Failed To Play Test Tone Windows 10 Fix
If you meet error Failed to play test tone, try solutions here, and the problem should resolve. Apply to Windows 7, 10, 8, 8.1, XP & Vista. Jul 04, 2015 Windows 10 10162 'Failed to play test tone' error, how to fix? Now, I know windows 10 is in test mode but I'm using the version in slow ring and this has never happened in previous builds. This started happening after build 10158.
Hello Hello, can you hear me! Is all of a sudden, your windows device cannot play audio? No sound or sound is missing in Windows 10, 8, 7 happened with you. When this happens, windows will not be able to play sound via any speakers be it internal or external (headphones, external speaker, etc). If you try to troubleshoot this issue via windows troubleshooter, in almost all cases it fails to detect any problem. Now, how are we going to listen to music? This article will fix all the problems related to failed to play sound in windows.
Many windows users have reported this problem, and this can happen after updating windows or changing your sound card. If this issue has occurred abruptly, try to figure out what kicked it off for instance due to a new application installed, windows update, new sound drivers or audio enhancement tool. Uninstall the suspected software and check if your laptop can play sound or not. Before you jump into remedies provided below, please ensure the following:
A. Check with multiple sound devices like headphones, speakers to confirm that the problem lies with windows and is not a hardware issue like faulty audio jack/ USB port (USB port in Windows solutions).
B. Check with multiple media players and play audio/video files to verify it’s not an application/file related issue. Don’t forget to check the volume levels, applications like Google Chrome, VLC media player, etc have volume controls of their own. If muted, you will not be able to hear a sound, even if the volume of windows is not muted.
C. Restart your windows or even better shut down your laptop and start it after 5 minutes. Computers can respond abnormally when overheated or turned on for long periods of time, this simple trick may fix your no sound issue.
D. Another way of checking if the soundcard or audio drivers are working properly is sound test tone. It’s a tool present under sound settings. Steps to test sound is as follows:
1. Locate “speaker” icon on the taskbar (right side) and right-click on it. Select “Sounds” from the menu. A new window will appear.
2. List of sound devices will appear (varies from device to device) under the “Playback” tab. Select any device and click on ‘configure’. A new sub window will get opened.
3. Click on “Test”. You will hear test tone from the selected device. If yes, click on “next” and then click on “finish”. Also, repeat for other devices. If no, then proceed to the solutions mentioned below to fix failed to play test tone.
Contents
- 1 How to Fix Failed to Play Test Tone Error
- 1.2 Sound Settings
- 1.4 Device Manager
How to Fix Failed to Play Test Tone Error
So here are some simple method fix the sound error in your Windows 10, 8 or 7.
Restart Audio Services
In this method, you have to open Windows Task Manager and restart the Audio Services. Easy enough! Audio Services keeps on running in the background as soon as you start windows. Let’s see how to implement this:
1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del from your keyboard and Click on ‘Task Manager’ or Search ‘Task Manager’ in the taskbar and click on the first result. A window will open.
2. Find ‘Windows Audio’ and right click on it. A menu will appear, select ‘Restart‘ and close Task Manager. In some version of Windows, Restart option is not present, then select End task.
Also, repeat this process for all the audio-related services present in the Task Manager. Now, check for audio is playing, if not restart your windows and check again. Hard Luck! Look into the next alternative.
Sound Settings
This method focuses on sound settings- common settings for all audio related stuff. Here a bunch of things can go wrong! We will be focusing on two common issues related to no sound issue. The mentioned step is common for this section:
1. Locate “Speaker” icon on the taskbar (right side) and right-click on it. Select “Sounds” from the menu. A new window will appear.
Disable Audio Enhancements
Audio Enhancement feature is available in windows which improve sound quality as per your taste. But, in some cases, audio enhancement has been responsible for sound related issues. Steps are provided to disable audio enhancement:
1. In sound settings under playback tab, a list of audio devices will be shown (vary from device to device), select any device by click on it. Then, click on properties.
2. A new sub window will appear. Navigate to the ‘Enhancement ‘ tab located on top. Check ” Disable all enhancements” and finally click on ‘Apply’. Repeat the steps for all the devices (basically soundcard), if available. Check if the problem is resolved otherwise, continue.
Default the Sample Rate
Sample rate should be set to default, also options under ‘exclusive mode’ should be checked. Steps are:
1. Similar to the above step, in sound settings under playback tab, a list of audio devices will be shown (vary from device to device), select any device by click on it. Then, click on properties.
2. A new sub window will appear. Navigate to the ‘Advanced ‘ tab located on top. Ensure that both options under ‘exclusive mode’ is checked. And, click on “Restore Defaults”, then click on ‘Apply’. Repeat the steps for all the devices (basically soundcard), if applicable. Check if the issue is resolved otherwise, proceed to the next section.
Command Prompt (sfc/scannow)
Every windows problem can be solved through Command prompt. Here, we are going to scan for issues in windows ( like corrupted files/application). Use the command ” sfc /scannow“, this will replace all the corrupted files with cached files.
