Windows 25H2 update massive audio problems

Sheldon — sorry you’re dealing with this after 25H2. You’re definitely not alone: other users have reported static/crackle with OBS after the 25H2/related updates (posts on the OBS forums and Microsoft Answers show the same behavior), and there have been a few Windows audio/NDI driver compatibility problems reported around recent feature updates. Before we try anything risky, quick housekeeping:

• I don’t see any attachments in your post — if you tried to upload logs or screenshots they didn’t come through. Please re-upload if you have OBS logs or device screenshots.
• If you want me to walk you through any step interactively, tell me which machine (tower or laptop) you’re at and what audio devices you use (USB mic, audio interface, analog jack, Bluetooth, USB headset, Elgato/Elgato/NDI, etc..

Below are focused troubleshooting steps — start with the quick tests and then work down the list. I separate steps for the tower (OBS static) and the laptop (Camo mic), then give safe rollback / workarounds.
A — Quick tests (both machines)

1. Reboot, then test sound with OBS closed. If sound is fine with OBS closed but static appears immediately when you open OBS, that isolates OBS as the trigger (you already said it happens when OBS runs — keep that in mind).
2. Check Windows default sample rate: Settings → System → Sound → More sound settings → Playback device → Properties → Advanced. Note the Default Format (44.1kHz vs 48kHz). Do the same for your Recording devices. Mismatched sample rates between apps/drivers often cause crackle.
3. Turn off “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device” (same Advanced tab) and disable any audio enhancements/spatial sound. These have fixed crackle for many users.

Why: recent Windows updates and some drivers (Dirac, NDI, vendor enhancements) have caused conflicts; matching sample rates and disabling exclusive mode rules out that class of problem. (See related reports / threads. B — Tower (OBS static) — step-by-step

1. In OBS, change how you capture audio:
   • If you’re using “Application Audio Capture (Beta)” or NDI, switch temporarily to “Audio Output Capture” (WASAPI or DirectSound) or add the specific output device instead of app-capture. Some users reported app-capture/NDI issues.
   • For desktop audio sources try WASAPI (loopback) rather than default DirectSound and test each mode.
     Expected outcome: if a capture mode is the issue, switching will remove the static.
2. Disable plugins that interact with audio (NDI plugin, Voicemeeter virtual devices, virtual audio cables). If you use NDI, try switching Receive Mode (or uninstall/disable NDI) as a temporary test — NDI/streaming-method problems have popped up after recent updates.
3. Audio device driver steps:
   • Open Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers. Right‑click your audio device → Properties → Driver → Roll Back Driver (if available). If no rollback, choose Uninstall device, check “Delete the driver software for this device” only if you have a vendor driver to reinstall, then reboot. After reboot, install the latest driver from your motherboard/vendor site (don’t just rely on generic Windows Update drivers).
   • If you use USB audio (headset/soundcard), try plugging into a different USB port (switch USB2↔USB3) or use a different output device temporarily to isolate.
     Expected outcome: driver reinstall or rollback often removes static if it’s driver-related.
4. OBS logs & capture for experts:
   • Help → Log Files → Upload Current Log File. Save the link and share it when you post to OBS forums or Microsoft. OBS forum users will often ask for logs to reproduce/fix.
5. Temporary workaround: use a software mixer like Voicemeeter (VB-Audio) to route audio into OBS instead of application-capture. Many streamers use it as a workaround when Windows capture is broken.

C — Laptop (Camo Studio phone mic not working)

1. Update Camo Studio on the PC and the Camo app on the phone to the latest versions. Reincubate’s troubleshooting page recommends keeping both updated and restarting the apps.
2. Check Windows microphone permissions: Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone access — ensure access is allowed and Camo Studio is permitted.
3. If using iPhone/iOS over USB: Camo on Windows needs Apple Mobile Device Service (AMDS). If AMDS didn’t install properly, install iTunes (direct download from Apple), run it once, then restart — Camo notes this fixes AMDS issues.
4. In Camo Studio settings, confirm the audio input is set to your phone (not to laptop mic or a different device). Try switching to USB pairing (wired) instead of wireless as a test.
5. If Camo video works but mic doesn’t: try pairing again (remove device in Camo Studio and re-add), and check Windows sound control panel to ensure the phone shows as an input device and is not muted and its sample rate matches.

