1. Problem description
After a Windows 10 update, it is not possible to use the microphone to speak in a video conference.
In the sound settings, it shows that the input device cannot be found:
In the device management, the audio input and output column does not show a microphone.
2. The cause of the problem
The failure to find the output device of the sound is likely to be a problem caused by a damaged driver, usually caused by an unstable system installation.
It is recommended that users install a good system directly so that such driver loss or instability will not occur.
Here we need to reinstall the sound card driver.
If it is a Dell computer, go to the official website of Dell driver download: Drivers and Downloads | Dell China
If it is a Lenovo computer, enter the official website of the Lenovo driver download program: Lenovo official website driver download_thinkpad driver notebook driver_Lenovo printer driver one-key installation_Lenovo official website (lenovo.com.cn)
and so on.
Here we take a Dell computer as an example to demonstrate how to reinstall the microphone driver.
First enter the Dell driver official website, enter the identification product model, and search for related drivers.
3. Find the computer service number
Method 1: Use a Service Tag tag
On a Dell desktop or all-in-one computer, the Service Tag or Express Service Code label is located on the top panel, side panel, or back panel.
Method 2: Using the SupportAssist app
On Windows devices, use the SupportAssist application to automatically scan your Dell computer and identify the Service Tag.
- Click Start.
- Search for and open the SupportAssist application.
- The Service Tag is located at the top right of the SupportAssist app.
Method 3: Using the BIOS interface
The Service Tag is available in the BIOS or UEFI interface on Dell computers.
- Turn on or restart your computer.
- From the Dell logo screen, press the F2 key several times to access the BIOS or UEFI interface.
- Service Tags can be found under the System Information or Overview sections.
Reminder: The BIOS or UEFI interface may vary between Dell desktops. To learn how to navigate the BIOS, refer to your Dell Desktop Owner's Manual .
Method 4: Using the command line
Find your Service Tag with simple command-line instructions on a desktop computer running a Windows or Linux operating system.
Find Your Service Tag Using the Windows Command Prompt
- Click Start and search for Command Prompt or cmd.
- Open the Command Prompt application.
- To get the Service Tag, type wmic bios get serialnumber and press Enter.
Find Your Service Tag Using the Linux Terminal
- Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + ALT + T to open a terminal.
- To get the Service Tag, type sudo dmidecode -s system-serial-number and press Enter.
Reminder: To run sudo commands, you must be logged in as superuser or administrator. When prompted, enter the administrator password.
4. Reinstall the sound card driver
The official website address for downloading the Dell driver. After entering the service tag, the product model will be automatically identified.
Click the search box to select your device to enter the driver download interface:
Select the sound card driver and click Download.
After the download is complete, double-click to run the exe file: Follow the operation prompts to install. After the installation is complete, you will be asked to restart the computer, just follow the prompts to restart.
After restarting, the corresponding input device in the input device will automatically appear.
Select the corresponding input device, and the sound system can resume normal use.
5. Turn off the automatic update of Windows 10
1. Disable the Windows Update service
Press the keyboard Win + R at the same time to open the run dialog box, then enter the command services.msc, and click "OK" below to open the service.
Find the Windows Update item, and double-click to open it.
Double-click to open it, click "Stop", select the startup type as "Disabled", and finally click Apply.
Next, switch to the "Recovery" option, change the default "Restart Service" to "No Operation", and then click "Apply" and "OK".
2. Turn off Win10 automatic update related services in the group policy
Press Win + R shortcut keys at the same time to open the run command operation box, then enter "gpedit.msc", and click OK.
In the Group Policy Editor, expand Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update
Then in the "Configure Automatic Updates" setting on the right, set it to "Disabled" and click "Apply" below and then "OK".
After that, you need to find "Remove access to use all Windows update functions", select Enabled, and after completing the settings, click "Apply" and "OK".
3. Disable Win10 automatic update in task plan
Press Win + R at the same time to open the "Run" window, then enter "taskschd.msc", and click "OK" below to open the task scheduler.
In the setting interface of the task scheduler, expand the task scheduler library -> Microsoft -> Windows -> WindowsUpdate in turn, and set all the items inside to [Disabled].
I have only one task here, there may be 2 or more in your computer, just disable them all.
4. Turn off Win10 automatic update in the registry
Press the Win + R combination shortcut key at the same time to open the Run dialog box, then enter the name regedit, and then click "OK" below to open the registry.
In the registry settings, find and navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsoSvc]. Then find the "Start" key on the right.
Click Modify, change the start value to hexadecimal, change the value to "4", and then click "OK" to save the data
Continue to find the "FailureActions" key on the right, right-click to modify the binary data of the key, and change the fifth value from the left of the "0010" and "0018" lines from the original "01" to "00". After completion, Click "OK" below.
At this point, the operation steps to completely turn off win10 automatic update are all completed.