After Windows reinstall, not seeing my laptop stereo speakers (Aspire R5-471T)

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Answers

  • aphanic
    aphanic Member Posts: 959 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    Nothing to pardon you about, we're all learners at one point or another, in fact these past few days I learned a lot about the architecture of Realtek audio drivers for example.

    Those are more complicated because they're generally accompanied by a myriad of things, not just drivers but support applications and management consoles as well. Plus, it's not just 1 device that shows up in the Device Manager, there may be more than one (and virtual ones too).

    In any case, uninstalling the graphic driver will cause no permanent harm to your laptop, it will just cripple it temporarily because of two reasons:
    1. Windows, specially newer versions, has inbox drivers for many cards and you'd be able to use them (read: see) at their native resolution and all.
    2. If it doesn't, there's always something called Windows Basic Display adapter or something along those lines, which means you'll still get video output, but the resolution... let's just say a blind guy may be able to see the buttons so to speak, things will appear to be huge until you install the proper ones.
    But there may be no need to uninstall those you have already in favor of those Acer lists in the support page, if you used Windows Update already, chances are you're running the same or newer drivers than those available there.

    What I'd do is check with the Device Manager and see what the graphic card is running on, for example here's mine right now:



    Well, I did do a manual installation of newer drivers, but that's beside the point, suppose they got updated through Windows Update. You'll see the drive is 27.20.100.8336, and in the support page for the A515-54G the one available is 26.20.100.6911, so it's not needed to uninstall or download the one you have and go to the support page and install that one. I'd just leave them as is.

    Manufacturers usually publish to Windows Update as well besides their support pages, so overtime you'll get newer drivers without needing to check on the support page or do anything (hopefully).

    I don't know if that answers your question, but feel free to ask anything you like, I don't mind answering what I know or saying I don't if I really don't ;)
  • Beck18
    Beck18 Member Posts: 63 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Thanks so much for being so accommodating and informative!!  Truly appreciated -- and has considerably helped me to stop obsessing about updating my drivers. 
    Right now I think most things are working okay. 
    I didn't know the term for it before, but now that you referenced it, I guess I was looking for a certain "management console" interface that I thought my previous laptop incarnation setup had had for Realtek.
    For now, thanks to your explanations and reassurance, I think I'll set the whole driver-thing aside and only return to it down the line if something seems awry, or if I have the time to experiment a little more . . .
    Hopefully by then Windows will have updated to whatever tweak I may be missing and the whole thing will be moot . . .
    In the meantime (or till my next query!) -- all the best!

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