D — If the above fail: consider rollback / safe recovery

1. If you updated to 25H2 very recently and everything worked before, you can uninstall the update: Settings → Windows Update → Update history → Uninstall updates. Alternatively, choose System → Recovery → Go back (if available). Be aware you have a limited window to roll back (usually 10 days unless you increased it).
2. Create a System Restore point before any driver tinkering (if you haven’t already) or make a full backup. If you uninstall drivers, you can reinstall them or roll back via Device Manager.
3. If you need to revert for streaming deadlines, a rollback or using a separate streaming PC (if available) is a pragmatic temporary fix.

E — What I’d collect if you want me to dig deeper

• Exact Windows build number (Win+R → winver → paste full build).
• OBS version and whether you’re using any OBS plugins (NDI, virtual audio, app-capture beta).
• Audio hardware list (on tower: onboard Realtek, USB DAC, audio interface, headset brand/model; on laptop: same).
• For Camo: whether you’re on iOS/Android, pairing method (USB/Wi‑Fi), and Camo Studio version.
• An OBS log upload link (Help → Log Files → Upload Current Log File) and a short clip of the static if possible.

Useful references (others reporting same problems / vendor troubleshooting):

• OBS forum thread showing many users reporting static after 25H2.
• Your Microsoft Answers post / similar MS Q&A threads reporting the same problem.
• Reincubate (Camo) troubleshooting page (steps for AMDS, pairing, updates).
• Coverage of recent Windows update breaking NDI/streaming workflows (workarounds discussed).
• Background on a prior Windows audio driver (Dirac) issue and how driver updates/safeguards have been handled — reason why driver mismatches can surface after a feature update.

If you want, tell me:

• Which machine you want to troubleshoot first (tower for OBS or laptop for Camo)?
• The OBS version and whether you use NDI / virtual audio / Voicemeeter / Elgato / capture card etc.
• Your phone model and whether Camo works for video but not audio.

I’ll walk you through the exact steps for the machine you pick (including the precise Device Manager clicks, what to change in OBS, and how to collect logs).

Try this: go to Device Manager - Sound, video and game controllers, right-click your main output device, choose Uninstall device, then reboot and let Windows reinstall it automatically.
Also, in Sound settings - Advanced - App volume and device preferences, make sure OBS is using the right output device. For the laptop, open Settings - Privacy & Security - Microphone and ensure Camo Studio has mic access. If that doesn’t fix it, reinstall the latest version of Camo (they’ve pushed a few silent updates post-25H2).

Good — that extra context about Device Manager, App volume/device preferences, and Camo is helpful. Do these steps in order (safe → more invasive). I’ll give exact clicks/commands and tell you what to paste back if it still fails.
1) Quick Device Manager reinstall (fast, very commonly fixes this)

• Win+X → Device Manager → expand “Sound, video and game controllers.”
• Right‑click the main output device (Realtek/Intel/USB audio/Camo virtual device) → Uninstall device.
  • Do NOT check “Delete the driver software” on the first pass.
• Reboot and test.
  If that restores sound, stop here. This is the exact step datawizard0103 suggested and it often fixes abrupt failures.

2) Confirm per‑app routing & privacy (common silent culprits)

• Settings → System → Sound → Advanced → App volume and device preferences — ensure OBS/Camo/your player are assigned the correct output/input devices and none are muted.
• Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone — ensure Microphone access is ON and Camo Studio (or your capture app) is allowed. datawizard0103 mentioned Camo specifically; its silent updates have caused issues for others, so allow mic access and check Camo’s status.

