Can I replace a broken sound card?

When the sound card in my desktop computer with Windows 7 Home Premium started to play up I was worried that I would have to mess around with opening the case to replace it.

Luckily I discovered that there are USB sound cards – and not just the expensive ones used by musicians.

For example, the Startech Audio USB Adaptor from Dabs costs less than £15 and works with both USB1 and 2 sockets. Windows XP and later all have drivers built in for USB sound devices so they really are plug and play.

The main challenge is to tell Windows to use this for audio rather than the old audio device that isn’t working properly.

Luckily it is possible to tell Windows to use this device as the default sound device without having to remove or disable the old one.

In Windows 7, right-click on the volume icon in the Notification Area and left-click on Playback devices. Right-click on the entry for the USB sound card and click on Set as Default. Click on the recording tab and repeat the process. Windows will now use the USB sound device as long as you don’t unplug it.

David Kent

Baffled by jargon? See our free online Jargon Buster.