Realtek sound = no sound

[kbrannock2]

Tried everything to get sound on external speakers that once worked before Win 10 update. Spoke with Microsoft support yesterday and they took control of computer and still could not get sound. Speakers were tested=good. All troubleshooting showed Realtek sound card working and drivers up to date. Microsoft wants to download Win 7 since my computer is aging which was originally Vista 64-bit. Win 10 has been a nightmare for me with each new update. Still no sound and I don't know if Win 7 will fix my sound issue. Any help on this = really appreciated.

 

[Paperdoc]

Check this idea in case it helps. Most Realtek sound systems on mobos include a feature for re-assignment of signals to the output ports, in case you need to do this. I'll describe how mine works, so you can try on yours.

1. To start, unplug ALL the speakers etc. plugged into your rear jacks. Boot up, and check in Device Manager that the Realtek sound system is there and has valid drivers - no yellow flag triangle on them.
2. Go into Control Panel ... Sounds and Audio Devices. Look on the tabs for the place where you can specify which audio output device will be used for Playback by default. Windows can only use ONE device, even if you have more (like, for example, a sound system built into a video card). Make sure the Realtek system is specified as the Default Playback Device. This will ensure that the Realtek system is set to be used, but it has NO speakers attached to it.
3. Back out and reboot directly into BIOS Setup. Look for where you configure a few items about the on-board sound chip. Some systems have an option you can set so that, when you plug earphones into the front panel jack, it disables any output to the rear speaker jacks. Make sure it is NOT set to disable the rear jacks. If you make a change there, remember to SAVE and EXIT to reboot.
4. Arrange your equipment so you can have access to the rear panel jacks to plug things in, and can see the screen and reach your keyboard and mouse.
5. Plug in ONE sound device - say, the front left / right stereo speaker plug into the light green socket. Watch the screen immediately for a little window that says it has detected that an item has been plugged into that particular jack and asks you what it is. It will make a default suggestion. You MUST answer the query - if you ignore it it will NOT use the default suggestion. If you ignore it, after a pause the window will disappear and NO sound signal will be sent out of that jack! So tell it what you plugged in, even if only confirming the default suggestion.
6. Now plug in another item - say, the front centre / subwoofer plug into the orange jack. Again, watch for the little window and answer it.
7. If you have more, like rear speakers for the grey jack, plug one more item in and answer the resulting screen.
8. Keep going until you have finished with all the plugs you need to add. Now you have told the Realtek system exactly what things are plugged in where, and it will send to appropriate signals to each.

Test your system. Do you get sound? If so, use the Realtek configuration utility to set exactly what speaker system you have set up and how you want it to play. It usually has a screen where you can play test signals to verify that it's working, set up stereo balances, etc.