Is your computer encountering the “Generic Audio Driver Detected” in Windows 10/11? Take a breath, as this issue may not be as troublesome as it seems. In fact, at times, the generic audio driver can even prove beneficial to us. However, if you require enhanced performance or specific features, this article will shed light on the root causes behind this error and equip you with seven practical solutions to overcome it.
Table of Contents
Part 1:Overview of Generic Audio Driver
1.1 What is the Generic Audio Driver in Windows 10?
A generic audio driver is a basic software component provided by the operating system that allows for basic audio functionality on a computer. It serves as a fallback driver when a specific driver for a particular audio device is not available or not installed.
When a specific audio driver is not available or cannot be installed, the operating system may utilize the generic audio driver as a fallback option to ensure that basic audio playback and recording functions are available.
1.2 What Does the Generic Audio Driver Detected Error Mean?
The “Generic Audio Driver Detected” error is a notification that appears on Windows PCs when the operating system detects the use of a generic audio driver instead of a specific driver designed for the audio device connected to the computer. The error serves as a reminder to install the appropriate specific driver for the audio device to ensure better performance and functionality.
Part 2:Things before learning how to fix generic audio driver error
In general, the “Generic Audio Driver Detected” error does not directly lead to data loss. However, driver issues can sometimes cause system stability problems such as freezing, crashing, or unexpected restarts. In these situations, there is a risk of data loss.
Fortunately, Tenorshare 4DDiG Data Recovery, an exceptional data recovery software, can easily retrieve important data from a crashed computer or a computer that suddenly shuts down. Furthermore, this software is capable of working efficiently and effectively on various drives or locations, including local drives, Recycle Bin, portable devices like USB and SD cards, as well as external hard drives. Now, let’s explore the process of recovering lost files using this powerful tool:
Step 1: Select a location
Once you have installed and launched the software, you will find a list of all the devices and drives on your computer displayed on the homepage. Choose the specific local disk that contains the lost data from the drive list, and click on “Scan” to initiate the scanning process.
Step 2: Scan your drive in minutes
The software will thoroughly scan the selected drive to locate any lost files. It will present the results in a tree view and a list of scanned items based on the file structure. If you come across the files you wish to recover during the scan, you have the option to pause or stop the scanning process.
Step 3: Preview and recover lost files
Tenorshare 4DDiG supports previewing and recovering various types of files, including photos, videos, audios, documents, and more. You can conveniently select the desired files based on their respective categories, preview them to confirm their content, and then click on “Recover” to initiate the file recovery process. It is important to remember not to save the recovered files to the same partition to avoid the risk of permanent data loss.
Part 3:How to Fix Generic Audio Driver Detected in Windows 10/11
If your computer runs on Windows 10 or 11, try the following techniques to fix this error.
3.1 Audio Driver Trouble Shooter
You can use the audio driver troubleshooter to fix this issue. This troubleshooter can help you solve several issues on your PC, including the generic audio driver problem. Here’s how to run the troubleshooter.
Open the Windows Settings: Hold “Win+I keys”. Then navigate to the Update and Security section.
Click Troubleshoot: Select Troubleshoot on the left panel, then navigate to the right window.
Click Additional troubleshooters ＞ Playing Audio ＞ Run the troubleshooter
The troubleshooter will detect the issue and tell you what to do.
3.2 Check Audio Services to Fix Generic Audio Driver Detected Problem
This approach might work if the sound output is the focus of this issue. The audio service might not be working correctly. Therefore, restart it by following these steps.
Press Win + R on the keyboard to start the Run window
Type services.msc and then press OK to open a window for services
Scroll down on the services window to locate the Windows Audio service
Select the Windows Audio service and right-click Stop
Select the service again and right-click the Start option
Restarting your Windows 10/11 audio service can help with the generic audio driver issue. But if it fails to solve the problem, try another method.
3.3 Update the Audio Drivers to Fix Windows Generic Audio Driver Detected Issue
Missing or outdated audio drivers can cause various errors on your PC. When you receive the generic audio driver issue, try updating your drivers. Here’s how to do it.
Open the Run window, type devemgmt.msc, and click OK.
Double-click the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers on the Device Manager window to expand it.
Right-click the outdated driver and then click on Update Driver from the menu.
Select Search automatically for drivers in the window and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update process.
The process is straightforward, provided your computer has a stable internet connection.
3.4 Reinstall Audio Drivers to Fix the Generic Audio Driver Detected Error
If this problem persists after updating audio drivers, try to reinstall them. Here’s how to reinstall audio drivers.
Open the Run window and type dev mgmt.msc, and then click OK
Double-click the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers on the Device Manager window to expand it
Right-click on the outdated audio driver to uninstall it
If Windows prompts you to confirm the uninstallation, click “Uninstall.”
Once the computer finishes uninstalling the driver, reboot it and reopen the Device Manager
Right-click on your computer’s name and click “Scan for hardware changes.”
Wait for the computer to finish the reinstallation process
3.5 Turn off Audio Enhancements
Audio enhancements enable the sound card to function optimally. Unfortunately, only some audio cards work effectively. Here’s how to turn off audio improvements if you think they are the reason for the generic audio driver error.
Press Win + R keys to start the Run window
Type Control and then press Enter
Once the Control Panel appears, search for Sound and click on it
Right-click the default device on the Sound Window and select Properties once the menu pops up.
Select Enhancements on the Properties window and then check the box adjacent to Disable all sound effects
Repeat steps three and four if you continue getting the Generic Audio Driver Detected problem
3.6 Downgrade the Operating System
If you upgrade a computer to Windows 11, you may experience the generic audio driver issue. That means your audio device may be incompatible with this Window version. Therefore, downgrading to an older operating system might fix the problem. The rollback option will be faster if you upgrade Windows during the month. Here’s a general procedure for downgrading Windows operating system.
Open Settings by pressing the Win+I key
Click on Update & Security in your computer’s settings (System for Windows 11)
Click Recovery and locate Reset this PC
Select Get Started to roll back to the older version
If you upgraded over a month ago, these steps won’t work. Therefore, follow these steps to downgrade your current Windows version.
Get a bootable DVD or disk with your preferred older Windows version and insert it into the drive.
Restart the computer
Change the computer’s booting process to ensure the device boots from the USB or DVD drive. Depending on your device, you can do this by pressing F2, F8, or F9.
Follow the on-screen instructions and select the Windows version to downgrade to.
You will know whether you’ve fixed the generic audio driver issue after downgrading Windows.
3.7 Use Native Sound Drivers
If the above methods fail, install native sound drivers for your Windows version. Windows 10/11 have primary drivers that may help in this situation. Here’s how to install native audio drivers for your Windows.
Determine the make and model of your sound device.
Visit the manufacturer’s website and locate the “Support” or “Downloads” section. Then, Download the appropriate driver.
If you have previously installed drivers for your sound device, it is recommended to uninstall them before installing the native drivers. You can do this by the previous method.
Locate the downloaded driver file and run the installer. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
Restart your computer to ensure that the new native sound drivers are fully activated.
Final Words about Generic Audio Driver
Audio is essential to any personal computer. So, it’s unsurprising to wonder what it means when it says generic audio driver detected. Running a troubleshooter is most people’s first instinct. If this doesn’t work, you may try other methods in this article to fix the error. Remember, Audio driver errors can significantly impact system stability. It is advisable to regularly back up important files or utilize 4DDiG Data Recovery to prevent data loss.
