- Windows 11 24H2 has a new bug that breaks audio output
- It's caused by Dirac Audio software, and a fix is being worked on
- Microsoft has blocked the update for PCs running Dirac
The latest big update for Windows 11, version 24H2, has run into yet another problem, namely an issue with audio output - or lack of it.
This is a bug that breaks the sound output from affected PCs, so you’ll hear nothing through built-in speakers, or Bluetooth speakers, or headsets - which is a pretty nasty development.
Microsoft has confirmed the glitch under its ‘known issues’ list in the release health dashboard for Windows 11 24H2, along with another recently identified problem with the Auto HDR feature which is causing colors to be displayed incorrectly in games.
The software giant explains that the sound bug is related to the Dirac Audio software (and its cridspapo.dll file), which is designed to make your audio clearer. Microsoft informs us that the problem has hit a “limited set of devices from one manufacturer,” but doesn’t tell us which vendor that is, sadly.
Whatever the case, to deal with the bug, Microsoft has put a temporary update block in place, preventing the installation of the 24H2 update. This policy is what Microsoft calls a “compatibility safeguard hold,” which is a way to ensure that the update isn’t delivered to devices that are going to run into trouble.
The current state of play with this audio glitch
Right now, there’s no fix for this issue, so if you’ve already upgraded to 24H2 and are suffering from a silent PC all of a sudden, there’s not much you can do.
The good news is that Microsoft is working directly with Dirac to release a new version of its audio software to resolve the problem. When Dirac makes the new driver available, Microsoft will pipe it to PCs via Windows Update, and with the issue resolved, the upgrade block will be lifted - and those with Dirac Audio installed will be able to grab the 24H2 update.
The bug only affects version 24H2, so if you’re using an earlier release like Windows 11 23H2, you should be okay. You can read more about this audio glitch in Microsoft’s official documentation.
Interestingly, this isn’t the only audio-related issue we’ve seen with Windows 11 24H2. Another bug that cropped up causes some PCs to play sound at maximum volume without warning - so it’s the polar opposite of this new glitch - and Microsoft is still trying to implement a solution for that, as well.
I think that Windows 11 is definitely having a moment with the 24H2 update, running into a whole host of bugs, but it’s not like we haven’t seen this before - Windows 10 has suffered a multitude of issues at various points in its existence.
However, it won’t be long before Windows 10 reaches its End of Life - that happens next October, in fact - and Microsoft will have to continue to improve and hone Windows 11 to convince more people to switch over. With any luck, this bad run of bugs for Windows 11 will end sooner rather than later.
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