My cat danced across my keyboard while my laptop was firewired to my TV Now no sound from TV HELP

The title pretty much describes my issue. The cat wanted my attention. Well, he got it.
Now, when I want to watch something from my laptop on my TV with a fire wire, I get no sound from the TV. I have no idea what keys he hit or what keys to hit to undo this.

What video player were you using to play the video? Some have single key mute/unmute buttons that the cat might have hit... else check if there are hotkeys on the keyboard for volume and mute to see if it was done.

DJF said:

The title pretty much describes my issue. The cat wanted my attention. Well, he got it.
Now, when I want to watch something from my laptop on my TV with a fire wire, I get no sound from the TV. I have no idea what keys he hit or what keys to hit to undo this.

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Knowing the model number will help, as laptops are very, very different in what the function keys and custom key combinations will do. For example, there may be a key combination for your laptop to prevent audio / mute audio being broadcast to a different device.

As for fire wire to the TV - can you describe or explain this connection better? The last time I looked at FireWire it did not connect to video connections, but maybe I'm misinterpreting something here.

Does your keyboard have a mute button?



Basically, what you want to look for is something that relates to audio if audio is the problem. Try volume up or unmute from your laptop.

johnlgalt said:

Knowing the model number will help,

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Yes, you need to complete your computer specifications in your forum profile so we know what you are working with.

I did add more info to my specifications. It's a Dell Inspiron Laptop.
I tried turning up the volume with the F3 key but that only applies to the laptop itself.
The Fire Wire I am using is just a cord that plugs into the back of my older TV and into my laptop.
The sound doesn't work on any of my streaming apps from my laptop. So it's not just one app. It's something the d@mn kitten did when he went dancing across the keyboard to get my attention. He's only 10 mos old and didn't want me to watch TV...wanted me to play with him...sigh.
I want to thank all of you for all your helpful suggestions. At the moment I'm just thankful for bluetooth speakers LOL

Exactly. If your TV sound works fine, then the problem is the sound from your laptop. Can you post a photo of your laptop keyboard?

We know you have an Inspiron but we don't know what model. That would help. I have trouble believing the laptop sound was completely broken just by a cat walking across the keyboard. Now, if some sort of liquid got into the keyboard or the laptop fell, that would be a different thing.
Here's a few things to try. Do this with the cable to the TV unplugged.

1. Go to control panel-sound-make sure speakers are set as default device- highlight speakers-click test. Do you get any sound?

2. Go to settings-system- troubleshoot-other troubleshooters. Next to playing audio-click run. Restart. Check sound again.

3. Do you get sound from the headphone jack?

4. Right click on the sound icon in system tray-and then select Open Volume mixer. You'll see a set of volume controls for your devices. Make sure none of them are muted. If any of them are muted, you'll see a red circle with a line through it next to the volume control. Unmute if any muted.
Click reset sound devices and volumes to defaults. Then again verify speakers are your default device and check sound again.

What is listed as your sound output ?
Right click on the speaker icon and choose Open Sound Settings.

@DJF, have you tried holding the shift key while restarting the laptop? I'm thinking that the laptop might be using Fast Start and that is what's stopping the sound from resetting.

Thank you for all the replies! I'll work on this later today and let you know what progress I've made.

You could also ask your cat which combination he pushed

Shoot the cat

The alternative

It won't cure the problem but it may make DJF feel better

AddRAM said:

What is listed as your sound output ?
Right click on the speaker icon and choose Open Sound Settings.

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This. If the sound is not longer being directed to the correct output, then the device on the other end of that output cannot receive the signal.

I'm surprised it wasn't the mute button like @badrobot suggested.

Things that you can try to do other than playing with your cat:

-update driver
-uninstall driver and re-install
-check default speaker
-ignore the cat again and it will probably dance again and fix the problem

badrobot said:

-ignore the cat again and it will probably dance again and fix the problem

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I bet that will fix the problem.