Troubleshooting Sound Issues on Laptops: How to Boost Sound When Everything is Maxed Out

Have you ever faced the frustration of having your laptop's sound almost maxed out but still finding it too quiet? This issue can be frustrating, especially when you need to hear every detail from your media or audio applications. In this guide, we'll explore a common issue that might be causing your sound to drop and how to fix it.

Understanding the Issue: The Role of Dragon Center and True Color Applications

Many laptops come pre-installed with various utilities and applications that aim to enhance the user experience. In my case, the GE66 Raider laptop from Gigabyte comes with an app called Dragon Center. This app includes a setting called 'Sound Line' within its noise suppression tab. Disabling this app can lead to unexpected issues, which I'll explain in detail.

After disabling the Dragon Center app, I noticed that my laptop's sound was completely gone. When I attempted to switch back to speakers, I discovered a new option in the Windows Sound settings. This setting, which seemed to be a workaround, caused even more issues when enabling noise suppression within the Dragon Center while playing videos.

Identifying the Source of the Problem: Shell Extension Crashes

The key to resolving the sound issue lay in another application called MSI Portrait Control/True Color, which is part of the MSI suite. This utility often causes shell extension crashes, resetting Explorer whenever I right-clicked on my desktop. Finding the solution required me to run the program directly:

Program FilesPortait DisplaysMSI True ColorMsiTrueColor.exe

Opening this program manually led to its automatic reinstallation, albeit in a timely manner to fix inconsistencies with new monitors on desktops. However, on a laptop, it seemed that the program never needed to reinstall itself. This observation helped me fix not only the sound issue but also the shell extension crash at the same time.

Fixing Sound Issues in Windows 10

For many users running Windows 10, the solution to boosting the sound might be as simple as adjusting the volume control. You can find the speaker symbol near the lower right corner of the screen, and moving the slider to the right can help increase the sound output. This is a quick and easy method to check if your sound settings are correctly configured.

Additional Tips and Troubleshooting

It's worth noting that other websites or browser tabs can sometimes interfere with your laptop's sound output. I encountered a similar issue where a specific website running in a browser tab caused the sound to drop. By closing and testing each tab, I was able to identify the culprit and mitigate the issue.

When troubleshooting such issues, it's essential to approach the problem methodically. Start by checking common software settings such as those in Dragon Center and Windows Sound settings. If the issue persists, consider checking for software crashes or conflicts with other applications. Running the problematic software manually can sometimes reveal the underlying cause.

Conclusion

In summary, sound issues on laptops can be resolved by understanding the underlying software applications and their settings. By exploring the noise suppression options in Dragon Center and the shell extension crashes in True Color applications, you can identify and mitigate the source of the problem. For users running Windows 10, adjusting the volume settings can be another effective troubleshooting step.

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References

Gigabyte GE66 Raider 15

MSI GE66 Raider 15 Specifications