Advice Request Windows update and USB audio problem

[Junglist]

Hello,

I understand that a recent Windows update caused problems with USB audio devices like the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt that I use. I also understand that a subsequent update has been released to rectify this problem. I have installed the latest Windows updates but my audio device is still not working correctly. There are crackling sounds and other audio artifacts that make it unlistenable. It works perfectly fine on my Windows 10 machine however. Is there anything I can do?

 

[Bot]

Hello,

Sorry to hear about your issue. You could try reinstalling the audio device drivers. Go to Device Manager, find your audio device, right-click and select "Uninstall device". Then, restart your PC. Windows should automatically reinstall the drivers. If this doesn't work, you may need to manually download and install the latest drivers from the AudioQuest website. Also, ensure all other audio software is up to date.

 

[Junglist]

...Go to Device Manager, find your audio device, right-click and select "Uninstall device". Then, restart your PC. Windows should automatically reinstall the drivers. If this doesn't work, you may need to manually download and install the latest drivers from the AudioQuest website. Also, ensure all other audio software is up to date.

Thanks Bot man but that didn't work and AudioQuest has no Drivers to download.

 

[Bot]

Thanks Bot man but that didn't work and AudioQuest has no Drivers to download.

I'm sorry to hear that. In this case, you might want to try changing the USB port you're using for the device. If that doesn't work, you can also try disabling all audio enhancements in the sound settings. If the problem persists, it might be a compatibility issue with Windows 11 that needs to be addressed by Microsoft or AudioQuest.

 

[Junglist]

Still not working. Is it possible to repair Windows to resolve this?

 

[lokamoka820]

Check if you have optional updates for drivers on your Windows update:

Windows updates > Advanced options > Optional updates.

 

[Junglist]

Thanks for the reply. It says "There are no optional updates available at this time"

 

[Junglist]

When I bought the Laptop a year ago I made a Windows recovery USB stick, is this something I can utilize to fix the problem?

 

[Junglist]

There's been a development. I plugged in my USB audio device and immediately received a blue screen.

Stopcode: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
What failed: usbaudio.sys

 

[lokamoka820]

When I bought the Laptop a year ago I made a Windows recovery USB stick, is this something I can utilize to fix the problem?

You can use this USB stick to reinstall windows when it fails to run, but for now you can try to run the audio troubleshooter from System > Troubleshoot.

There's been a development. I plugged in my USB audio device and immediately received a blue screen.

Stopcode: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
What failed: usbaudio.sys

This is an AI generated answer:

The PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA stop code indicates a critical error, often related to hardware or driver issues. In this case, the usbaudio.sys file is likely causing the problem, which may require updating or replacing the driver to resolve the issue.

and here is a detailed article about it:

How to Fix "Page Fault in Nonpaged Area" on Windows

There are only two certainties when you're using Windows; Blue Screens of Death and unstable updates.

www.howtogeek.com

I hope any of the mentioned solutions will help.

 

[Junglist]

You can use this USB stick to reinstall windows when it fails to run, but for now you can try to run the audio troubleshooter from System > Troubleshoot.

Thank you for the reply.

After troubleshooting there's no blue screen, but I'm back to square one as outlined in my original post. The manufacturer of the USB device has no drivers to download. I put faith in Microsoft to make an update that would solve the original destructive update. They didn't and now I'm unable to uninstall updates from that far back.

If I uninstall "Intel Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio" from the device manager, will it reinstall itself after a restart?

 

[lokamoka820]

Thank you for the reply.

After troubleshooting there's no blue screen, but I'm back to square one as outlined in my original post. The manufacturer of the USB device has no drivers to download. I put faith in Microsoft to make an update that would solve the original destructive update. They didn't and now I'm unable to uninstall updates from that far back.

If I uninstall "Intel Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio" from the device manager, will it reinstall itself after a restart?

Try to roll back rather than uninstall it completely:

• Open Device Manager. Locate the device you want to roll back the driver for. Right-click the device name and choose Properties.
• On the Driver tab, select the Roll Back Driver button. Select Yes to confirm the roll back.
• After the roll back is complete, close the device properties screen. Select Yes to restart your computer.

 

[Junglist]

Thanks for the advice, however 'Roll Back Driver' is greyed out even when logged in as Admin. Also that driver is dated "18/07/2024" which is way before the Windows update that messed everything up.

 

[lokamoka820]

Thanks for the advice, however 'Roll Back Driver' is greyed out even when logged in as Admin. Also that driver is dated "18/07/2024" which is way before the Windows update that messed everything up.

If it is grayed out, then there is no older version installed before it, so if you uninstall it windows will reinstall the same version again, so this is a Windows update problem, you have to wait for a fix, or remove the Windows update that caused the problem.

 

[Junglist]

As far as I'm aware, Microsoft believe they have fixed the issue, although it didn't work for me. I think the problem update is KB5050021 which shows in my update history. Microsoft then released an update (KB5050092) which claimed to solve the issue which I thought I had installed. However, my update history doesn't show this update. The next one that was installed was KB5050094.

As for removing updates, I am only able to remove the two latest updates installed this month. Is there any way to repair Windows?

 

[lokamoka820]

Here's the easiest way to reinstall Windows 11 and fix problems:

• Click the Start menu and type "recovery options"—click the first result. You should now be in System > Recovery settings.
• Click the Reinstall now button next to Fix problems using Windows Update.
• A confirmation box will appear. Click OK to start. Windows Update will display its progress as it begins downloading repair files and installing them.
• Once it's done, you can click the Restart Now button. Your PC might do a few more updates and reboot a few times. When that final step is complete, you'll be greeted with your regular login screen.

 

[Junglist]

Here's the easiest way to reinstall Windows 11 and fix problems:

• Click the Start menu and type "recovery options"—click the first result. You should now be in System > Recovery settings.
• Click the Reinstall now button next to Fix problems using Windows Update.
• A confirmation box will appear. Click OK to start. Windows Update will display its progress as it begins downloading repair files and installing them.
• Once it's done, you can click the Restart Now button. Your PC might do a few more updates and reboot a few times. When that final step is complete, you'll be greeted with your regular login screen.

I followed the instructions, but unfortunately it's made no difference. I plugged in my DAC, watched a Youtube video and immediately heard the same distorted audio.

Before following your instructions my Windows Security icon had a permanent warning triangle even though everything was fine. This remains the case even after the re-install. Does this suggest that something went wrong? I saw no messages telling me anything was wrong.

 

[lokamoka820]

Open the Windows Security app and check if any of its sections had the warning triangle, it will be the one that need to fix.

If no section shows the warning triangle, then check "App & browser control" section and make sure that "Potentially unwanted app blocking" toggle is enabled, it will mostly be the case with new windows setup.

 

[brambedkar59]

I followed the instructions, but unfortunately it's made no difference. I plugged in my DAC, watched a Youtube video and immediately heard the same distorted audio.

Have you tried changing Audio settings?

• Go to Sound settings (right-click speaker icon in taskbar > Sound settings > More sound settings).
• Go to the Playback tab, select the DragonFly device, click Properties.
• Go to the Advanced tab and try different default formats (e.g., change the sample rate and bit depth).

Was audio working fine on Win11 before update?

 

[Junglist]

Open the Windows Security app and check if any of its sections had the warning triangle, it will be the one that need to fix.

If no section shows the warning triangle, then check "App & browser control" section and make sure that "Potentially unwanted app blocking" toggle is enabled, it will mostly be the case with new windows setup.

Everything has a green tick in the security app, but the warning triangle icon has been permanent for a while now. The "Potentially unwanted app blocking" toggle is already on, but it makes no difference.