Audio services not responding - No recommended fixes work

Question

I cross posted this from the Lenovo support forums
I have a fresh install of Windows 11 on my Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 16" AMD (reinstalled Windows after using Linux). I'd prefer not to reinstall Windows at any cost. When using the "Find and Fix problems with playing sound" tool, I encounter this error

I have followed the instructions of this post which was recommended on the Microsoft Support forums, but all the settings are already set as recommended. (Except for Fix 8, it says system protection is turned off). I've tried multiple other guides, which give the same solutions. Attempting to use the headphone jack doesn't fix the issue. I don't recall the sound working since the installation, but I've also spent most of my time customizing Windows, logging into accounts, and handling documents. I've already done system updates as recommended by Microsoft and Lenovo Vantage.

Please save me from another OS installation.

Answer 1

Hello Jocelyn,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Unfortunately, I am unable to open the link that you provided, therefore cannot be able to tell what you've tried so far? Can you please help confirming that?

In the meantime, you can try these steps to reinstall the audio services.

1. Using CMD.
   • Type "Command Prompt" in the search bar and select "Run as administrator".
   • Type these commands in order:
   1. net stop audiosrv
   2. net stop AudioEndpointBuilder
   3. net start AudioEndpointBuilder
   4. net start audiosrv
2. Using PowerShell.
   • Type "PowerShell" in the search bar and select "Run as administrator"
   • Type these commands in order,
   1. Get-Service RpcSs, DcomLaunch, PlugPlay, AudioEndpointBuilder, Audiosrv | Format-Table -Auto
   2. Set-Service AudioEndpointBuilder -StartupType Automatic
   3. Set-Service Audiosrv -StartupType Automatic
   4. Restart-Service AudioEndpointBuilder -Force
   5. Restart-Service Audiosrv -Force
   • Restart your PC.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

Use the built‑in tools to focus on drivers and the Windows audio services, which are the most common causes of “Audio services not responding” on a fresh install.

1. Update or reinstall the audio driver
   1. Select Start, type Device Manager, and open it.
   2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   3. Right‑click the audio device (for example, Realtek/AMD/High Definition Audio) and select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers and complete the wizard.
   4. If no newer driver is found or sound still does not work:
      • Right‑click the same device and select Uninstall device.
      • If available, check Attempt to remove the driver for this device and select Uninstall.
      • Restart the PC so Windows reinstalls the audio driver automatically.
   5. If the issue persists, repeat step 3 but choose Update driver > Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer, select High Definition Audio Device, then Next and finish the install. Test audio again.
2. Check for missing devices (“no audio device installed” scenario)
   1. In Device Manager, confirm that an audio device actually appears under Sound, video and game controllers and that it has no warning icon.
   2. If nothing appears or there is an error icon, install the latest audio driver package from the Lenovo support site for the Yoga 7 model, then restart and recheck Device Manager.
3. Restart Windows audio services
   1. Select Start, type services.msc, and press Enter.
   2. Locate and right‑click Windows Audio > Restart.
   3. Right‑click Windows Audio Endpoint Builder > Restart.
   4. Ensure both services have Startup type set to Automatic.
   5. Test audio again.
4. Try different audio formats and disable enhancements (if services are running but sound is distorted or silent)
   1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound and select the output device.
   2. Turn Audio enhancements off and test.
   3. Select Advanced, change the Default format to another option, apply, and test.
5. If audio broke after a driver or Windows update
   1. In Device Manager, right‑click the audio device > Properties > Driver tab.
   2. Select Roll Back Driver (if available) and follow the prompts.
   3. If rollback is not available or does not help, consider restoring from a system restore point created before the issue started, using the steps in Recovery options in Windows.

These steps directly address non‑responding audio services by ensuring a working driver is installed, the generic High Definition Audio driver is available as a fallback, and the core Windows audio services are running and set to start automatically.

---

References:

• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows
• Fix distorted or crackling audio in Windows
• Update Audio drivers in Windows
• How to fix this. no audio device is installed - Microsoft Q&A
• My audio inputs and outputs suddenly disappeared, how do i fix this? - Microsoft Q&A
• Audio issues after win11 25h2 update - Microsoft Q&A
• cannot increase volume even if trouble shooter updates it - Microsoft Q&A