Fix The Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel (r) SST) OED Problem

Some users of Windows are experiencing a strange issue where the microphone and headphone functionality drops at the same time. Upon investigating the issue within the Device administrator, there is a particular service that seems to be causing the problem Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel (r) SST) OED. This issue is confirmed to occur on both Windows 10 and Windows XNUMX. Windows 11 and is most common on Dell and Lenovo computers.

In case you have the same type of problem and see the message This device cannot be started. (Code 10) o Error loading external libraries As the reasons listed for why this service fails, there are some fixes that other affected users have successfully used to fix this particular error code.

But first, let's take a look at the most common culprits that could be responsible for these strange service issues. Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(r) SST) OED. Here is a list of scenarios you might be dealing with right now:

• Outdated Intel driver version- One of the most common causes of this error (especially for users who already have Windows 11) is an outdated Intel Smart Sound Technology driver. This issue occurs because Windows Update is not yet equipped to get the latest driver versions compatible with Windows 11. To resolve this issue (on both Windows 11 and Windows 10), use the DSA (Driver Support Assistant) to install the latest driver version compatible with your motherboard.
• Smart Sound Technology Controller impaired: If you suddenly lose access to audio and audio recording, there's a good chance that you're dealing with some kind of corrupted driver files. In this case, one way to fix the problem is to uninstall the current Smart Sound Technology OED driver to force your operating system to migrate to a generic equivalent.
• Incorrect Smart Sound Technology Driver: Please note that if you are facing this issue on a Lenovo or Dell laptop, you may need to install the Realtek driver to fix the audio issues. This is only a requirement for certain computer models. portable, but you can easily try this solution by downloading the latest Realtek HD driver and installing it to see if it ends up fixing the problem in your case.
• The OS installation is missing some driver dependencies: Please note that with certain PC configurations, you may need an additional Intel Media Driver to ensure that your Windows installation is equipped to handle high-quality audio playback and recording. If the problem is caused by a missing Intel Media Driver, you can fix the problem by installing the missing driver using the Microsoft Update Catalog.
• Incompatible dedicated controller: If you're already on Windows 11, there's a high chance that the problem will quickly return as your OS overrides the generic driver with an incompatible dedicated equivalent. To prevent this problem from occurring endlessly, you'll need to use Device Manager to force your OS to stick with the HD Audio Controller driver instead of always going for the Intel Smart Sound Technology driver.

How can I fix Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(r) SST) OED problem?

Now that you are up to date with all the culprits that could be stopping the Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(R) SST) OED service, here are a couple of methods that other affected users have successfully used to fix this problem completely.

Update Intel driver using DSA

Before moving on to other fixes, you should start by simply making sure you are using the latest available version of Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology.

But our advice is not to rely on Windows (Device Manager or Windows Update) to find out if you have the latest version or not. With the upcoming Windows 11, there is a lot of segmentation affecting the Windows driver fleet currently.

The best method to ensure that you are using the latest available version of Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology is to run the utility patented Intel DSA (Driver Support Assistant).

Run this tool to help you determine if you are running with the latest Intel drivers installed. If your driver fleet is out of date, this tool will automatically update your driver to the latest equivalents using official channels.

If you are currently looking for instructions on how to use the Intel Driver and Support Assistant To update the Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology driver, you can follow the step-by-step guide below:

• First things first, make sure that no unnecessary applications or processes are running in the background. Also, close any potentially conflicting tools such as Nvidia Experience, AMD Adrenalin, Driver Booster, among others.
• Next, open your default browser and visit the Driver & Support Assistant utility home page.
• Once you are inside the correct page, scroll down to Intel® Driver & Support Assistant (Intel® DSA) and click on the button download now.

• After the download is complete, double-click the installer you just downloaded and click Yes at the UAC (User Account Control) to grant administrator access.
• Next, check the box associated with I am in accordance with the terms and conditions and press the button Install.

• In the next message, click To accept, then click Yes at the UAC (User Account Control) and press Install before waiting for the operation to complete. Once the operation is complete, you must click on Start and wait until the utility opens.

• Wait until the initial scan is complete, then click the button Download all and follow the on-screen instructions to install all the Intel drivers pending earrings.

• Now, you need to wait until all the browsers are downloaded locally, then click on the button Install All to install them.
• After all pending Intel drivers are updated to the latest version (including the Smart Audio Technology driver), reboot your PC one last time and see if it regains audio and recording capabilities once the next startup is complete.

If the issue is still not resolved, please move on to the next potential solution below.

Uninstall the Smart Sound Technology OED driver

This method may seem counterintuitive, but it is actually one of the most effective things you can do if you are currently experiencing service issues. OED by Smart Sound Technology.

If you end up using Device Manager to uninstall the driver that currently governs this service, you’ll essentially force your operating system to migrate to a generic equivalent. And since the problem is only reported to occur in situations where Intel’s dedicated sound technology driver is used, you can expect the issue to be completely resolved once your PC starts using the equivalent generic driver.

Nota: Don't worry about losing your recording or audio capabilities permanently. You'll only experience a brief interruption while your Windows computer migrates from the dedicated driver to the generic equivalent.

If you haven't tried this solution yet, follow the instructions below to learn how to get rid of the Internet equivalent of the OED smart sound technology and migrate to a generic equivalent using Device Manager:

Nota: The instructions below work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

• Press the Windows key + R to open a dialog box Run. Then write 'devmgmt.msc' inside the text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Device Manager with administrator access.
• When the message appears User account control (UAC), click on Yes to grant administrator access.
• Next, scroll down through the different device categories and expand the drop-down menu associated with sound, video and game controllers.

• The next thing you need to do is scroll down through the different sound drivers and look for the service OED by Smart Sound Technology.

