136 thoughts on “Realtek HD Audio Fix for Windows XP (SP3) – KB835221”

1. Dustin says:

   03/13/2008 at 18:09

   Dude, THANK YOU. I have a Toshiba laptop and a machine I built myself, both running Intel boards with Realtek HD and XP SP3. This was maddening until I found your post. Thanks again!
2. Tim says:

   03/13/2008 at 19:04

   You’re welcome – glad to help!

   I’ve just gone back to SP2 unfortunately, my computer wouldn’t boot and I can’t figure out why. :(
3. Chris says:

   03/18/2008 at 22:50

   Dude…after 9 hours of searching and frustration..and goin to go back to vista in a fit of rage…i found this file at the end of the tunnel
   thanks MAN!!!!!!
4. Chris says:

   03/18/2008 at 22:51

   This fixed a Hp Pavillion dv6000/Dv6315ca model

   conexent audio would not install…untill after this patch…
5. Tim says:

   03/18/2008 at 23:59

   You’re welcome, sorry it took you so long to find. :(
6. webstranger says:

   03/23/2008 at 19:22

   THANK YOU. I was about to install SP2 version insyead of SP3.
   Problem was with MSI Neo2-FR, but look like it with all Realtek HD audio
7. Veer Pratap says:

   03/24/2008 at 04:55

   Thanx man.. i was almost going to buy new sound card for my PC until i found this post… thanx alot man…..

   but still facing problem with my Pinnacle PCTV tuner card…
8. German says:

   03/24/2008 at 18:22

   thanks a lot man.. I’ve just desperated.. almost formatted my pc and install sp2 again without having it. :D :D- thanks a lot again.. it was very very useful.
9. Tim says:

   03/27/2008 at 08:40

   The latest version of SP3 from Microsoft includes support for HD Audio now. I edited the post above.
10. Waylander says:

    04/05/2008 at 22:22

    kb835221.exe (642KB)

    Thankyou so much man tried every1 of these hotfixes and th only 1 work was urs. i can finally sleep lol cheers dude
11. Ehsan says:

    04/09/2008 at 03:20

    THANKS DUDE, THANKS U SO MUCH. HUHH… NOW I CAN RELAX. I WAS SO WORRY BECAUSE AFTER INSTALLING SP3, MY SOUND DRIVERS DIDN’T MATCH WITH IT, I WAS GOING TO INSTALL THE SP2 AGAIN BUT FORTUNATELY AT THE END OF THIS DARKNESS I LUCKILY FOUND UR POST AND IT REALLY HELP ME IN GETTING OUT OF THIS HELL. SO THANKS AGAIN DUDE. KEEP IT UP!! MAY GOD BLESS U AND GIVE U EVERY RIGHT THING WHATEVER U WANT.
12. Tim says:

    04/10/2008 at 10:38

    THANKS DUDE, THANKS U SO MUCH. HUHH… NOW I CAN RELAX.

    You’re welcome. Frankly I think it’s shocking they miss something this huge in testing. :(
13. Roger says:

    04/12/2008 at 21:35

    kb835221.exe (642KB)

    You are a lifesaver.

    I love you man.
14. Bocha says:

    04/12/2008 at 23:25

    kb835221.exe (642KB)

    I will never forget yu help. thanks.
15. Srikanth n says:

    04/13/2008 at 02:59

    kb835221.exe (642KB)

    hi, thanks for the help, i was able to resolve the problems. i dont have words for thanking you.

    regards
    srikanth
16. John Thompson says:

    04/17/2008 at 20:10

    All I can say is, you are a legend! Two hours trying in vain, and your fix sorted it straight away.

