Need Windows 7 HDMI driver

My DSO system that I had built in 2011 is still going strong. However, the Dell 23.5" LCD monitor that I bought at the same time to go with it recently gave up the ghost. So I bought a Dell S2721H 27" monitor. I took delivery a few days ago, and it is spectacular. I purposely got a 27" in the same resolution as the 23.5" (1920x1080) in the hopes that things would be bigger for my old eyes, and it worked - things are noticeably larger and easier to read and see.

The other thing that I wanted to accomplish was to get the huge, ugly speakers off my tiny desk, which is why I picked a monitor with built-in speakers. And here is where I hit trouble - they don't work. Please keep in mind that I am not a "techie". I did not know until I extracted the monitor from the box that it had an HDMI connector instead of the VGA "plug with two screws" connector (remember, not a techie) that every other monitor I have ever seen had. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my ancient AMD 6950 card actually had an HDMI connector - I was sure I was gonna have to buy a new video card.

I thought there should be a cable to connect the internal speakers to the back of my computer, just like with the old external speakers (again, not a techie). I called Dell tech support, and the very nice lady informed me that the HDMI connector carries the sound as well as the video. What a great idea !!

Ok, so why do my speakers not work ? Well, after getting over the case of the vapors that overwhelmed her when I told her that my system was running Windows 7 (Home Premium 64-bit) and weathering her *strong* suggestion that I upgrade to Windows 10 (I don't think my system will run it and I don't want to anyway, so everyone please just save it), she determined that the reason the speakers didn't work was that I needed an HDMI driver for Windows 7. I allowed her to take over my system and search it, and she confirmed that was the case. She then searched the Dell system for one, but the oldest they had was Windows 8. We downloaded it and tried it, but no joy.

This sweet lady spent over 2 hrs with me, but in the end we failed, apparently because Dell does not have the Win 7 HDMI driver that I need. She told me that I need to get said driver from the people who built my system, so here I am.


TL;DR

I need a Windows 7 HDMI driver that will support the speakers in my new monitor, which uses the HDMI connection on my AMD 6950 video card. I don't know if I am saying that the right way or not, but DSO has not failed me yet.

Thanks in advance !!!

Mike Acord


System notes:
8GB DDR3 1600MHz (later expanded to 16GB)
600W Corsair CX600 V2 (died and replaced)


Edited by cmacord - 29 Jan 2024 at 4:47pm

Originally posted by cmacord Come on, guys, I need some help here. Don't fail me, DSO community !!!!

I saw your post and wanted to check to see if you got it resolved. I tried doing some research from what you provided, and agree the issue is with the driver. Problem is Windows 7 has been deprecated and you will have a hard time finding things online that support.

The HD 6950 card has an update on the AMD site but that too is very old. Your system seems to be EOL. Things may work for now but you could face big challenges in the future. For example, connecting a W7 system to the internet when MS has stopped all security updates. The 2600K may be in the group of Intel CPUs that got nerfed with the latest micro-code updates.

I hope you can get it working. If the problem is only with the speakers via the monitor, but not when connected to external speakers, you may want to revert back to what you actually know works.