Windows 10 bug disrupts audio for USB DAC users after update
Windows 10 has a bug that is troubling users of external DAC converters with USB 1.0 drivers. The problem occurs after the installation of the January system updates and may result in an error message or no sound.
The service Neowin highlighted the issue. Windows 10 users reported the bug shortly after installing updates in mid-January, but it affects a relatively small group of users.
Microsoft has just updated the documentation for this version of Windows 10, indicating that the lack of sound in the system or error messages only concern those computers where external USB sound cards are used—in practice, for example, audio interfaces with USB 1.0 drivers.
Unfortunately, at this time there is no known way to work around this problem other than bypassing the external DAC and connecting headphones or speakers directly to the sound card built into the computer. Microsoft states that the issue is being addressed and should be resolved in the "latest release."
In practice, one can hope that this will literally be resolved in the next few days as part of optional Windows updates at the end of the month, but it’s possible that in reality, we will have to wait at least until the end of February for the next cumulative updates.
In the context of Windows 10 updates, it should be noted that support for the system will end in October this year. Interestingly, this doesn’t stop Microsoft from releasing further feature updates for Windows 10, despite the initial assumption that this would not occur after the release of Windows 11.