    Respect
17. aNAND says:

    04/19/2008 at 07:11

    Thanks — thankyou very much
18. Thanks! says:

    04/20/2008 at 09:04

    kb835221.exe (642KB)
19. Aldousbee says:

    04/21/2008 at 13:19

    THanks man! It works
20. Tim says:

    04/29/2008 at 12:27

    The name of the kb835221.exe file has been changed to _kb835221.exe because some rude person decided to use all my bandwidth by hotlinking to the file. I have changed the link in the post above so normal visitors should not notice anything different.
21. gysh says:

    04/30/2008 at 03:03

    Tnx too much.. Helpful:)
22. Jan-Willem says:

    05/03/2008 at 04:10

    Thanks man,

    After a few frustrating hours i found your blog with
    the solution for sound on my Sony TZ31.

    Thanks again,

    JW
23. aditya says:

    05/07/2008 at 00:14

    thanks man,
    you really help
24. Ramzi says:

    05/07/2008 at 13:14

    I was having the same problem and solved with your solution and help.

    Thanks very much, my sound is working perfect now.

    Best regards

    Ramzi Hassan
25. Tim says:

    05/07/2008 at 13:26

    Ramzi as-in, Ramzi from Illinois? :)
26. Rothguard says:

    05/12/2008 at 04:57

    fix works
    AWSOME

    why is this not on windows update? sp3 is a joke no wmp 11 no ie7 and no .net2 shame shame shame

    thanks again for the fix
27. tharindwije says:

    05/22/2008 at 12:01

    wow ur the man boss! thanx a million!
28. SkullKrusha says:

    05/26/2008 at 22:06

    I LOVE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU .. i have been searching for hours THANK U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
29. dutchturk says:

    06/03/2008 at 11:02

    TY soo much after 2 days searching ehats the problem with the sound
    now it works on my lapter acer aspire 5315, ty ty ty t y
30. salah says:

    06/04/2008 at 13:03

    guys i am sorry but i installed and got nothing
    why
    i have msi p6n platinuem and the sound still i there a strategy to download this file or what since i am still on the problem with sound realtek you know and thanks in advance
31. Marco says:

    06/16/2009 at 20:33

    THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!!
32. Sulistio says:

    06/27/2009 at 10:51

    Tank You for this valuable info., it just works like a charm
    Really save my time
33. heinz says:

    07/04/2009 at 13:50

    3 words for you :

    I LOVE YOU !!!!!!!!!

    (–.–)
34. Testerbtw says:

    07/25/2009 at 09:10

    I formatted my pc and installed new fresh copy of XP SP3…I have no sound and i installed WDM_A406 and WDM_R229 Realtek drivers ,still nothing.
    Hopefully, this will fix the problem :D:D:D:D:D…going to test it and bring the news…
35. Naga says:

    08/25/2009 at 16:31

    I really cant leave without telling you Thanks…OMG! Hours of search came to an end after seeing your post…awesome man..gr8..3 words for you I love youuuuuuuu!
36. Mannu says:

    08/30/2009 at 13:22

    Will anybody kindly tell me the whole process to fix this sound problem in xp sp3 and how to use this kb835221.exe .i will be very much thankful.
37. help says:

    09/04/2009 at 08:14

    thanksss dudeeee!!!
38. Athrun says:

    09/27/2009 at 08:53

    Thanks you sooooooooooooo much for this . I have been trying to find a solution , but nothing is better than your 600KB file :)
39. Zafar Karimov says:

    10/11/2009 at 12:28

    Thank you so much. I am appreciate it.
40. Sahithi says:

    11/02/2009 at 05:48

    still my problem is not solved, please suggest me wat else i can do to install my Audio drivers successfully with Windows XP SP3
41. PRiTAM says:

    01/08/2010 at 18:13

    this is universal audio driver hotfix. it auto detects the realtek hi-definatin audio.
42. AllyRae says:

    03/19/2010 at 10:10

    So it didnt work for me. :( bummer
43. KY says:

    04/14/2010 at 02:14

    God bless you..
44. Amit says:

    06/13/2010 at 08:04

    Tim.. Thanks a lot for your post !! I was facing the same problem after installing sp3 i.e. audio device was not being detected.. but after installing the patch you mentioned and then installing the realtek drivers again, the issue got resolved.. Thanks a lot again !!
45. Tim Wheatley says:

