How to enable generic audio driver

Question

I have several Lenovo desktops with SoundMAX audio cards.  These are no longer supported by either Lenovo or ADI so with the advent of Windows 10, they stopped working.  I found Windows 7 drivers, but these are still incompatible with Windows 10, at least version 1709.  (Installing as compatible with Windows 8 didn't work, either.)  Is there any way to use the generic audio driver "High Definition Audio Device" to get at least basic audio?  Simply updating the driver (from SoundMAX to MS) doesn't work.  How can I do this?

Answer 1

Hi John,

Driver compatibility may vary depending on the model and version of the driver and system that you're using. As an initial step to resolve your concern, we suggest that you restore the previous driver version by performing a roll back. To do this follow the steps below:

1. Type Device Manager in the search box and press Enter.
2. Locate sound driver by clicking the drop-down arrow to expand one of the categories.
3. Right-click on the installed driver and then select Properties.
4. Under the display driver properties window, select the Driver tab.
5. Select Roll Back Driver...
6. Select OK.

If the option is greyed out, try reinstalling the driver by repeating steps 1 to 4 then select Uninstall. Restart your device and Windows will attempt to reinstall a native driver.

Let us know should you need further assistance.

Answer 2

Thanks for the quick response, Darwin.  However, no progress.

When the SoundMAX driver is loaded, the internal speaker appears to be correctly installed, except that there is no sound.

The Rollback procedure that you suggest results in the SoundMAX driver being replaced by the generic driver.  Playback Devices now reports "No audio devices are installed."

Rolling back again gives the same result.

I had previously attempted to install the generic driver using the "Update Driver" command.  Same result.

FYI, the SoundMAX driver that I am using is the last one that Lenovo released.  I used it successfully for Windows 7.   I upgraded from Windows 7 directly to Windows 10, and the driver continued to work for the early versions of Windows 10.  It's life came to and end with the Creator's update (version 1709, build 16299.125).

I continue to hope that there is some way to use the generic driver.

Answer 3

We appreciate the comprehensive response. Our next step is to try and reinstall the compatible audio driver for your device. To do this follow the steps below:

1. Type Device Manager in the search box and press Enter.
2. Locate sound driver by clicking the drop-down arrow to expand one of the categories.
3. Right-click on the installed driver and then select Properties.
4. Under the display driver properties window, select the Driver tab.
5. Select Uninstall and check the box for Delete the driver software for this device.
6. Select OK.
7. The system may require a reboot at this point. Reboot if needed, then reopen Device Manager.
8. Select any device, then click the Scan for hardware changes button  to reinstall a compatible driver for your device.
9. Wait for the installation to complete, and then restart you device if prompted.

Once you're done, check if the issue persists.

We'll appreciate if you can send us an update.

Answer 4

Sorry, Darwin, still no luck.

With the SoundMAX driver installed, I uninstalled the driver, deleted driver software, and scanned for hardware changes.  This resulted in the generic driver appearing in Device Manager.  However, after reboot, Playback Devices still reports "No audio devices are installed."

Next, I uninstalled the generic driver and again scanned for hardware changes.  Note that no option to delete driver software appears in this case.  Once again, after reboot, "No audio devices are installed."

I repeated the latter sequence several more times.  No change.

FYI, I checked my Lenovo laptop, which is about the same age as the desktop and has the same history of XP to Win 7 to Win 10 and recently to Version 1709.  I note that it is running the generic audio driver with no difficulty.  Although it is a mystery to me how that happened, since I never had any reason to change drivers.

I am still puzzled as to why the desktop will not accept the generic driver.  Is this a registry problem?

Thanks, again.

Answer 5

Darwin, an afterthought ---

After mentioning the registry in my previous response, I took a quick look.  The old audio drivers (SoundMAX) are still mentioned in several places.  (See attached)  I am not sure  whether this could  be blocking the generic driver's access to devices.

I ran two different registry cleaning programs (SlimWare and CClean) -- no change in the above.