1. Open “Command Prompt” either by searching the same in the taskbar or press ‘Windows key + R’ and search “cmd”. ** Note: For this command to work, open Command prompt in Administrator mode. **
2. Type or copy and paste ” sfc /scannow” in command prompt. wait for the scan to finish. Play any sound file to confirm if your issue is resolved otherwise, continue.
Device Manager
Lastly, if none of the aforementioned solutions worked for you then it must be a driver issue. Steps mentioned below will be common for this section:
1. Open “Device Manager” either by right-clicking on the Start button located on the taskbar and select “Device Manager” OR Search “Device Manager” in the taskbar and click on the first result. Device Manager window will be opened.
Locate “Sound, video and game controllers” and click on it to list all the drivers related to Audio.
Update sound driver
1. Now, right-click on any sound driver then, click on ‘Update driver ‘.
2. A new window will appear.Click on Search automatically for updated driver software. This will update your driver [Internet Required]. Repeat the steps for all audio drivers.
3. Finally, click on ‘Action’ located in the Menubar and then click on ‘Scan for Hardware Changes’. Restart your Windows after the scan is completed to apply changes. Check if your problem is resolved, if not proceed:
Uninstall driver
Identify the system audio driver and uninstall 3rd party audio drivers. If you are unsure about which one is system audio driver, then simply uninstall all the audio drivers. Don’t worry, windows will restore the system audio driver next time you restart your laptop.
The notion behind this fix is multiple audio drivers can clash or for some other reasons may be responsible for failure to play sound test tone issue. Procedure to uninstall drivers is mentioned below :
1. Right-click on sound driver then, click on ‘Uninstall ‘. A confirmation pop up will appear, click on ‘Uninstall’ to proceed. Repeat this step for other audio drivers.
2. Click on ‘Action’ located in the Menubar and then click on ‘Scan for Hardware Changes’ or click on the icon mentioned in the image below to scan. Restart your Windows after the scan is completed to apply changes. Hope this resolves your no sound problem in Windows. Download driver epson lq 300 for windows 7 32 bit.
Conclusion
Other possible solutions for failed to play test tone in Windows are Bios related (when a new sound card is installed), modifying the registry, etc; all these methods are quite advance and require expert guidance, a small mistake will lead to a serious computer issue. Also under drivers section, proceed carefully and refrain from experimenting!
Follow the mentioned solution in the indicated order. Hope this article was useful and resolved sound test tone problem in your Windows device. Don’t forget to bookmark Windowsfish.com as we post Windows related content every day!
Audio Troubleshooting Information Step-By-Step
This document is designed to help you resolve any audio issues you may be having, and, failing that, help you collect information we can use to successfully diagnose and fix your problem.
My Audio Doesn’t Work at all!
In this scenario, no audio works on your machine. You can’t play music, hear system sounds, or play any audio from the internet. Let’s see if we can’t get this fixed. Please try the following:
If your computer is recent (shipped with Windows 8.1), check the manufacturer’s web site for updated drivers
Check for driver updates from Windows Update
If your device is external, like headphones or a USB device, unplug and plug-in the device
If your device is USB, try a different port
Try disabling audio enhancements, if applicable
Check to see if using a different default audio format fixes your issue
Uninstall your audio driver and reboot to let Windows reinstall it
Uninstall your audio driver and try using the inbox driver (HDAudio)
My Audio Sounds Bad!
In this scenario, you can play audio as expected. Music, video, and system sounds play just fine; however, they sound garbled, clipped, tinny, or just generally bad. Let’s see if we can’t get this fixed. Please try the following:
Check for driver updates from Windows Update
If your device is external, like headphones or a USB device, unplug and plug-in the device
If your device is USB, try a different port
Try disabling audio enhancements, if applicable
Uninstall your driver and reboot to allow Windows to reinstall it
If that doesn’t work, uninstall your audio driver and try using the inbox driver (HDAudio)
My Headphones/Speakers/Bluetooth won’t Play/Switch!
In this scenario you can play audio through one or more endpoints (speakers/headphones/Bluetooth device, etc.), but you can’t get audio to play through another endpoint you believe should work. For example, you are able to play music over your built-in laptop speakers, but when you plugs in your wired headphones, audio continues to play over the speakers (or no audio plays at all).
Check for driver updates from Windows Update
If your device is external, like headphones or a USB device, unplug and plug-in the device
If your device is USB, try a different port
Uninstall your driver and reboot to allow Windows to reinstall it
If that doesn’t work, uninstall your audio driver and try using the inbox driver (HDAudio)
My microphone doesn’t work!
In this scenario can’t get your microphone to work, and you’ve probably discovered this because Cortana can’t hear you. You may find that plugging an external microphone into the computer or using a headset works better.