    06/13/2010 at 21:33

    I can’t believe this post is still helping people! You’re welcome!
46. Esther says:

    06/30/2010 at 14:36

    Thank you ! you save the day XD!!!
47. Saket says:

    08/26/2010 at 14:00

    Thanks Bro !!!!!!!!!!
48. Sunil says:

    09/11/2010 at 10:55

    thanks dude u r just absolutely fantastic , keep posting such stuffs , bec it took ahell out of me to find the PCI driver
49. HIDAM says:

    09/18/2010 at 06:29

    I am trying to see if it can solve my sound problem
50. Leo says:

    11/20/2010 at 08:35

    I Love You!!!!
51. Kiki says:

    12/10/2010 at 10:47

    Thanks!!! it worked
52. Elmer Leavins says:

    12/19/2010 at 22:00

    Exactly what I was searching for, thankyou for putting up.
53. Ranjith says:

    12/31/2010 at 07:50

    Hi tim. Thank u for ur timely help.
54. EJ says:

    02/10/2011 at 18:12

    Im so happy, Thank UUUUUUUUUUUUU
55. musaddiq says:

    02/11/2011 at 09:38

    thanks thanks thanks
56. deep says:

    02/12/2011 at 14:31

    thanks buddy
57. Andries says:

    03/22/2011 at 14:46

    Haha, and still the thank you’s are coming in. Thanks Tim :)!
58. upamanyoo says:

    04/01/2011 at 08:31

    thanks dude. u are really a life saver. god bless u.wish to see more solutions from u……cheers
59. Martin says:

    04/03/2011 at 17:12

    Thanks a lot!!!!
60. Dutt says:

    04/09/2011 at 13:41

    This is answer for HP dv6314tx – Conexant High Definition audio driver for XP3

    PROCESS
    install HP UAA
    Install KB835221 patch for XP3

    Thank you….Love you man… :-)
61. John says:

    04/26/2011 at 10:32

    Thanks mate :)
62. Majid says:

    05/06/2011 at 19:07

    Tim and Dutt
    Thanks a lot,
    I didn’t work on my HP Pavilion dv2700 Notebook.
    I installed both HP UAA and KB835221, but still no result.
    please any help
63. Majid says:

    05/06/2011 at 19:12

    I didn’t –> It didn’t
64. Arky says:

    05/10/2011 at 08:30

    Thnx a millllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiioooooonnnn
65. abhijeet says:

    05/12/2011 at 12:00

    THANKS MAN I was searching the audio driver for my laptop last 3 days thanks for POST
66. 5 says:

    05/25/2011 at 21:27

    thx
67. wguru says:

    06/18/2011 at 08:41

    Now if only Realtek HD Audio only allowed users to work around the issue of not being able to hear the in-process captured video (by allowing users to select the audio output for the input), ref. capture devices like KWorld’s PVR Plus which either it’s software and/or Realtek’s never got it right. When I try to change RHDA’s playback to the input, the tab changes to output (so no reversal is enabled and still I cannot hear the in-process capturing video’s audio, until after the capturing is stopped and I play the vid back). Surely somebody must also have seen this annoyance and discovered how to fix it, as KWorld has absolutely no interest in fixing the issue (even when they still supported their dongle’s 2005 product).
68. Kulvinder Singh says:

    06/24/2011 at 10:54

    thanks dude this porb fucked my mind for 9 dayzzzz finaly its working great thanks again….
69. Kim says:

    06/28/2011 at 06:03

    OMG!!!!!!!!!! You are my hero.
70. thejusr says:

    07/14/2011 at 08:18

    thanksalot dude…
71. Lee says:

    08/12/2011 at 20:47

    Thanks. After setting up two previous Intel Atom based MB’s I knew there was an HD sound issue using Win XP but could not remember how to fix it on the latest MB. Did all of the service pack updates to no avail. Intel was no help either.
72. Mehdi says:

    08/23/2011 at 02:46

    thats good Man . thank you (mehdi from iran).
73. paul kenneth says:

