Slowed demonic audio

Question

When I start my computer, my audio is slowed and almost sounds demonic, and if i try to watch a video it slows it down. If i go into services and restart Windows audio it sounds normal again, but when i close and start the computer, the problem returns. (Problem started when I updated my PC)

Answer 1

Hi! Let me help you with this issue.

Please hover your mouse over the sound icon in the lower-right corner, then right-click it and select Troubleshoot Sound. Let the troubleshooter finish its task, then this should either resolve the problem or display an error message.

If that doesn't work, we need to remove the Audio driver from the Device Manager and restart the PC to reinstall it.

Here are the steps to completely remove a Device from your computer.

Step 1. Use the Windows key + X shortcut.

Step 2. Select Device Manager.

Step 3. Expand the entry Sound, Video, and Game Controllers. Right-click the problematic device, which is either Realtek Audio, or AMD High-definition Audio, or High-Definition Audio, depending on the audio device installed in your PC, and select Uninstall device.

Step 4. You need to check the option Delete the driver software for this device and then click the Uninstall button.

Step 5. Reboot the computer.

After the reboot, please see if the problem is fixed.

If that still does not work, please visit the support website of your laptop or desktop and then download and install the latest Audio driver, then restart the PC.

Answer 2

The behavior points to an audio driver or audio service issue introduced by the recent Windows update. Use these steps on Windows 11 to make the fix persistent instead of restarting the Windows Audio service every time.

1. Run the Windows audio troubleshooter

• Open the Get Help app via the audio troubleshooter link and let it run diagnostics and apply any fixes it suggests.
• If the issue persists, continue with the steps below.

2. Verify Windows is fully updated and reboot
3. Select Start > Settings > Windows Update.
4. Select Check for updates and install any available updates.
5. Restart the PC using Start > Power > Restart so any audio-related updates are applied.
6. Update or reinstall the audio driver
7. In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager, then select it.
8. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
9. Right‑click the sound card or audio device (for example, Realtek, speakers, or headphones) and select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
10. If no newer driver is found or the problem continues, uninstall and let Windows reinstall it:
    • In Device Manager, right‑click the audio device > Uninstall device.
    • Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device (if available) and select Uninstall.
    • Restart the PC. Windows will reinstall the audio driver automatically.
11. Try the generic High Definition Audio driver If the vendor driver is causing the slowdown/distortion, switching to the generic Windows driver can help.
12. Open Device Manager and expand Sound, video and game controllers.
13. Right‑click the audio device > Update driver.
14. Select Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
15. Choose High Definition Audio Device and select Next to install it.
16. Restart the PC and test if audio is normal on startup.
17. Check for IDT High Definition Audio CODEC (if present) Some systems with IDT High Definition Audio CODEC can have post‑update issues.
18. In Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers.
19. If IDT High Definition Audio CODEC is listed, right‑click it > Update driver.
20. Select Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
21. Select High Definition Audio Device and then Next.
22. Restart and test.
23. Restart audio services once after driver changes After changing drivers, restart the services once so they pick up the new configuration:
24. In the search box, type services, then open it.
25. Restart these services (right‑click > Restart):
    • Windows Audio
    • Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
    • Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
26. Reboot and confirm whether the problem is gone without manually restarting services.

If the issue started immediately after a specific driver update and persists, rolling back to a previous audio driver version (via Device Manager > audio device Properties > Driver tab > Roll Back Driver) or using the generic High Definition Audio Device driver is often the most reliable long‑term fix.

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References:

• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows