How to Fix Audio Issues Caused by Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB4489899

[The AchieVer]

How to Fix Audio Issues Caused by Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB4489899 

The March 2019 Patch Tuesday rollout included a new cumulative update for Windows 10 October 2018 Update, also referred to as version 1809.

Update KB4489899 brings several important changes, including not only patches for zero-days in Windows 10, but also fixes to resolve a gaming performance degradation in the operating system.

But in addition to all these refinements, this new cumulative update also introduces another bug, this time affecting the audio performance for users who have more than single audio device installed.

As Microsoft itself explains, audio applications might stop working after installing cumulative update KB4489899, all because the system is configured to use a different sound controller than the default one. The company notes the following:

“After installing this update on machines that have multiple audio devices, applications that provide advanced options for internal or external audio output devices may stop working unexpectedly. This issue occurs for users that select an audio output device different from the “Default Audio Device.”

In other words, if more than a single audio device is installed on your computer, there’s a good chance that media players and other sound apps might stop working after updating the device. Microsoft explains that apps like Windows Media Player and Realtek HD Audio Manager could be affected.
 

 

 

How to fix the bug in Windows Media PlayerBasically, the workaround is the same regardless of the audio player installed on your device, as Microsoft says that you need to select the default audio device that you want to use per each application. This is only possible from the programs that you run, so unless your app comes with such settings, there’s no way to resolve this.

We’re going to use the built-in Windows Media Player to show you what you have to do to temporarily fix the bug, but keep in mind that the steps could be different and vary from one application to another.

First and foremost, you need to select the default audio device that you want Windows Media Player to use. Luckily, Microsoft does offer such options inside the app, so launch Windows Media Player and then head over to the following location:

Windows Media Player > Tools > Options > Devices

Next, you need to select the device that you want to use and click Properties. The Sound Playback is the section that we’re going to use this time, so click the drop-down menu under Select the audio deviceand then from the list, choose Default Audio Device.
 

 

 

At this point, the default audio device of your system should be enabled in Windows Media Player. You can further adjust volume and other settings from the Windows 10 Settings app using the following location:

Settings > System > Sound > App volume and device preferences

Of course, you can always resolve the problem easier by simply uninstalling the cumulative update completely from your Windows 10 device, but I really don’t recommend it given that KB4489899 resolves critical security vulnerabilities in the operating system.

The same cumulative update also patches a zero-day in Windows 10, and Microsoft said exploits were spotted in the wild, so without KB4489899, your computer could be vulnerable to such attacks.

As for the fix for this issue, Microsoft says it’s already working on it, and if everything goes according to the plan, the patch should land in late March 2019. Microsoft is thus projected to roll out a new non-security cumulative update for Windows 10 version 1809 later this month, and a fix for this issue is likely to be included too. No specific ETA is available right now.

 

 

 

 

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