I've been having a really annoying problem with my HyperX Cloud Stinger headset, which connects via a 3.5mm jack. After I installed the latest Realtek drivers, both the audio and microphone completely stopped working. Here's what I've tried so far:
- After installing the new Realtek audio drivers, my headset mic and audio just fail.
- I went to the Device Manager and uninstalled everything, even hidden drivers, but that didn't help.
- The only solution I found is to revert to older High Definition Audio drivers, which temporarily resolves the issue.
- However, after I restart my PC or leave it off for a while, the problem returns out of nowhere.
- When it stops working, my device shows as `Speakers/Microphone (Realtek(R) Audio)`, and when it works, it's listed as `Headphones/Microphone (High Definition Audio Device)`.
- I even disabled automatic driver updates in Windows, but it still defaults back after some time.
I've also tried disabling/enabling devices, running troubleshooters, uninstalling and reinstalling drivers, and manually setting my input/output in the sound settings. Is this a known issue with Windows or Realtek? Any guidance would be awesome! Thanks!
Specs:
- Windows 11 Home
- HyperX Cloud Stinger (3.5mm)
1 Answer
Here's a step-by-step that might help you out:
1. Uninstall the problematic Realtek driver.
2. Make sure your Windows is fully updated, including optional updates.
3. Restart your computer to get a fresh start.
4. Check your device manager to see if it’s still on the faulty driver.
5. Install the older driver that works for you without making changes to the existing setup.
6. Check to see if everything is working correctly now.
7. Restart your computer again.
8. Double-check for more Windows updates and install any that show up.
9. Unfortunately, sometimes Windows sneaks in the faulty driver again after restarts.
10. If that happens, go to Device Manager and "roll back" the driver.
11. Restart once more, and you should be back on the working driver without issues for a while!
I followed your steps and it worked until step 6! The moment I install the older driver, it asks for a restart. After a restart, it only works until the next reboot, then it’s back to being broken again. It did work for the whole day today since I didn't shut it down, though!