80% sure that your audio drivers are out-of-date.
There are two schools of though on how to do this:
A) Go to the audio HW manufacturer's website, find the correct drivers, download and install them, or
B) Use Windows Update to see if there are new drivers available, and if so, select them and let Windows download and install them.
Given how REALLY HARD it has become to do A and end up with the correct drivers(!!):
I'd suggest that you try a Windows Update (method B) to see if there are new drivers for it that the manufacturer thinks are important.
0) Start up Internet Explorer - do not use another browser for this, and select "Tools" -> "Windows Update".
1) If it asks you about "allowing Active X controls" or some such, say "okay, okay!" and let it install other - somewhat prying, unfortunately - M$ SW onto your machine. (If you don't like/want that, then you'll have to use method #1, and you're on your own there....) [Ditto for it to install "Windows Genuine Advantage tool" - which is absolutely NO advantage to YOU, it's only an advantage to Micro$oft to know that you've paid for your copy of Window$! However without accepting it, you can no longer use Windows Update either. @#(*&#^%#&^%#]
2) This is very important!: ALWAYS CHOOSE THE "Custom" BUTTON when doing a Windows Update! That way you get to SEE IN ADVANCE what it wants to do to your computer! So, um, now you should choose the "Custom" button!
3) Windows Update should now display a list of all the available updates for your computer, but right now we're only interested in seeing if there are any updates for your Audio Device, so pay NO ATTENTION TO THE LIST PRESENTED. Instead, look over in the left-hand menu area and find the item called "Hardware, Optional (x)". [ (x) is the # of "hardware updates" available for your computer.] These are driver updates for your specific hardware! EXACTLY what we're looking for, so click on the "Hardware, Optional" item.
If the # is "0," or that menu option doesn't appear, then there's no "approved" update for your audio device, and your stuck trying to do #1, sorry. So in that case stop here and go do that....
4) If any line on the ?Optional hardware updates" page says "Audio Device" check the box in front of that line.
5) Now select the line "Review and install updates" to the right of the green arrow above the list.
6) A "list" of that one update should now appear, with an "Install Updates" button above it. Select that button.
7) The rest should all be automatic, and once completed, you might need to reboot your machine.
If nothing else you've gotten a more stable version of your audio device driver, which is a Good Thing, but if that didn't solve your problems, sorry, of course, and post so back here, k?
