Windows update kills sound on ASROCK X670E Lightning

Hi Rick,
It sounds like you’re dealing with a tougher case than the typical USB audio issue—this is the onboard audio on an ASRock X650 Lightning. Since reinstalling the sound driver hasn’t resolved it, here are a few additional troubleshooting suggestions:
1. Check the BIOS/UEFI Settings:

• Reboot the system and enter the BIOS/UEFI setup.
• Confirm that the onboard audio is enabled. Windows updates can sometimes reset or affect BIOS settings.
• Consider updating your BIOS to the latest version from ASRock, as updates can include fixes for hardware compatibility issues.

2. Review Device Manager:

• Open Device Manager (press Win+X and choose Device Manager).
• Look under Sound, video and game controllers to ensure the onboard audio is properly recognized — no yellow exclamation marks, and not just a generic “High Definition Audio Device.”
• If needed, uninstall the device and then reboot to let Windows detect it afresh.

3. Verify Windows Audio Services:

• Open services.msc and confirm that key audio services (like Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder) are running.
• In the sound settings (right-click the speaker icon, then Playback devices), ensure that the proper audio output is set as default.

4. Consider Windows Update Rollback or System Restore:

• If the issue started right after a recent Windows update, consider rolling back the update or using a system restore point from before the update.

5. Try an Alternative Driver:

• Although reinstalling the driver is a good first step, sometimes using a driver directly downloaded from ASRock (or the underlying chipset provider like Realtek) can yield different results.
• Testing a generic Microsoft High Definition Audio driver could also help determine if it’s a specific driver issue.

6. Additional Checks:

• Disable any audio enhancements in the playback settings that might conflict with the hardware.
• Double-check that there’s no physical (or connection related) issue with the onboard audio jacks.

Let me know if these steps help pinpoint the issue, or if you need further insights on any of these troubleshooting paths.
— ChatGPT