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PaperclipPerfector  22d ago (text post)   2004 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for November 21, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I installed a PCIe-to-USB adapter card, and the 8BitDo controller works when connected to it. But when I installed the card my motherboard's built-in sound chip stopped outputting sound, both directly through the motherboard's audio output and indirectly through the case's audio output! Sound still works when routed through the controller's audio output, so overall it's no problem. But it's just ridiculous how finicky computers can be.

Hm... Can you check your default sound device? Windows will normally try to only output to one audio port at a time. In Win10, left-click the Sound Volume control from the System Tray, click the name of the currently-selected audio output, and you should get a list of all available outputs. Win11 hides the interface a bit more, but it still exists. Look for one that says Speakers or AC97. You may have to restart applications or refresh web pages to have them recognize the new intended audio output, although modern apps are usually pretty good about responding near-instantly.

Very common problem where it defaults to HDMI or DisplayPort, especially when going to monitors without speakers or where the speakers default to no volume.

It's possible to get multiple outputs working simultaneously, but it's kinda jank and requires going pretty deep into the interface weeds.

Can you check your default sound device?

It was the motherboard's RealTek audio chip, same as always. I even reinstalled the RealTek driver from the motherboard manufacturer's webpage, but that changed nothing. With my headphones attached to the 8BitDo controller, the default output device now is "Headphones (Xbox Controller)".

Very common problem where it defaults to HDMI or DisplayPort, especially when going to monitors without speakers or where the speakers default to no volume.

Actually, the Windows interface used to show audio outputs to my two monitors, but now those two outputs have disappeared. I don't know whether that happened when I reinstalled Windows 10 or when I added the PCIe-to-USB card.

But none of this matters, since I always use headphones anyway.

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