
Beneath the “Description” category, find the correct driver for your system, and then click the “Download” icon. Visit the HD Audio Codecs Software page in a new web browser. You can also download the audio drivers from the Realtek website. After the drivers are installed, click “Close,” then reboot your PC to save the changes. Once the latest sound driver has been found, click “Install.”. Click “Search automatically for updated driver software on the next screen.”. Expand the “Sound, video, and game controllers” option, then right-click on the “Realtek High Definition Audio” option. From the search box on the taskbar, type “Device Manager.”. Double-click the setup file when the file has been downloaded, then follow the steps to install the latest Realtek HD Audio Drivers. If your system isn’t listed, you may need to download the “High Definition Audio Codecs Software.” Alternatively, if you’re using an older system, download the driver for “AC’97 Audio Codecs Software.”. Under the “Description” category, locate the correct driver for your system, then hit the “Download” icon. Go to the HD Audio Codecs Software page in a new web browser. If you can’t find the drivers with the above method, try downloading them from the Realtek website. Once the installation is complete, select “Close,” and then restart your PC for the changes to take effect. Then hit “Install” to complete the process. Wait while the latest Realtek audio drivers are found. From the prompt, select “Search automatically for drivers.”. Expand the “Audio inputs and outputs” option and then right-click “Speaker/Headphone (Realtek (R) Audio.”. Right-click “Start” and then choose “Device Manager.”. I have checked, and the update driver box in system settings is still unticked, I have disabled and Realtek processes and revoked their permissions, and I have restarted multiple times and still have the same problem. I get the message to restart to finish the changes, then the icon switches back, it says 'Realtek Audio' again, and I get a notification telling me to restart to finish installing the Realtek Audio driver. The icon for the volume control switches to have a red cross on it, like it has previously until a restart. Every time I use 'Update Driver', it automatically reinstalls Realtek Audio a second later.
However, this morning it switched back to Realtek Audio. Sometimes I notice it's switched back to Realtek Audio (when things stop working properly), but I just switch back manually and it's fine again. I have also gone into the System settings in the Control Panel and disabled the option to automatically update drivers.
I've done this before by going to Device Manager and using 'Update Driver'. The former keeps giving me problems when I plug in earphones, while the latter is always fine. I am trying to switch from the Realtek Audio driver to the High Definition Audio driver.