3) Restart audio services (quick command)
Open an elevated PowerShell (Admin) and run:

• Get‑Service AudioSrv,AudioEndpointBuilder,MMCSS | Format‑Table -AutoSize
• Restart‑Service -Name AudioSrv,AudioEndpointBuilder,MMCSS -Force
  If any show Stopped or don’t restart, paste the Get‑Service output here. Restarting these services is a frequent immediate fix.

4) Disable enhancements / exclusive mode (hidden blockers)

• Win+R → mmsys.cpl → Recording (and Playback) → double‑click the device → Enhancements / Advanced: check “Disable all enhancements” and uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.” Apply and test. This often resolves “zero input/output” caused by apps grabbing exclusive access.

5) If still nothing — run the automated troubleshooters

• Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Run “Playing Audio” and “Recording Audio.” Let them apply fixes and reboot.

6) Health checks (paste these outputs if problems persist)
Run these from an elevated terminal and paste the results here:

• Get‑Service output (from step 3) — so I can see service statuses.
• Device list: paste the exact names you see under Device Manager → Audio inputs and outputs and → Sound, video and game controllers.
• powercfg -requests and powercfg -lastwake (these show if anything is blocking/re-routing audio or keeping endpoints in odd states).
  These help me pinpoint whether Windows is enumerating devices or if services are failing.

7) System repair if drivers/services look okay but still no audio

• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• sfc /scannow
  Reboot and test. Corrupt system files or component store issues sometimes break audio initialization.

8) App/vendor specifics: OBS & Camo notes

• In OBS: Settings → Audio → make sure the Mic/Aux and Monitoring devices are the ones you intend. Also check per‑source audio properties (audio monitoring).
• For Camo (if you use it): completely uninstall Camo, reboot, then download and reinstall the latest Camo build from their official site — several users needed a reinstall after post-25H2 silent updates. Also ensure Camo has Microphone permission. datawizard0103 pointed this out; reinstalling Camo fixed cases where the virtual device stopped working.

9) Final hardware isolation (if drivers & services aren’t the problem)

• Try a direct rear‑panel headphone jack instead of the front panel, or test a USB headset. If every physical device and port shows zero input/output the same way, that strongly suggests a driver/service/OS problem rather than both mics/headphones failing simultaneously.

If you want me to keep helping, please run and paste:

• The Get‑Service output for AudioSrv/AudioEndpointBuilder/MMCSS.
• A text list (or screenshot) of what appears under Device Manager → Audio inputs and outputs and → Sound, video and game controllers.
• Output of powercfg -requests.

With those I’ll tell you the exact next command (force reinstall, package uninstall, or the exact driver to download) and whether we should remove a specific recent Windows update or reinstall Camo/OBS in a particular way.

sshogrin said:

I updated to 25H2 on both my laptop and my tower. Both have had major issues regarding sound.
I spent 3 hours with Microsoft help to get absolutely no where.
On the tower, I had to uninstall things, and reinstall, and still have major static sound whenever OBS is running. I have uninstalled OBS and reinstalled it, that does nothing. Nothing I have tried or found on the web does anything.
On my laptop, I use Camo Studio for a webcam using my cell phone. It worked great until 25H2, now I can't use the microphone from my cell phone for audio.
This update is completely screwed up. Do they do any testing at all before release? It sure doesn't seem like it to me.
Over on the OBS website, I made a post to their forums about this problems, and a lot of people have chimed in with the same problems.
This should NEVER happen when there's an update like this.

Click to expand...

man that sounds insanely frustrating the 25h2 update definitely seems to be breaking a lot of audio setups, especially with obs and external mics. if tons of people are reporting the same thing, it’s pretty clear something’s wrong on microsoft’s end. crazy that this stuff slips through testing. hopefully they push a hotfix soon, because it shouldn’t take hours of troubleshooting just to end up with worse audio than before