    09/08/2011 at 08:11

    my only problem when i install realtek HD audio driver is that it is always failed to install.
74. asok says:

    09/15/2011 at 04:38

    its not working for me help me i dont want to reinstall OS
75. Jaynoose says:

    10/10/2011 at 10:20

    All i can say is thanks you, thank you,thank you. with just couple of click, bamm. Thanks a bunch
76. bikram says:

    10/24/2011 at 20:56

    thank u man….it really helped me…i spend my whole night just to solve it….
77. giancarlo says:

    11/01/2011 at 06:37

    My friend , you are a genius.
    I have spent weeks f…ing around to have the cursed thing working.
    Thanks a lot
78. No s0und says:

    12/02/2011 at 05:41

    not working for me…
    download and install the software but still not working for me.
    pls help me
    Thanks
79. Bob says:

    12/15/2011 at 03:09

    Genius!! Thank you so much. This totally worked. I’ve been struggling with this for days.
80. Sony VAIO VGN-CR25G says:

    12/15/2011 at 06:34

    Ah, mine has the realtek HD audio codec. would work for a while then I would have to re-install the driver. Recently wasn’t working at all.. THANKS A MILLION it’s working again now with patch KB835221, will just see for how long… :-)
81. Murali says:

    12/15/2011 at 13:48

    hi. i reboot my system last week. the audio is not woking.. now i want audio driver for my lap. the model is Realtek RTL8139 Family.. thank u.
82. Murali says:

    12/15/2011 at 13:51

    i want sound driver for my lap. the model s Realtek RTL8139 Family.
83. Tim Wheatley says:

    12/17/2011 at 00:06

    You’ll need to search for that driver. This is a fix to make drivers work properly.

    And anything not fixed by this, I cannot help with.
84. Samarth says:

    12/22/2011 at 01:39

    Thanks man.I would love to give a thumbsup.
85. sam says:

    12/25/2011 at 03:45

    thanxxxxxxxxxxxxx a lot dude.. you helped me out from frustration of many hours..thanx a lot
86. Natman says:

    01/09/2012 at 14:11

    You sir are a fucking god. I wish I could shake the shit out of your hand right now. Im saving this patch on 45 cds I swear. Thanks again man. Hella good kudos
87. Maveric says:

    01/29/2012 at 07:14

    This is a whiz-bang fix man. And it’s almost four years you rolled this fix out. Not getting a sound from your Laptop could send one into a depression as you frustratingly stare at the thing like a stone. You saved another soul.

    Another thanks from Singapore.
88. Nathan says:

    02/06/2012 at 21:22

    Cannot thank you enough. I genuinely thought there was no solution after 5 months searching frantically until I somehow cameacross this. Great Work!!!!
89. Chandan says:

    02/17/2012 at 05:53

    Thank u very very much…………………..

    Thanks a lot………………………

    u don’t know how a lot u help lots of people who have this problem.

    Thank u
    Thank u
    Thank u
    Thank u
    Thank u
    Thank u
90. Gustavo says:

    03/06/2012 at 09:31

    gracias..
91. desai says:

    03/11/2012 at 00:57

    The latest version of SP3 from Microsoft includes support for HD Audio now. I edited the post above.
92. stovokor says:

    03/11/2012 at 01:52

    THANK YOU, MASTER :)

    I am deeply grateful for your fantastic page and the invaluable help you keep providing!!!!!!!!!!! After a few days and night of uneven struggle agains the ideas clash between Microsoft and Realtek, I came across your page, et voila!!!!! I had to clear old installations, of course (did so in rescue mode) – but it worked only after installing the patch you provided, all previous attempts ended in a depressing fiasco. Any time you are in Poland you are heartily invited for a crate of beer or a wagon of vodka :)
    No joke :)

    I hope you don’t mind sharing this web page with a couple of my friends :)

    All the best from Poland, and may you live long and prosper :)
93. Gerald says:

    04/04/2012 at 07:35

    tx bro,i used it on my macbook n running good
94. anup says:

