No sound on computer

I have NO SOUND on my PC (Windows 7). None. I have run audio troubleshoot and it says no problem detected. I checked speakers and they are plugged in.
Don´t know if this has anything to do with it or it is just coincidence, but I was on the computer when the electricity went out. I unplugged the computer. When electric came back, I plugged in the computer and turned it on. All was well but later I noticed no sound. I have restarted the computer several times. Still nada.
I know very little about computers so if you have suggestions please offer them as though you are speaking to a kindergarten kid.
Thank you for any suggestions for things I might try before taking it into the shop.

I am assuming that everything is plugged in as it should be and that you have power to your speakers and nothing on your Volume Mixer is muted.

If you have a pair of headphones, plug them into the Audio Out that your speakers are currently plugged into then play an MP3 or something and see if you have sound through the headphones. This will tell you if the problem is with your computer or your speakers.

If no sound through the headphones, the problem is in your computer. If you get sound through the headphones the problem is with your speakers. Speakers are easy to replace, if necessary.

If the problem is in your computer my best guess would be your sound card - that can be tricky to diagnose and fix but try the headphone thing and let us know what happens.

Lady Otter Latté wrote:  I checked speakers and they are plugged in.

If you don't have headphones handy, check the on/off light on the speakers. At least, you can find out if they are "alive". Doubt you would have blown a diaphram, as you would still be hearing some kind of noise.

Thank you, Axixic.
I had stumbled upon Volume Mixer when searching around for solutions. Nothing was muted there.
I have head phones but they are the two-plug type: one green and one pink. I tried putting each on the speaker audio out and no sound with either of them.
I never realized how much sound on the computer means to me. No sound. Very little fun.

Slainte:
Now that you mention it, I do recall there being a green dot somewhere on the speakers. There is none now. And, no, there is no sound from the speakers, no noise at all, no crinkle, hiss, snap, crackle or pop.

Ahhh - toggle the on/off switch on your speakers and see if the light comes on. If not, check the AC plug-in on your speakers at both ends. If all is well there, try plugging the AC plug into another outlet.

If nothing, can you borrow a set of powered speakers from someone for a test?

Lady Otter Latté wrote: No sound. Very little fun.

Geezus!...don't tell me that, as I'm practically "un sordo".   

Good luck on finding the source of the problem.

Well, Slainte, all I can say is the computer would be even less fun of you were un ciego, si?

Ajijic:
Okay, now it is getting interesting. I did all you suggested. My computer for years has been randomly muting itself. After trying many "fixes" and seeing on Senor Google that this os a fairly common bug, I simply unmute it.
After performing your suggestions, I noticed it was on mute and clicked unmute. The computer ran a check (it does not usually do this). It said: The peripheral does not appear to be plugged in. Check the connestion. The speaker is unplugged."
I have been checking the conection in various ways all morning! Previous checks said everything was okay.
As usual, this seems to be going from bad to maddening.

Don't get discouraged - the good news is the problem is with your speakers. That is far easier to fix than a sound card problem.

Fastest test, if possible, would be borrowing a set of (known to be working) powered speakers from someone and trying them.

If that isn't possible, let's try to diagnose the problem with YOUR speakers. At worst, they will have to be replaced but we don't know that yet.

When you toggle the on/off switch on your speakers does the light come on at all?

Thanks, Ajijic. You are right. At least the computer is now telling me there is a problem with the speakers where before it was saying, "Nope. No problem here." My computer is a liar.  

Not sure who I can borrow speakers from without lots of driving around. Maybe my neighbor but not sure.

When I toggled I got nada.

Okay - your speakers are NOT getting power for some reason.

So, we need to figure out if the speakers are toast or not. There is an AC plug that runs from a power source (wall outlet or power bar or something similar) to the speakers. If you are sure that the AC plug is properly seated in the speakers, let's look at the other end - are we sure that AC power is getting to the plug? What happens if you plug into ANOTHER source of power (different outlet or bypassing the power-bar or whatever)?

If necessary, run an extension cord over to where your computer is and plug it into a known good outlet. Plug a lamp or something into the extension cord to ensure it is working. Once confirmed to be working, plug the AC plug from your speakers into the extension cord and toggle the on-off switch on your speakers. If the light comes on - the problem is your source of power. If it does not come on, the problem is your speakers or the AC power cord itself.

