Fix to the "HD Audio Bus Driver Failed to load: 0xE0000227" & "Realtek High Definition Audio driver install has failed" Errors

Recently had a PC with XPSP3 and an Asus P5GC-MX/1333 in it my hands. Problem: No audio at all, the Realtek High Definition Audio Drivers did not want to install. At the end of the install an error message pops up (Realtek High Definition Audio driver install has failed) and then the installer closes. Urgh! 🙁

After some fiddling in Device Manager (remove the darn thing and such) accompanied with some reboots I hit Google and read something about the KB888111 hotfix from Microsoft. After finding it, it couldn’t install as this one already’s included in SP3. No.luck 🙁

Eventually I tried with the the latest drivers from Realtek. The error was still there, but a more specific one came out: HD Audio Bus Driver Failed to load: 0xE0000227. Aha, a clue!

A few Googleminutes later I found the solution:

  • Go to Device Manager/Device Drivers
  • Under System Devices find Microsoft UAA HD bus driver
  • Now, first disable it …
  • … and then uninstall it.
  • Close the Device Manager and run the Realtek setup
  • Tadaa, it works!

Total time wasted: 2 hours. Can I send you the bill, Bill?

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Published by Bramus!

Bramus is a frontend web developer from Belgium, working as a Chrome Developer Relations Engineer at Google. From the moment he discovered view-source at the age of 14 (way back in 1997), he fell in love with the web and has been tinkering with it ever since (more …)

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58 Comments

  1. I would like to thank you for sorting my audio out. I have had no sound for months and came across your site and within 10 mins I had sound ….thank you once again

  2. Thank you so much for sharing, my littlesister she had the same problem and we have been trying to fix it for quite some time, who would ever thought i could be that simple lol!
    Hurray for google and your blog 😉

  3. Thanks, after 2 hours of googleing and trying everything else your solution is the only one that worked. Again Thanks

  4. Thanks, after 2 weeks of googleing and trying everything else your solution is the only one that worked. Again Thanks

  5. good god that was wrecking my brain for days thanks very much!!!!!! saved this page in multiple places on my pc 🙂

  6. where can i find these Device Manager / Device Drivers? how to go there please someone help me lol i’m just a 14 years old boy ..my big bro left me here at our house for 10months i need to find those devices…

  7. i did not have this problem but mine is similar, ii reinstalled windows and i cant activate windows which means i cant update windows either. I installed my chipset drivers but i cannot install the Realtek sound drivers because i need Service Pack 2, can you help me solve this???? I downloaded the newest driver from the Realtek website and the installation was successful but when i go to Volume Control it says “there are no mixer devices installed…”
    either email me or post on here thanks alot!

  8. It is absolutely brilliant that you would take the time to post this solution and save us so much misery and frustration. Can’t thank you enough for this – I was just about to re-install the OS before I came across this site. Thanks again!

  9. Thanx for the info, but what if I cant find “Microsoft UAA HD bus driver” under System Devices? Please help!

  10. I had a similar problem with this ‘high definition’ audio crap. the only high is the frustration listening to the poor quality of that solution.
    Nevertheless, thanks a lot for cleaning up the device manager display.
    As always: Soundblaster rulez.

    AHD.

  11. THANKS for giving such a wonderful solution……was looking for it….had the same problem……great work….keep it up

  12. THANK YOU!!!! I was wondering if my Windows shall be reinstalled and found your post in the last minute. Great!

  13. Thank u so much!! I had already installed the audio. Once rebooted, it first loaded realtek driver and afterwards it reinstalled UAA bus driver.

  14. hii
    i don’t have the microsoft vaa hd bus driver listed and can still install the driver
    but the issue is i still cant get the sound working 🙁

  15. Thank you for this advice wasted 2 hours of my time trying install it and searching the web for fixes and advice. Finally came across this page and the problem was resolved within 2 mins. Why cant things be simple anymore!!!

  16. Thank you so much, you save mi life, and amsams try to start the windows audio services, it works for me

  17. You need to get a job with tech support somewhere.
    I have been messing with this for a week, losing sleep over this mess. Microsoft and other manufacturers need to fix this BS. Microsoft would rather you pay them for the support they should have provided in the first place!!!

  18. Just wanted to say thanks for publishing this solution.

    Would be good if Realtek could provide a helpful error message (or if MS could fix their end of things!).

  19. After spending several hours upon the same problem and re-installing windows several times, I finally landed upon this article.

    I have WinXp+SP2, but the solution worked for me as a charm. Finally, I am able to listen to the audio from my computer. Trust me, it really sounds sweet.

    Thanks a ton for the tip.

  20. I also do not have Microsoft HP device drivers listed. I didn’t see any replys to similar comments, please help!

  21. hey amigo gracias. muchas gracias… ha funcionado a la perfecccion… pensaba que tendria que formatear… pero me haz hecho un gran favor… GRACIAS DE NUEVO…

    thanks a lot my friend… lol

  22. YOU ARE A GENIUS….. after all these time….. at last – I find someone who knows what he is talking about….. you rock man!

  23. i have a similar problem with one of my pc…but this time its with soundmax audio driver,,,
    it installed properly but there seem to be a problem with kb888111

  24. dounloaded your fix, didn’t seem to fix. finally found realtec driver on biostar ta870+ install disk that was “self zipped” but could never be found by the Hardware manager. It did unzip when I clicked it and it installed sucessfully. Now I do have sound. Don’t know if your fix helped or my finding the non detectable zipped driver. If it was yours, thanks.

  25. I love you already!!!!! After 3 months of researching..endless nights of frustration.. with just one click and a restart.. everything was solved!!! It already cost me almost $100 for purchasing another motherboard, plug n play soundcard and a new headphone.. and was about to spend another $30 for a repair man to reformat my pc.. thank god i saw your page first.. you saved my life man..really!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!! You just granted one my christmas wish! 😉

  26. thanks alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dude keep it up 🙂 i am fed up of this problem dont know what to do

    but finally u have made this posibble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  27. Thanks so much, I spent a lot of time on ASUS website- downloaded motherboard manuals, should have just googled it.
    Delete a file from XP home and I have an old computer to hook up to the 50″plasma TV so now my wife can read email…… sucks getting old!

  28. I would like to thank you (Sir Bramus) for this solution you have deposited. From a samiane that I have this problem and I tried several solution they offered on the net but no is not success. else your solution is the only one that worked.
    Again Thanks

  29. THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!! i been searching for hours to find a fix and yours was the only helpful post! thanks again!!

  30. Repaired my daughter’s xp pc by swapping the motherboard. Everything worked with the exception of (you guessed it) the realtek audio driver which kept failing when I tried to reinstall it. Couldn’t uninstall the microsoft driver until I read this and disabled it first. Just got it all up and working again after a week of head banging. THANKS!!!

  31. Sir, I read your text and your comments and you seem to have found the solution. In my haste to implement it, I did NOT (sniff) disable before uninstalling and now I can´t get it right. might there be a tip on how to correct it, now that I screwed up your previous solution?

    Thank you very much,

    Claus.

  32. Thank you very much, it works.I was desperated that i couldn`t find the solution. Thanks again!!!!

  33. Really Very help Full

    My Sound is Working In Successfull

    Very Very Thanks 🙂

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