    04/07/2012 at 05:16

    very good fail i like u r good working fail thanks a lot god bless u
95. Gerald says:

    04/10/2012 at 06:19

    tx a lot bro
96. kodok says:

    04/25/2012 at 02:25

    this is what i’m looking

    thanks man and sory for my bad english
97. Phillip says:

    05/01/2012 at 11:18

    Thank you!
98. M K Lee says:

    05/12/2012 at 06:23

    Hi from Malaysia. You’re a life-saver! We use this old PC to watch youtube videos and podcasts on HD TV. Could not solve the no-sound problem for 6 months. Upgraded from sp2 to sp3; installed all sorts of drivers; thought the on-board sound card had died, changed to USB card – still nothing. Until I found your post today. Have paid thousands for Microsoft licenses for all my office PCs and this is the support we get. Thanks a million.
99. Yogesh says:

    05/13/2012 at 04:32

    Thanks dear.
    It worked for me.
    I upgraded my OS to Win XP SP3 and sound was not working on my ACER Extnsa 5620. I updated ur pack and now sound working fine
100. Neonentity says:

     05/25/2012 at 19:20

     THANK YOU! This cured a previously intractable problem with Realtek HD on a Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H mainboard running MCE.
101. Chris Sadler says:

     05/25/2012 at 19:25

     It’s 01:23 here in UK and for over TWELVE HOURS I’ve been trying to stop a BSOD being caused everytime I tried to install sound drivers on Foxconn 760GXK8MC mobo. Your fix worked straight away. THANK YOU!!!
102. romel says:

     05/27/2012 at 03:33

     thanks dude
103. emjaye says:

     07/09/2012 at 08:28

     Thank you so much, you are indeed a life saver! I was lucky I was able to come across your solution before I almost gave up. I came into my senses and tried using the realtek keyword instead of the error I got from my computer that took me so long to find the fix. You have no idea how many people you’re helping here, to think that this was posted 4 years ago already. Appreciation coming from the Philippines :)
104. Waqas says:

     07/27/2012 at 05:01

     Tim thanks alot, great job, u help us all. thanxxxxxxxxxx
105. Yatsui says:

     07/27/2012 at 20:36

     Now you is my God …XD thank’s
106. Menika Jenita says:

     08/03/2012 at 05:11

     Thanx a lot bcoz of this file my laptp got sound device working properly..
107. zelma says:

     08/04/2012 at 01:31

     I’d installed that update but still I’m not able to see new hardware found in my device manager.
     my sound card is inbuilt into mother board..
     when I install drivers I can’t see anywhere that. only add and remove that appear.

     anyone help me?
108. Mujahid says:

     08/10/2012 at 00:51

     Thanks a lot for your help.
109. Lorne says:

     08/17/2012 at 07:23

     Thanks…..worked just great. Can’t tell you how great this fix is. Went to all kinds of sites…..yours is the only one that fixed the problem.

     Thanks again.
110. navya says:

     08/17/2012 at 08:28

     i am unable to fix the problem even now i have even tried above kb835221.exe link but still the same problem i ahve even tried to reinstall the realteck couple of times and run the .exe file still no use pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee help me to get out of this problem
111. Faith HENRY says:

     08/31/2012 at 18:56

     After Reading all comments, I know and do have FAITH that this is my answer.
     I just downgraded a Toshiba Satellite Laptop from Win 7 to Win XP SP3.

     Installed Audio Realtek High Def Audio driver and there was no sound! Thank you in advance!

     I’ll keep you updated after running this patch!

     Cheers!
112. Heather says:

     09/11/2012 at 08:21

     Thank you Tim, I searched for a fix for this to no avail until I came across your download. It Worked. Thanks Again
113. kaprice says:

     09/29/2012 at 15:13

     thank you so much !!! this fixed a problem in a minute !
114. Akshay says:

     10/04/2012 at 11:23

     Hello Mate,

     Thanks for the post … its work for me also.
     Great and Thanks a lot once again.

