After a European Union ruling, laptops sold in Europe are now required to include a high volume warning, telling the user that listening to music and videos through earphones at high volume can cause hearing loss. Realtek users have reported a common problem, whereby a high volume warning appears as soon as the volume is turned up past 42 – and the warning continues appearing sporadically there afterwards. Since the issue is triggered by a ruling, it is highly likely that other laptop and system manufacturer’s will also have the same issue popping up.
After pressing ‘Allow’, users repeatedly see the following message:
High volume can cause hearing loss. Your ears are important. Turning up the volume past this point can cause permanent hearing damage.
Method 1: Update the Drivers
To fix this issue:
- Hold the Windows Key and Press R.
- Type hdwwiz.cpl and Click OK.
- Expand “Sound, Video and Game Controller option“
- Right click Realtek High Definiation Audio and choose Update Driver Software.
- Choose “Search Automatically” option and proceed with the prompts on screen.
Method 2: Roll Back Drivers
- The first step is trying to roll back your audio drivers. To do this, open Device Manager by holding down the Windows and X keys on your keyboard, and choosing Device Manager from the list of options that you’re presented with.
- In the window that opens, click Sound, Video and Game Controllers which will present you with hardware that controls these elements of your computer. Look for High Definition Audio Device and right click on that option, where you need to click Properties. In here, you need to click the Driver tab and look for Roll Back Driver. If an older driver is available, the process will begin.
- If you cannot find High Definition Audio Device, search for Intel SST Audio Device, or any other device that is tagged Audio.
- If no older driver is available to roll back to, try the next method.
Method 3: Permanently Remove Realtek Audio Drivers
If you can’t roll back the driver, the only known method that works is to completely remove all Realtek audio drivers. Hold the Windows Key and Press R. Choose taskmgr and Click OK. Under the Processes tab, look for anything that refers to Realtek, right click and click End Task.
Then, go to Device Manager, select Sound, Video and Game Controllers, and look for an entry for Realtek High Definition Audio. Right click and choose Uninstall.
Now, open Windows Explorer, go to the C drive and Program Files, and look for the Realtek folder. Right click the folder and choose Properties. Choose the Security tab, and under Group or user names, select SYSTEM and then click Edit. You’ll enter a new window which will allow you to edit the Permission for SYSTEM. Deny all permissions, then press Apply and OK.
Reboot your computer, and go back to Device Manager. The speaker drivers should be missing, which means there should be a yellow warning sign next to the speaker entry. Right click, choose Properties and then press Update Drivers. Choose the Let me pick option, and instead of choosing the Realtek drivers, opt for the standard Windows High Definition Audio Drivers. Select and install, and the drivers will operate your speakers and bypass the warning popup that occurs as a result of the Realtek drivers.
