Lack of sound after PC turned off, disappearing HDD

[Lily Seneth]

Motherboard: MSI B150M Mortar
GPU: Radeon R7 370
CPU: Intel Pentium G4400
RAM: 16GB
OS: Windows 7 64-bit

Hello,

So my PC has been giving me a headache lately despite being built not so long ago.
The primary issue: no sound comes through the speakers/headphones.
It occurred after I turned my PC off and later on again.

Things I have already done:

• tested headphones with other devices; they work.
• checked for any windows updates; last one was weeks ago.
• I reinstalled the audio drivers
• Run tests for malware; none found

I have an SSD and an HDD. The HDD was installed only recently as extra storage. It keeps disappearing randomly and usually reappears after restarting. However, after I added the HDD, sometimes after I try to start the computer, it just gets stuck on the "start/welcome" screen and disconnects the keyboard and mouse (the LED lights disappear when disconnected).
I don't know if it's related to the sound, but I appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

" The HDD was installed only recently as extra storage. It keeps disappearing randomly and usually reappears after restarting." I believe this, rather than sound, is the issue. A flaky HDD can cause all sorts of trouble.

Right off the top, I would uninstall the HDD and test the system for stability. Do several restarts and be sure all is right and proper.

If after your tests it seems solid and stable, I would try re-installing the HDD after downloading the HDD diagnostic from the maker's website. The likely issue is a loose connector or a flaky power connection or an internal problem in the new HDD. Run the diagnostic to be sure.

Only after you have a stable system with properly operating storage should you try to resolve the sound issue. Use headphones on front panel connection / restart.. Then try back of case sound connection with speakers / restart. This troubleshooting tree may be useful...https://support.hp.com/hr-en/document/c01884922

 

[Lily Seneth]

" The HDD was installed only recently as extra storage. It keeps disappearing randomly and usually reappears after restarting." I believe this, rather than sound, is the issue. A flaky HDD can cause all sorts of trouble.

Right off the top, I would uninstall the HDD and test the system for stability. Do several restarts and be sure all is right and proper.

If after your tests it seems solid and stable, I would try re-installing the HDD after downloading the HDD diagnostic from the maker's website. The likely issue is a loose connector or a flaky power connection or an internal problem in the new HDD. Run the diagnostic to be sure.

Only after you have a stable system with properly operating storage should you try to resolve the sound issue. Use headphones on front panel connection / restart.. Then try back of case sound connection with speakers / restart. This troubleshooting tree may be useful...https://support.hp.com/hr-en/document/c01884922

Thank you very much for the advice on the HDD. It took some time but it's fine now. I reinstalled my audio drivers after and everything was fine. However, today, a few days after the re-installment, I decided to rejoin a voice chat I had spoken to just earlier, but my mic was no picking anything up except static and high pitched beeps. I reinstalled the driver again to no avail. Completely giving up, I left went to watch a few videos. Turning back to the issue, suddenly, the mic was functioning again.

My mic is vital in my studies, so I'd appreciate help in finding cause for this inconvenience.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Slow response (out of country) - I would consider the mic suspect and test with another known good.