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I've set up a Windows HLK (Hardware Lab Kit, documentation here) server and run some audio related HLK tests to verify audio components I worked on.

After several tests I restarted the test machine (Windows 10), and noticed that my sound seems to be messed up. When I play audio, at first it sounds OK. However, when I move the mouse or just click on Start button with it, the sound crackles. Also, when I lounch an app, it also crackles. Closing a single tab in the browser gives a crackle. CPU usage triggers it?

I unplugged all usb devices from the laptop, but it didn't help. I tried reinstalling an audio device (Realtek), turned off all sound enhancements, tried pretty much everything in the settings related to audio. Still, the sound crackles. Happens on both laptop speakers, headphones, or USB headphones (much more heavily on USB headphones).

What could be the problem? How could OS/user activity cause crackling?

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  • Interference from the motherboard would be my guess. Boot a linux live disk and see if it still happens. I have had this on a few motherboards now. What happens if you use USB headphones? Does the sound transfer to those too? If not, then it is probably interference. If so, then it is probably a problem with a driver.
    – Señor CMasMas
    Commented Feb 1, 2021 at 17:15
  • @SeñorCMasMas It's a dual-boot laptop, Linux works just fine. It's only Windows that became a problem after HLK tests.
    – Danijel
    Commented Feb 1, 2021 at 17:23
  • Hrrmmm.. many possibilities. It is most certainly interference from something on the motherboard. Windows could possibly have a more advanced driver enabling things on the card that Linux doesn't. Again.. what happens if you use a USB headset or an external USB "soundcard"? BTW, your EXACT problem MADE ME CRAZY a while back. My only solution was using USB for sound.. the problem came from using NVIDIA sound via the motherboard but probably not NVIDIAs fault.
    – Señor CMasMas
    Commented Feb 2, 2021 at 15:59
  • After so many unsuccesfull ideas tried... I managed to resolve the issue by updating Windows 10, version 1909 to version 20H2. I was lucky enough that this Windows update was just available. The update fixed whatever the issue there was. From now on, do your HLK tests on a spare, clean Windows machine.
    – Danijel
    Commented Feb 2, 2021 at 16:34
  • @SeñorCMasMas I also tried updating NVidia drivers with latest version - that did not help.
    – Danijel
    Commented Feb 2, 2021 at 16:35

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I managed to resolve the issue by updating Windows 10, version 1909 to version 20H2. Nothing else helped. I was lucky enough that Windows update was available. The update fixed whatever the issue there was.

Takeaway: do your HLK tests on a spare, clean Windows machine.

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