Check for driver updates from Windows Update
If your device is external, like headphones or a USB device, unplug and plug-in the device
If your device is USB, try a different port
Try disabling audio enhancements, if applicable
Uninstall your driver and reboot to allow Windows to reinstall it
If that doesn’t work, uninstall your audio driver and try using the inbox driver (HDAudio)
If none of these suggestions worked:
Visit the Microsoft Community at http://answers.microsoft.com and see if anyone else is reporting a similar problem. If so, join the conversation and provide the following information:
Let us know the make and model of your PC
Also tell us the hardware ID and driver version of your audio device
Try to play a Test Tone and let us know if it worked
Capture a screenshot of your “Sound, video, and game controller” tab in Device Manager
Check to see if your device is trying to play audio by noting whether green volume bars are present in the Sound Control Panel
If you’re the first to report a new problem, feel free to start a new conversation and provide the information listed above.
You asked me to do something… But I don’t know how to do it!
Finding the Device ID and driver version of your audio hardware
Run Device Manager
Go to Sound, video and game controllers
Double-click your audio device
Go to the Details tab
Select Hardware IDs
Right-click to copy the IDs and then paste them in your reply
- Select Driver version, right click to copy and then paste the version in your reply
Uninstalling your audio driver
First we need to identify your default device driver. Go to the Sound Control Panel via one of the following ways:
Navigate to the Control Panel, and click the “Sound” link
Run “mmsys.cpl” in your search box or command prompt
Right-click on the sound icon in your system tray and select “Playback Devices”
In the Sound Control Panel, note which device is your system default
50hz Test Tone Download
- Return to your desktop.
Type “Device Manager” in your search box and click on the Device Manager app
Expand the “Sound, video, and game controllers” tab
Right click your default audio device driver, and click uninstall
Checking for driver updates from Windows Update
Windows Update is a utility that keeps your PC safe and your hardware drivers freshly updated.
Type “Windows Update” in your search box and click on “Check for updates”
In the Update & Security settings page, click “Check for updates”
Playing a Test Tone
Playing a test tone excercises the most basic system audio functionality and helps us verify whether or not your machine’s audio subsystem has any function at all.
Go to the Sound Control Panel via one of the following ways:
Navigate to the Control Panel, and click the “Sound” link
Run “mmsys.cpl” in your search box or command prompt
Right-click on the sound icon in your system tray and select “Playback Devices”
In the resulting window, right-click on you “Default Device” and select “Test”. You should hear test sounds playing out of your default audio device. Make sure your volume isn’t too low or muted!
Are Green Bars Visible?
Even if you can’t hear any audio, the audio subsystem may still be trying to play sounds successfully. One way to test this is by checking whether or not the system *thinks* it is playing audio. We can test this by seeing whether the volume level meter on your playback device is active.
Go to the Sound Control Panel via one of the following ways:
Navigate to the Control Panel, and click the “Sound” link
Run “mmsys.cpl” in your search box or command prompt
Right-click on the sound icon in your system tray and select “Playback Devices”
Play some audio, and look at your “Default Device”. Do you see green volume bars?
Disabling/Enabling Audio Enhancements
With Windows, both Microsoft and 3rd party vendors ship audio enhancement packages designed to make your system’s specific hardware sound absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong. To rule out an enhancements issue, please perform the following:
Test Tone Delay Calculator
Go to the Sound Control Panel via one of the following ways:
Navigate to the Control Panel, and click the “Sound” link
Run “mmsys.cpl” in your search box or command prompt
Right-click on the sound icon in your system tray and select “Playback Devices”
Right-click your “Default Device” and click “Properties”
Check the “Enhancements Tab”. If you check “Disable all sound effects” does your issue resolve? (If you don’t have an Enhancements tab, don’t worry, this isn’t the problem in that case).
Exit the properties window. In the Sound Control Panel, go to the Recording tab, and repeat from step 3 after right-clicking your Recording “Default Device”.
Trying Different Audio Formats
Windows audio devices support a wide range of audio formats. Sometimes, incompatibilities with drivers or the audio software in Windows affect audio playback or recording. In this section, we rule out or confirm audio format issues as the source of your issue.
Go to the Sound Control Panel via one of the following ways:
Navigate to the Control Panel, and click the “Sound” link
Run “mmsys.cpl” in your search box or command prompt
Right-click on the sound icon in your system tray and select “Playback Devices”
Right-click your “Default Device” and click “Properties”
Go to the “Advanced” tab
Try changing your Default Format a few times. Does your problem resolve with any other format?
CheckingDevice Manager
Device Manager is a utility that collects and displays information about the driver profile for all the hardware devices present on your system. Here, we rule out a driver issue by checking whether any audio devices have problems already identified by the system.
Type “Device Manager” in your search box, and hit enter
Expand the “Sound, video and game controllers” tab.
Uninstall your audio driver and use the built-in Windows Audio driver (HDAudio)
Microsoft and our hardware partners work hard to ensure audio drivers are high quality, however, sometimes things break. We ship an audio driver in-box that may work if your specific audio driver doesn't.
See Matthew Van Eerde’s excellent process here: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/matthew_van_eerde/archive/2010/08/23/troubleshooting-how-to-install-the-microsoft-hd-audio-class-driver.aspx