Instructions on how to install a separate sound card

Sound cards have become a necessary device for many users. People do not know that this device can help each computer become a device that provides high-quality sound right at home. Below are instructions on how to install a separate sound card.

Instructions on how to install a separate sound card

The removable sound card is very easy to install with 3 round holes with 3 separate colors with separate functions: green for Line Out/Front, blue for Line In and pink for Mic.

Depending on the integrated function, it has additional communication ports such as: a 4th port for Rear, or more ports for MIDI/Game.

You attach the sound card to the motherboard via the PCI port for installation. This port is white, 1cm thick and 8cm long, very easy to recognize. You should clean the computer before installing and the PCI port, you can use a dry cloth or a small brush to clean the dust, then install the sound card into the motherboard, use screws to fix the card to the case.

Most computers will automatically recognize the driver if you use an operating system from Windows XP or higher. Depending on the manufacturer, other types of sound cards may require the driver to be installed after the card is installed on the motherboard. The driver installation is also quite simple, from the 'Hardware Update Wizard' dialog box, the installation instructions will appear when the computer detects new hardware, you put the driver CD into the hard drive, select 'Install the software automatically (Recommendated)', then click 'Next', the computer will be installed automatically.

If the driver is available on your computer, select 'Install from a list and specific location(Advanced)', click 'Next', then click 'Browse' to the folder containing the driver and click 'Next' to install it.

+ After successful installation, there will be a notification in the system tray 'Hardware have been installed and ready to use'. You switch the audio jack to the 'Front' port of the new sound card, turn on the speakers and restart the computer.

+ If the Windows Welcome screen does not appear, continue with the settings below.

Setup in Windows

In the system tray, right-click on the speaker icon and select 'Adjust Audio Properties'. In the window that appears, select 'Audio', 'Sound playback', in 'Sound recording' select the name of the sound card just installed to replace the onboard sound card currently in use, which is 'Realtek AC97 Audio'. When the computer is connected to a MIDI device or playing a game, select the same as 'MIDI music playback' below. Switch to the 'Voice' tab, 'Voice playback', in 'Voice recording' select the same again.

If you don't see the new sound card name, it means the computer hasn't recognized the new device, or the driver isn't installed correctly.

Settings in Windows Media Player

Once installed you can hear the sound when playing music online, but if you use 'Windows Media Player' it still doesn't work.

Restart Windows Media Player, go to 'Tools' => 'Options' => 'Devices', select the Speakers icon in the device frame below, click 'Properties'. In the window, under 'Audio devices to use', select the name of the newly attached sound card, click 'Apply' and 'OK' in the 2 windows that just opened, the sound from the Windows Media Player program will be played.

Some ways to fix computer with no sound

Here are some solutions. 

1. Restart your computer:

The first thing you need to do is restart your computer, your problem may be fixed. There are many cases where Windows errors are caused by software conflicts with each other, leading to unstable operation of the computer, and restarting the computer is an easy and quick way to bring the computer back to a stable state.

Make sure your computer speakers are turned on (check the Power button, or Of/Off) then press the Volume button on the speakers.

2. Check the Windows Volume section:

When the speakers are turned on and the volume is set to an audible level but your PC still has no sound, the problem may be with Windows. Click on the speaker icon in the lower right corner of the system tray and see if the volume is set to Mute. If the volume is at the lowest level, push the volume up so you can hear it. Then try to check again by running a music file, video. on the computer.

3. Reinstall audio driver:

It is also possible that the error comes from the sound driver on your computer. Please reinstall the sound driver by following these steps:

Remove the audio driver: In the Windows search box, type Device Manager, then click on Sound, video and game controllers, select Audio Controller and press the delete button on the keyboard to delete the audio driver.

Restart your computer and reinstall the audio driver: After restarting, Windows will detect the missing audio driver and automatically install it. If the error persists, download the audio driver from the sound card manufacturer and install it manually.

4. Try plugging the audio jack again - if it's USB, plug it into another USB port:

The cause could be lag in the signal transmission from the computer to the external speakers. It could be a broken 3.5 analog jack or a problem with the USB port. 

Hopefully, with the instructions on how to install a separate sound card above from TipsMake, it can help you easily master Sound Card devices. For any questions, please contact hotline: 19001903 for the best advice and support.

David Pac

Update 16 January 2025