Do Something!

These are the steps you should take ***BEFORE*** you submit a work order to your friendly neighborhood computer tech.

Step 1: I find this first step to be VERY important…do a quick visual check and make sure you actually…physically…HAVE SPEAKERS!   – completing this step will help keep your local tech guru from walking down, looking, noticing quickly that you don’t have speakers, and having to go get a set. (among other repercussions see below)

- If you do not have speakers – place a work order for computer speakers to be installed.  MAKE SURE YOU NOTE IN YOUR WORK ORDER THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE SPEAKERS.

Step 2:  check to see if your computer speakers have power.  this can be done by “turning them on”.

Step 2a: Turning on your speakers – this is usually done by pressing a power button or turning a knob style switch. if you do not have power to your speakers proceed to step 2b.

Step 2b: check to see if the speakers are plugged in to a power outlet.  If they are not plug them into the nearest active electrical socket.  If you still don’t have sound goto step 3.

Step 3.  Make sure that the speaker cable (usually has a green plastic end) is plugged ALL THE WAY into the correct plug on the computer (usually green with a picture of a speaker beside it).  If by chance you’ve “plugged” it into an air flow hole behind your fan….it will not work.  Once the speaker cable is correctly and securely plugged in, if you still do not have sound proceed to step 4.

Step 4:  If you have a keyboard/laptop based  “mute” or “volume control” switch or “function+key” combination make sure they are disengaged.  Once done or if you do not have these proceed to step 5.

Step 5: Look in the bottom right of your screen – there should be a speaker icon of some sort. click that insure your “master volume” and or “volume out” are not turned down low, or set to mute. If they are set them correctly (this means turn mute “off” and or turn up the volume, depending on your computer you may or may not have to click “save” next. ) If this does not work proceed to step 6.

Step 6: If you are trying to listen to a cd, song, video or something running in a separate program, check that program’s audio setting to make sure they are not set to silent or mute. If they are not – proceed to step 7.
DO NOT CONTINUE TO TRY AND DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM OR DOWNLOAD ANYTHING THAT WILL HELP YOU FIND THE PROBLEM!

Step 7:  At this point email your local computer tech a work order.  include in the work order that you have completed steps 1 -6 and still could not get it to work.

***Note Computer Guru reserves the right to look at you like your an idiot if you did not follow steps 1 -7.  If Said Computer Guru arrives and learns (very quickly) that you specifically did not do Step 1 (see above) he reserves the right to smack you so hard your grand-kids will only be able to hear out of one ear….