ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The latest Windows Update cuts off the sound on certain audio devices.
- The glitch affects older USB devices such as speakers and headphones.
- To temporarily fix the problem, switch the audio mode to stereo.
Microsoft’s monthly Windows updates aim to fix bugs and vulnerabilities, but they also often create new glitches. That’s the case with the September Patch Tuesday rollout, which appears to understand audio on certain older USB devices, including speakers, headphones and microphones.
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In an update to its “Windows 11, version 25H2 known issues and notifications” page, Microsoft revealed that the KB5124008 Windows security update, which was released on September 8, may cause sound on some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices.
As a result, users who have installed the update may run into one of the following issues:
- No audio output.
- Sound settings are unresponsive or unavailable.
- Volume controls do not respond or remain at zero.
- The device shows an error in Device Manager that says: “This device cannot start (code 10).”
The only saving grace here is that this bug is limited to USB Audio Class 1.0 devices that use an older, legacy audio driver that was introduced all the way back in Windows 98. Named Usbaudio.sys, this type of driver was groundbreaking at the time as it uses devices connected to your PC using Microsoft’s plug-and-play method instead of requiring specific drivers from each manufacturer.
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Modern speakers, headphones and other audio devices that rely on USB usually use USB Audio Class 2.0. Otherwise, today’s devices are more likely to use your PC’s audio jack or Bluetooth for a connection.
How to fix the error
There’s no fix yet, although Microsoft says it’s working on one. Usually, an error like this can force you to install the full update. But there is another solution you can try if you are affected.
Speakers and other audio devices support multichannel audio. Traditional stereo uses two channels to output sound. But audio receivers and multi-speaker systems can produce surround sound with 5.1, 7.1 or 8-channel audio. Furthermore, there are options such as 3D audio and spatial sound – and therein lies the solution.
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Microsoft says that affected devices fail in multichannel mode, such as 8-channel or 3D audio, but work in standard stereo mode. Some people affected by the glitch reported that they were able to restore audio by switching the output to 2-channel stereo mode.
To try this, open the Control Panel in icon view and click on the Sound applet. In the Playback tab, select the affected USB audio device and click the Configure button. Under Audio Channels, select Stereo instead of one of the other multichannel modes. Click Next and go through the screens until you are done. Back on the playback screen, click the Test button to make sure you can now hear the audio.
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