Bitdefender is blocking access to my Realtek Audio speakers some time after I reboot.

Cliffy

After a reboot, all applications on my HP laptop (windows 11) stop being able to access my speakers. I have been advised that this is because Bit defender is blocking the apps from using the speakers. Apps include Youtube, MediaPlayer and Zoom. The error message is either "audio renderer error" or "we can't find an audio playback device". The icon bottom right indicates the speakers are on and volume is adjustable. I have reloaded the drivers, had an expert confirm the BIOS and also reset the PC. Nothing works. The expert thinks it is Bitdefender.

Alexandru_BD

Hello,

The error messages you receive might indeed suggest the antivirus is the culprit, but there are several layers to check in this case. Now, since the icon is present and the volume slider can be moved, Windows itself detects the Realtek speakers, so that's out of the way. It could be that Windows Audio Service is interrupted after reboot.

Anyhow, I guess my question here is: did this happen soon after installing Bitdefender? Because this could be a hint.

If this was not an issue before, I think one place to look would be Microphone & Webcam Protection. The thing is, Bitdefender itself does not directly block speaker access, but these modules can interfere indirectly. Check the following articles for more information and troubleshooting steps:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/2028/

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/28559/

My suggestion would be to temporarily disable both modules and retest audio on YouTube / Media Player / Zoom, etc.

One more thing to check here, if your Bitdefender solution has a firewall, go to rules and look for Zoom or browser, ensure local network access is allowed. A quick way to test if the firewall is somehow causing the issue you are experiencing is to turn it OFF temporarily, reboot and test sound.

There are additional advanced checks you can try, and we'll dive into those if nothing else here helps.

Let us know how it goes.

Regards