Windows 10 For Dummies
Book image
Explore Book Buy On Amazon

To accommodate a variety of speaker setups, Windows 10 includes a speaker setup area, complete with a speaker test. Most PCs come with only two speakers. Others come with four, and PCs that double as home theaters or gaming rigs sometimes have up to eight.

If you're installing new speakers or you're not sure your old ones are working, follow these steps to introduce them properly to Windows:

  1. From the desktop, right-click your taskbar's Speaker icon and choose Playback Devices.

    image0.jpg

    The Sound window appears.

  2. Click (don't double-click) your speaker's icon and then click the Configure button.

    Click the speaker's icon with the green check mark, because that's the device your computer uses for playing sound. The Speaker Setup dialog box appears.

  3. Click the Advanced tab, then click the Test button (as shown here), adjust your speaker's settings, and click Next.

    Click the Test button to hear your speakers one at a time.
    Click the Test button to hear your speakers one at a time.

    Windows walks you through selecting your number of speakers and their placement and then plays each one in turn so that you can hear whether they're in the correct locations.

  4. Click the tabs for any other sound devices you want to adjust. When you're through adjusting, click OK.

While you're here, check your microphone volume by clicking the Recording tab, as well as tabs for any other sound gadgetry you've been able to afford.

If your speakers and microphone don't show up as devices, Windows doesn't know they're plugged into your computer. That usually means you need to install a new driver.

About This Article

This article can be found in the category: