How to Reinstall Beats Audio Driver on HP Notebooks and Laptops

Hewlett-Packard, or better known as HP, has been shipping quite a few of its laptops, and even desktops, with audio software known as Beats Audio. Beats Audio includes the audio driver for the device, as well as a few other perks such as volume controls, an easy-to-use equalizer, etc.

However, there are quite a few users who bought such a device but later had to end up with a clean install of an operating system, whether it is because of an upgrade to a newer version, or because of having to format the OS completely. When this happens, HP actually doesn’t offer a clear and simple way of re-installing the Beats Audio software. This ends up being frustrating, since using the built-in equalizer can greatly improve the sound quality of the audio coming out of the speakers, and if you’re used to it, audio without the software will sound tinny. Beats Audio is an enhanced audio controller that provides a deep, controlled bass (subwoofer) while maintaining a clear sound. Beats Audio is enabled by default.

Fortunately, there is a way to get all these things back, as long as you follow the method below.

Download the Original Sound Driver

You won’t find the software under the Beats Audio name, but if you download the IDT High Definition Audio Driver from HP, you will get the same thing.

1. Head to this link, which is the support page by HP.

   

2. Click on Get software and drivers, which should lead you to a page where you need to enter your device model, or its serial number.
3. Enter whichever information out of the required ones you have, and click
4. Under Operating system and Version choose whichever is appropriate for you. Make sure you select 32-bit or 64-bit correctly, according to your specific operating system.
5. You should now see a list of drivers available for your device and operating system. Click on Driver-Audio, and the IDT High Definition Audio Driver should appear, along with a Download button on the right. Click the button, and wait for the download to finish.
6. Go to your Downloads folder, and locate the setup file you just downloaded. Double click it, and follow the instructions that the setup provides until you finish the installation wizard.
7. Reboot your device in the end, for the changes to take effect.

Even though there isn’t a clear setup for the Beats Audio software, you can get it by installing the IDT High Definition Audio Driver. This is something that not many users know, and they’re thus blaming HP for not providing the setup for Beats Audio in the first place. However, if you’re facing this problem, just follow the steps in the method above, and you’ll have Beats Audio back in no time.

Solution 2: Use an Alternate Installer

If the IDT High-Definition Audio Driver did not work for you, using an alternate Beats Audio driver may do the trick for you. Before proceeding to try to fix the Beats Audio on the HP laptop/notebook, create a system restore point if you want to play safe. Also, make sure the tone controls settings in the Playback Device for IDT HD Audio CODEC are properly set.

1. Make sure to uninstall the current driver under ‘Sound, Video, and Game Controllers’ in the Device Manager and any of its relevant application in the Control Panel.
2. Download the Windows 8.1 driver from the HP Support website as per your model and architecture (32-bit/64-bit). If you get a warning that you are downloading for the wrong OS, ignore it.

   

3. Then download and install a zip application like 7-Zip (if already not installed).

   

4. Now extract the contents of the downloaded EXE file using 7-Zip and then open the extracted folder.
5. Then launch the EXE file (usually IDTsetup.exe) with administrative privileges and follow the prompts to reinstall the Beats Audio driver.
6. Now reboot your PC and check if the Beats Audio is working fine.
7. If that did not do the trick, then you may try the installer (IDTSetup.exe) in the following locations (copy-paste the location in the Run command box):

   \SWSetup\Drivers\Audio\IDTsetup

   or

   \SWSetup\DRV\IDT\IDTHDAudio

   

8. Now reboot your PC and check if the driver issue is resolved.

If the issue persists, then you may try an audio driver for another model (like the SP63555 driver).