Gremlins Emerge with Switch to Windows 7

Cwlondon-I have had similar problems using M2Tech EVO
Converter with Windows 7 System. Installed M2Tech Driver,
with Converter. Couldn't get any Digital Signal to DAC via
USB to Converter. Went to Devices and Printers, could see
M2Tech EVO listed as attached Sound Device. Right click this, and ended up with about four different SPDIF Outputs.
What the Hell, set one of them as default, then finally
started recieving AES/EBU Digital Signal Output from EVO.
Can anyone explain to me what just happened? Aren't there
Instructions for something like this? Certainly not covered
in the M2Tech installation Manual! In fact, M2Tech
installation Windows 7 Software/Driver doesn't even match
step by step instructions in M2Tech Manual! PC Manufacturers have just got to do better than having
Customers flip coins for installation instructions. Is the Blind leading the Blind an acceptable Standard for PC Audio? Part of the confusion is that PC Manufacturers call
a PC Plastic Fiber Output as "Optical SPDIF". Audiophiles
for Decades have called it the dreaded "Toslink". A Rose by
any other Name......! Who are they kidding?

Well it seems I spoke too soon, my stuttering and popping in Windows 7 returned today.

So I opened this thread to review and went to Sound shortcut on the desktop.

Somehow trying to switch between audio devices, I may have deleted something.

Now, on both "Playback" and "Recording" tabs, it says: "No audio devices installed".

Thinking it can't be so easy to delete a critical device, I have rebooted, disabled and enabled anything I could see in Device Manager, but now, nothing - no sound at all.

A quick Google for "no audio devices installed" reveals I am not the first, but weird and wacky suggestions re the BIOS and/or reinstalling Windows and I am in no mood for that.

Can anyone please tell me how to restore the audio - or even better, install more of an audiophile set up as a default?

Thank you.

Can anyone please tell me how to restore the audio?

Try doing a Windows "System Restore," under Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Restore (or else enter "System Restore" into the "Search Programs and Files" box under the Start button).

Choose the most recent restore date which is offered that is prior to when the "no audio devices installed" problem arose.

Doing that will not affect your music files, data files, emails, etc., but will undo any Windows updates, and possibly program updates or installations, that have been performed subsequent to the restore date. Those updates would therefore have to be repeated.

If the System Restore doesn't fix the problem it can be reversed to the present date, which would eliminate the need to repeat the Windows or program updates that may have occurred between the two dates.

Best regards,
-- Al

Al,

System restore worked - thank you.

Will continue to work towards a better understanding of audio in Windows 7 and a hopefully a leaner, meaner, audiophile configuration.

PC's come out of the box as a jack of all trades (or master of none). To get them to perform as a music server you basically are doing what any good stock car racer has to do... strip out the useless parts for a performance vehicle from the standard factory model and replace highway performance parts with speed oriented parts.
Needless to say most don't want "race car" compromises in a comfortable suburban ride.