Acer Aspire5 a515-54G laptop very low System Sounds after 22H2 updates

After updating my Windows11 Home version to 22H2 build 22621.608 I am getting poor System Sound volume on my Aspire5 a515-54G, Music sound is very good (50% volume sounds great with the new Windows Media Player, streaming/video sound OK but with 75% volume) so I would like to update my drivers only to get much louder System Sounds (System Sound volume is set at 100%). My present RTK Audio driver (probably a Windows update) is dated 24/12/2019, 6.0.8865.1 (attached)

When checking the audio driver for my system and OS on the Acer Support website I see:
Audio_Realtek_6.0.8865.1_W11x64 2021/10/20 which I downloaded, but all the Cabinet folders in the driver bundle are dated much older: 5/07/2019, July 5, 2019 (using Explorer)?

If I double click on Setup_Driver.cmd in one of the downloaded Acer driver folders I get the message: "Goto Windows store"

My main present (working) RTK driver is RTKVHD64.sys 6.0.8865.1 (built by WinDDK, Windows Display Driver Kit??)

The Win64 folder from the downloaded Acer RTK driver set contains this same RTKVHD64.sys driver dated 26/12/2019 but that folder has no install.cmd or any setup.exe file. When I point W11 Device manager to this Acer driver set (Add driver) it states "No drivers"

When browsing the downloaded RTK driver package from Acer is see in the Realtek folder the folowing subfolders: extRTK,...APO, ...HSA, ..., RTKService_229 and RealtekSstPpDll_24, no idea what these folders are.

Since my sound system is jointly controled by MS(WDDK), Intel(Display sound) and RTK speaker drivers and my audio card is the very basic ALC255 chipset I wonder if I have reached the limit of my sound system and should completely forget about updating it before breaking things even more?
Comments welcome

If you are browsing from device manager, it is looking for the .inf file.

One thing about Notebooks/Laptops is there are keyboard function keys such as an Fx or combo Fn + Fx to do the hardware sound adjustment first then manipulate it in the Operating System. I always set the hardware first then control programs as needed.

SIW2 said:

If you are browsing from device manager, it is looking for the .inf file.

Click to expand...

I know, however there are many .inf files in many different subdirectories in that driver bundle but the device manager only looks at the main directory. there is a Setup.exe file in the main directory (after unzipping) that according to Acer is all you have to touch (double click) to install. When I do that I get (see attached). There are Intel Audio issues reported by MS for 11th Gen processors (mine is 10th Gen) for the Sept. 30 update. "Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(R) SST) Audio Controller" version 10.23.0.3084 of 17/10/2019 is installed on my laptop but I don't want to touch that driver. My low System Sound may well be an Intel driver issue (not RTK).

Berton said:

One thing about Notebooks/Laptops is there are keyboard function keys such as an Fx or combo Fn + Fx to do the hardware sound adjustment first then manipulate it in the Operating System. I always set the hardware first then control programs as needed.

Click to expand...

I have F10-11 for (hardware) speaker keys that control (hi-low) both Audio and System Sound volumes at the same time, apparently the System Sound has separate circuit/controls with the volume set at 100% (default) in Windows 11. I need to boost the volume of System Sound only. It was working fine with 21H2.

@FrankW

Do you have a Realtek Audio Console on your Start Menu?
If so, you should check the Realtek Digital Output, and make sure IT is set to 100%.
That's the volume control for the output of your sound chip... it needs to be at 100%

In other words... where ever you can, you need to adjust the main, main, main volume... it needs to be at 100%, or you won't be able to turn the System Sounds to 100%, even though the slider says it's at 100%.






There's also the old fashioned way to find drivers... Device Manager > Realtek(R) Audio > right click and choose: Properties
Then the Details tab, then Hardware IDs.

Those weird numbers identify your sound chip. You can select and Ctrl + C copy and search for the hardware ID on Google.



Like for me, I would search for:
HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_1168&SUBSYS_10438733&REV_1001 driver - Windows 11

Or...
HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_1168&SUBSYS_10438733 driver - Windows 11


Even though you can highlight and right click a hardware ID and choose copy... that won't work.
You have to use Ctrl + C



/edit
I have no idea if any of this will help... it's just things I have seen in the past.

Ghot said:

@FrankW

Do you have a Realtek Audio Console on your Start Menu?
If so, you should check the Realtek Digital Output, and make sure IT is set to 100%.
That's the volume control for the output of your sound chip... it needs to be at 100%

In other words... where ever you can, you need to adjust the main, main, main volume... it needs to be at 100%, or you won't be able to turn the System Sounds to 100%, even though the slider says it's at 100%.


View attachment 41176



There's also the old fashioned way to find drivers... Device Manager > Realtek(R) Audio > right click and choose: Properties
Then the Details tab, then Hardware IDs.

Those weird numbers identify your sound chip. You can select and Ctrl + C copy and search for the hardware ID on Google.

View attachment 41177

Like for me, I would search for:
HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_1168&SUBSYS_10438733&REV_1001 driver - Windows 11

Or...
HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_1168&SUBSYS_10438733 driver - Windows 11


Even though you can highlight and right click a hardware ID and choose copy... that won't work.
You have to use Ctrl + C



/edit
I have no idea if any of this will help... it's just things I have seen in the past.

Click to expand...

I have a different (lower) version RTK console that has nothing like what you mention (just speaker controls) also no equalizer (see attached)
I will search for an RTK driver update the way you suggest but this may well be Intel SST audio controller related (see latest MS update reports)

@FrankW

Yeah, you're way past my knowledge on this subject.

Ghot said:

@FrankW

Yeah, you're way past my knowledge on this subject.

Click to expand...

I uninstalled my RTK audio driver in device manager (didn't check the forced uninstall box) and restarted my laptop. System Sounds are back now, not loud but doable, I reduced the volume in MS new Media Player and increased the overall volume of Realtek speakers to 70% and my sound is almost as it was before the KB5017389 update

I'd set the speakers to 100% and adjust everything else to suit.

Normally, I have all sliders set to 75%..., otherwise my neighbors get p*ssed off!

I am trying to get a louder sound - via headphones and bluetooth and I do have the system that is mentioned in this thread - everything seems set to 100% loudness -headphones and PC - I presume I can alter the various equalizer sliders - but I do not want to lose my current settings altogether in case I get it wrong.


Is this the best aspect to choose to get it louder or should I consider a booster app for my Windows 11 PC like I have with my Android phone?