Windows 8.1 isn't playing back audio on my 13" mid-2012 Macbook Pro. I only have a speaker with an x on my notifications bar. When I click on it, I get the usual "detecting problems" garbage. Unfortunately, every "solution" I've found seems to work for everyone else, but not for me.
Device Manager
Windows shows a High Definition Audio Controller listed under System. Its properties state that it has a Code 10 – "This device cannot start", along with "The requested operation was unsuccessful." This is the only notion of an audio device listed in Device Manager.
Most solutions I've found say drivers need to be reinstalled (downloaded from the internet or simpliy re-run from the Bootcamp support drivers) and I've currently tried the following:
- Bootcamp setup.exe (No errors are reported, 5.0.5033 "installs" a variety of sound drivers)
- Cirrus Audio (Both CirrusAudiox64.exe and a manual .inf installation)
- Realtek (I've tried nearly every link I've found)
- Intel Graphics 4000 (apparently it does audio too)
Every executable runs and reports success, however, I don't see any sign of a change apart from the Realtek driver copying files somewhere in Program Files, and the Intel driver blanking the screen a few times.
Cirrus Audio
I've tried manually installing the Cirrus Audio driver by performing the following:
- Select High Definition Audio Controller from Device Manager
- Click on Driver -> Update Driver
- Select "Browse my computer for driver "
- Select "Let me pick from a list of device drivers"
- Click "Have Disk…" and navigate to the .inf file
At this point windows complains that the driver does not support Windows x64, despite having "x64" written all over it.
"The folder you specified doesn't contain a compatible software driver for your device. If the folder contains a driver, make sure it is designed to work with Windows for x64-based systems."
If I skip #'s 4 and 5, and browse directly for the driver files, Windows reports that the Driver software is already up to date.
"Windows has determined the driver software for your device is up to date."
This makes me believe that Windows 8.1 might have an issue with certain drivers, deeming them unusable in some way. It's possible that windows is denying the .exe installers' drivers, Realtek, and Cirrus behind the scenes, without letting them install anything. Maybe they report success and silently fail?
Setup
It's worth mentioning that my Bootcamp setup isn't typical. I've partitioned the hard drive and installed windows manually, alongside Arch Linux. (I've triple booted this thing, and windows audio is the final hurdle.) I'm also using the refind efi bootloader to boot the system.
For the windows boot option, I point refind to /EFI/Microsoft/bootmgfw.efi, without any options. I'm thinking that Bootcamp might do more than partition and install, and that I'm supposed to do more to inform windows about the macbook hardware at this stage. Is this the case? Did I miss something critical about Bootcamp?
If anyone can help me solve this, I will be eternally grateful. Thanks.
P.S. I'm a linux user, so windows drivers aren't exactly my forte. If I'm doing something totally wrong, please let me know.
Best Answer
Navigate on your Mac to the Bootcamp application. Before this make sure you have a 8GB USB flashdrive formatted to FAT 32, Windows default. Open Bootcamp app, and install the latest Bootcamp drivers onto the USB. I suggest naming the USB to SUPPORT all caps after doing this.
Navigate to Windows Partition on boot menu. Open up File Explorer, click on you new SUPPORT drive, open up Bootcamp folder, then drivers, click on Realtek driver set up .exe, and install that (depending on your computer it will prompt you to restart it or not after installing). Next after rebooting or re-installing the Realtek driver, head into the Cirrus folder.
This is the most important part about getting the sound to work
Click on the second .exe driver manual download, and run it. If you don't do the second one first, it won't work. After the download is complete, click on the first Cirrussetup.exe and install that. After that is complete, when you go to test your Mac's sound, there will be a slight delay... followed by the nice obnoxious chirp on Microsoft's sound test.
Sound working on Windows 8.1 x64 at 10:50, 2/21/2015