your PC or laptop.
Check for windows updates
Sometimes a windows update can fix all your problems, so before heading into the technical fixes, checking for windows updates is always the best option to start with.
Check your audio services status
The generic audio driver detected error could be caused if your audio services are disabled. To check their status, follow the steps below:
- Press Windows + R buttons together
- Type ‘services.msc’ and press Ok
- Scroll down to locate ‘Windows Audio’ and ‘Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.’
- Check if their status is ‘Running’; if not, right-click on them and press start
- Double Click on them to check their start-up type, make sure it’s ‘automatic.’
- Click Ok and close the services window
Play any audio on your device and check whether you still face the generic audio driver detected message.
If the error message persists, the next possible cause could be an outdated driver.
Update your audio drivers
A missing or outdated driver for your sound device can cause the generic audio driver problem.
To update your drivers:
- Open the Device Manager. You can do so by either searching for it in the windows search bar or by typing ‘devmgmt.msc’ in the Run command box.
- In the Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers, then select your outdated driver.
- Rick Click on it and choose Update Driver.
- After updating is finished, restart your PC or laptop for changes to take place and play a sound to check if the problem was solved.
Try the following method if the generic audio driver detected is still showing up on your windows troubleshooter.
Reinstall your audio driver
To reinstall your audio driver, open the device manager again.
- Press Windows + R buttons together
- Type devmgmt.msc and press enter
- Navigate to Sound, video, and game controllers
- Right-click on the Realtek High Definition Audio driver
- Click on Uninstall
- Restart your computer
- Once it restarts, open the device manager again
- Right-click on your computer name (usually on top of the list)
- Select Scan for hardware changes
This method should fix the generic audio driver detected error message.
Turn off audio enhancements
Audio enhancement is a feature that usually helps to boost the sound on your computer. Unfortunately, with some sound cards, the feature causes problems such as generic audio driver detected error message.
To turn off this feature, follow the steps below:
- Head to the control panel. You can either search for ‘control panel’ in the windows search bar or type ‘control’ in the Run command box.
- In the control panel, search for sound and click on the Sound header.
- When the sounds box pops up, right-click on your sound device under the playback tab and click Properties.
- Go to the Advanced tab, and uncheck the ‘enable audio enhancements’ box.
- Press Apply, Ok.
Run the audio troubleshooter
The last method to fix the generic audio driver detected error is to run the audio troubleshooter.
To do so:
- Open the control panel again and search for sound.
- You should find Troubleshooting at the bottom, click on Find and fix audio playback problems.
- Go through the troubleshooting wizard. It should fix your generic audio driver problem if the above methods fail to do so.
At least one of these methods should fix your generic audio driver detected error message. However, if you are still encountering it, we recommend contacting a computer expert to have a look at your computer.