MP3 playback was still working but games would not launch anymore stating that no audio devices could be found. A check of the sound hardware in the Control Panel was positive. The audio hardware was listed and reported as working properly.

Next step was to check whether the Windows Audio service was up and running. This was done by pressing [Windows R], typing [services.msc] and hitting [Enter]. The Windows Audio service was set to automatic but not started. That was strange but was solved easily by right-clicking the entry and selecting the [Start] entry from the context menu.

The Sound properties were showing the screenshot above stating that no audio device was installed on the computer. The message “There Are No Active Mixer Devices Available” disappeared after starting the Windows Audio service.

Update: Some Windows users have noted that the workaround or fix described above did not work when they tried to resolve the “there are no active mixer devices available” error message.

Another option to troubleshoot the issue is to go into the Device Manager (Start->Control panel -> system -> Hardware -> Device Manager ) and see if one or several of the PC’s audio devices have exclamation marks next to them. If that is the cause you could visit the manufacturer’s website and download the latest sound driver for the device. Install the new sound driver and restart the computer afterwards to see if it resolves the no active mixer error message.

Check out the comments below for additional tips on resolving the issue.

The two dynamic link libraries that can be the cause of this are jscript.dll and vbscript.dll. Their Windows Registry key settings might have changed or the files themselves are damaged or not existent on the computer system anymore.

The best possible scenario is that the Registry keys have been altered or removed. The error could be repaired easily if that is the case. This can be checked and done in the Windows Command Line which can be opened by pressing Windows R and typing cmd in the box. Hitting the Enter key will load the command line.

The two commands “regsvr32 jscript.dll” and “regsvr32 vbscript.dll” will register the dlls again and correct any missing or modified keys. It would be a good idea to test one of the dialog windows to see if the repair has succeeded.

If that is not the case jscript.dll and / or vbscript.dll might be missing or corrupted. The files have to be added again using the Windows installation disk.

Msconfig is the utility of choice for this operation. It can be loaded by pressing Windows R, typing msconfig and hitting enter. The General tab of msconfig contains a button on the right side named Expand File. A click on that button launches the menu shown above.

To replace or add the dll simply write its name in the File to Restore form, the location of the original file in the Restore From box and where it should be saved in the Save File In form. This will move the file from the Windows installation CD and replace the corrupted version. If no file is found it will simply be copied into the system32 folder.

Perform that operation for both dlls and register them again afterwards.