     Regards
     Akshay.
115. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! says:

     10/05/2012 at 07:37

     U FUCKING SAVED MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     COME HERE AND I WILL GIVE YOU A KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     OH MY GODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     UNBELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVABLE!!!!!!!
116. GULSHAN KUMAR SAHU says:

     10/05/2012 at 09:21

     u have done very god job dr…….i heartly thanx u yrrrrr….
117. Kaushal says:

     10/05/2012 at 15:14

     It will be a little thing to say you thank you sir. because without this stuff my pc had become an unvaluable thing .thanks a lot of you brother. you have uploaded such a precious thing. i found it after nine hour searching on the
     internet. thanks again. i shall be thankful to you. wow……
     awesome upload which internet couldn’t provide.
118. sasa says:

     10/22/2012 at 09:38

     thanks man, it’s the best!
119. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH says:

     10/23/2012 at 13:44

     No Works in 2000%
120. dinra says:

     10/26/2012 at 13:01

     great …all that required was this small driver andI went from pages to pages on hp forum downloading unwanted stuff…at last this wroked like magic and i am able to use sp3 on machine meant for hp branded xp2
121. Peter Doyle says:

     10/27/2012 at 17:38

     Cannot believe this file is still here as this is now 2012 Anyway – Tried every driver possible with no luck for Audio on Packard Bell Easynote after installing bloody SP3 as the auido driver worked with Sp2 – Soon as I installed your kb835221 audio returned – You are a lifesaver
122. Bob says:

     11/09/2012 at 23:48

     Nearly 4.5 years later and this file is still saving the day. Thanks for putting this up. It fixed my problem immediately.
123. etherealsunshine says:

     11/14/2012 at 17:37

     Still helping people. I had this problem pop up about 6 months ago. I’ve had SP3 installed for at least two years, probably more. I had no audio except when I played files in Windows Media Player…including no system sounds–I noticed it when my custom .wav was no longer playing for new e-mails. I’ve tried to find a fix off and on for months!!! Thank you, Tim!
124. John Zander says:

     11/21/2012 at 03:03

     This Really Helps! I’m searching audio drivers on about 1-2 hours then i found this.. thanks for this blog@
125. ma says:

     11/21/2012 at 22:54

     Thank you. I spent six months without sound on XP-SP3 slipstreamed 4Gb RAM, with realtek hd audio unable to install, now it works.
     thanks again.
126. Aneesh says:

     11/22/2012 at 08:04

     you are my god !!! thank you sooo much !!!!!
127. sam muriuki from kenya says:

     11/23/2012 at 10:58

     thanks guy en God bless the work of your hands. I love uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. saved me alot. thanks.
128. ranv says:

     12/15/2012 at 08:37

     Thanks a lot dude.. Its working truly awesome…
129. Ker says:

     12/16/2012 at 06:45

     YOU ARE JUST……… FUCKING AWESOME DUDE!!!, TONS OF TNX, THIS SMALL EXE WORKS INSTANTLY.
130. RBW says:

     12/28/2012 at 12:42

     Amazing! I’ve spent hours trying to get the audio working on a friends Toshiba M115-S3094…deleting drivers, re-installing the Realtek drivers, and even though this post is four years old I took a chance…thanks…
131. chris says:

     01/08/2013 at 12:49

     5 years later and the thank yous continue

     so i will add to the list

     THANK YOU
132. anass says:

     01/26/2013 at 16:17

     Thanks a lot
133. chucks03 says:

     02/02/2013 at 09:39

     Thank goodness you save me man….
134. calstatedisneyland says:

     03/01/2013 at 01:06

     I have to throw in my thanks too… years later!!!!
135. Troy says:

     03/18/2013 at 00:14

     Super thanks. I had this fix before but lost it.
136. aklas_parveen says:

     03/27/2013 at 06:44

     Really great! I’ve spent much time to get the audio working on my PC by deleting drivers, re-installing the Realtek drivers.But noluck.I am about to format, luckly i found this.I just downladed the “kb835221.exe” from the above link and run it.Now it’s working fine.

     thanks for this blog..