• When you see it, right click on it and select Uninstall device in the context menu that just appeared.

• In the confirmation message, click Yes and wait until the uninstallation is complete.

Nota: Before clicking Yes, check the box associated with Try removing the driver for this device.

• Once the uninstallation is complete, restart your computer and see if it regains audio and sound recording capabilities at the next startup (once your OS migrates to a generic driver).

If you no longer see the error related to Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel (r) SST) OED, but you still don't have any sound or recording capabilities, move on to the next potential solution below.

Install the correct Realtek HD Audio driver

Depending on your PC configuration, switching to a generic driver may not be sufficient.

If you are using a laptop Lenovo or Dell, you may need to download the custom audio driver recommended by the manufacturer before you can resolve the issue.

There are many affected users who reported that the issue was fixed after they moved away from the Intel-equivalent driver to a solution provided by Realtek.

If you encounter this with a Dell or Lenovo laptop and its manufacturer recommends a Realtek driver, follow the instructions outlined below to install the correct version of the Realtek HD Audio driver and avoid the occurrence of Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(r)) SST) Error of OED:

Nota: The instructions shown are slightly different depending on the motherboard manufacturer. Below you will find an example of installing the correct equivalent Realtek HD driver for a Dell laptop. If the manufacturer is different, please refer to the Note section for instructions on how to find the correct version for your case.

• First things first, you will need to uninstall your current driver. To do this press the key de Windows + R to open a dialog box Run. Next, you need to write devmgmt.msc inside the text box and press Log in to open Device Manager.

Nota: In the message of User account control, Click on Yes to grant administrative privileges.

• Once you're inside the Device Manager, expands the menu associated with the sound, video and game controllers, right-click on Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel (r) SST) OED and select Uninstall driver in the context menu.

• In the next message, check the box associated with Try to remove the driver for this device before clicking uninstall to get rid of the driver.
• After the operation is complete, DO NOT restart your computer. This is important as it will prevent your operating system from installing an equivalent generic driver.
• Instead, access the Realtek Official Driver Download Page and download the latest version of the Reaktek driver (executable file) by clicking on the download icon (left section).

Nota: You will need to download the executable file (driver only) equivalent to your bit architecture. If you are using Windows 11, download the 64-bit version. For Windows 10, press the Windows key + R, scribe 'systeminfo', then check the Type of system.

• Then click Download this file and wait until the installer is downloaded locally.

Nota: In some cases, you may be asked to complete a captcha verification process to prove that you are not a bot.

• Once the operation is complete, double-click the Realtek HD Audio driver installer and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation of the latest driver version.

Nota: In the message UAC (User Account Control), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.

• After the Realtek driver is finally installed, restart your computer (even if you are not prompted to do so) and see if the problem is now fixed.

In case you still have the same error Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(r) SST) OED, move on to the next potential solution.

Install the Intel Media Driver via the Microsoft Update Catalog

If you tried to remove or replace the Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(r) SST) OED and you are still dealing with the same type of issue, you need to start considering the fact that you are encountering this error because an optional driver is missing which is required by this driver.

According to some affected users, certain PC configurations need an additional driver dependency that is installed along with the driver Intel (R) Corporation – MEDIA – 10.29.0.5938.

If this scenario is applicable, you should be able to resolve the issue using the infrastructure of the Microsoft Update Catalog to download and install the missing driver dependency.

In case you are not sure how to do this, follow the instructions below:

• Open your default browser and navigate to the Microsoft Update Catalog home page.
• Next, use the search function in the top right corner to search for the following: Intel (R) Corporation – MEDIA.

• Once the results are generated, scroll down the list of results and look for the correct download of Intel (R) Corporation – MEDIA – 10.29.0.5938 depending on the version of Windows you are currently on. Once you find out which driver you need to get, press the button Download and wait until the operation is completed.

Nota: Make sure to differentiate between regular versions of Windows and S versions. Download the regular version of the driver unless you have Windows 10 S or Windows 11 S.

• From the download message that just appeared, click the hyperlink to start the download locally.
• Once the download has finally completed, unzip the contents and then navigate to the extraction folder.
• Inside the extraction folder, you need to right-click on IntcOED.inf and select Install from the context menu that just appeared.
• Wait until the process is complete, then restart your PC and see if the Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(r) SST) OED error It has now been fixed.

If the problem is still not resolved, move on to the final solution below.

Replace the driver with the HD Audio driver

If none of the methods below have been effective in your case, there is one last thing you can try, telling your Windows installation to ignore the current driver and use the generic High Definition Audio Controller driver instead.

This should happen automatically when you uninstall the driver via Device Manager, but if you have DSA or a different utility installed, the problem will return when the faulty driver is reinstalled.

Follow the instructions below to use the Device administrator to specifically tell your PC to ignore the driver smart sound technology from Intel and use the high definition audio controller instead:

• First, you are going to press the Windows key + R to open a dialog box Run. Then type 'devmgmt.msc' inside the text box and press Log in to open Device Manager.
• Once you're inside the Device Manager, expands the drop-down menu associated with the system devices.
• Next, scroll down through the different entities and right-click on Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel (r) SST) OED.
• Then, in the context menu that just appeared, you need to click on Properties
• Within the Driver Properties screen OED de Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel (r) SST), go to the tab Controller and then click the button Update Driver.
• In the next menu, you must click on Browse my computer to get the driver software.
• Now, click on Let me choose from a list of drivers available on my computer. 
• Once you get to the next screen, start by checking the box Show hardware compatible, then double click on High Definition Audio Controller.

• Wait until the drivers are installed, then restart your system and see if audio and audio recording capabilities have been restored at the next computer startup.

If you've made it this far, it's because you've already solved the Intel (R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel (r) SST) OED problem. See you in a future post, until then.