I can plug directly into the wall outlet and did--in the plug for my phone which I know works. Again, Nada. Then I could not get internet connection. Grrrrrr. Turned computer off then on. Internet back. Now, the sound icon in tool bar is showing muted and when I try to unmute it runs the diagnostic all over and tells me the speaker is unplugged.
I am going to email my neighbor and see if he has external speakers and if I can borrow them for a few minutes.

Definitely sounds (no pun intended) like the speakers or their power cord are toast. Testing by replacing them with a known good set should tell us for certain.

Thanks for all the help. It sure "sounds" like it. I will let you know as soon as I hear back from my neighbor.

Okay, got some good news and some WTF now news. My neighbor had a set of extra speakers and lent them to me. I plugged them in back of my computer. But, when I tried to listen to something--nada. Grrrr. Left them plugged in and was on FB. I thought I heard very faintly the ping of a PM coming in. I went to solitaire and opened a new game while holding speakers to my ear. I can very faintly hear the dealing sound. The speakers are Colby with no anything on them to adjust sound or turn on and off. They have no AC plug, just the wire to the computer. Now what, oh wise one?

The volume isn't turned down on your computer settings is it? Double click on the little speaker icon at the right side of the lower toolbar.

No. That has been turned up to full volume.

Because the speakers aren't powered they can't generate sufficient volume - you need speakers that have an AC plug.

The VERY good news is that signal reaches them from your computer. The bad news is that your existing speakers are likely toast and need to be replaced with a new set of powered speakers.

Under the category of "More Info Than You Likely Want"

There are two types of speakers: Active (powered) and Passive (unpowered). Computer sound cards normally put out signal at what is called "line level" - loud enough for headphones but way too low for passive speakers. Active speakers are powered because they have a small amplifier built into them and that amplifier requires electricity to function.

Ok plug a set of earbud earphones that end up with the mini headphone jack into the same jack as the
speakers. Low level audio ourput ought to be hearable on these type of earphones/headphones. Don't
plug them into the CD/DVD headphone jack that is included with some CD/DVD drives on mostly towers.
Can you hear sound?

For the Geeks:  What and why would something change from a power failure? 
Burned up speaker electronics
Power supply burned up for speakers
Some control was 0 out for whatever reason
??????????

Z

Zed - earlier in the thread we learned that Lady Otter Latté doesn't have a set of headphones with the appropriate jack. But since sound is getting to the passive speakers she hooked up I think we can safely assume that line level is being output from her sound card and the culprit is her original set of speakers.

My guess as to the cause is a small power surge when the power was restored that overloaded the circuitry in her speakers' amplifier.

Or the sound card is toast and is only putting out a very small level. I assume she re-booted the computer before doing anything else?

Thank you guys.
I took the passive speakers (thank you for that lesson, Ajijic--I actually understood what you said) to a friend´s. They worked fine on her computer. So, I think Ajijic´s assessment is correct. My original speakers are toast and I need new (active) speakers. Can they be bought locally?
Oh, and CBob, the computer has been powered on and off, unplugged and replugged multiple times through this saga.
As to the What Happened: I did unplug the power bar that all is plugged into when the electricity went off and did not plug it back in until the electric was running again. However, there was a time lag between power going off and my unplugging of at least a few minutes, maybe five at most. I do not know if the outage had anything to do with it or if it was coincidence, but unless the speakers committed suicide, I have no other clue.
I really thank you guys for jumping in and helping. I was about ready to take my tower into the shop. You saved me some pesos.

CBob - I don't think so. Line level is pretty low; if she is hearing any recognizable sound out of those passive speakers I think it is safe to assume the Sound Card is putting out line level. Plus sound cards, in my experience, tend to either function or not function - I would say the odds are very slight that it is 'sort of' working.

Lady Otter Latté - I see you live in Chapala and I have no idea where in Chapala speakers might be purchased but I am sure there is somewhere. Perhaps someone more familiar with the area could chime in. Although I have never looked for them, I am reasonably sure you can buy them at Wal-Mart. And Benno Computers (On the Carretera in Ajijic) is very likely to have some.

Oh - and - the status of the power-bar when the power goes out isn't usually the issue. Usually it is when the power comes back on that surges occur (Not exclusively, a surge CAN occur just as the power goes out but that is less common.) In either case, a delay of minutes might as well be years - surges occur in milliseconds!

coppel,chapala will have what you want. they have a much better selection than wallyworld and soriana and better sales service.