Windows 10 May Update breaks ICH6, ICH9 QEMU/VIRTIO devices

Many Reddit users reported that the newest Windows 10 update causes problems for ICH6 and ICH9 QEMU/VIRTIO devices.

Here’s how one user describes this problem:

For those using VFIO/VIRTIO and running this a a guest OS. It appears that the latest version of the HD Audio driver has broken audio completely. Will report back after some troubleshooting.
UPDATE: After about an hour of troubleshooting, it appears that ICH6 and ICH9 QEMU/VIRTIO devices are completely non-functional. Only workaround (for me) is to revert to emulated Realtek/Intel AC97. Fortunately this actually netted me a performance improvement.

As the OP states, this is a severe issue — the latest audio driver after the update is breaking the audio completely.

The user does come with an explanation and some kind of solution. It seems that ICH6 and ICH9 QEMU/VIRTIO devices cannot function properly on the new Windows 10 version.

As a result, the only way to make the audio work again was to revert to Realtek/Intel AC97.

Generally, audio drivers are prone to be affected by Windows 10 updates, and this case is no different.

Also, there aren’t so many workarounds to solve this type of issues, and Microsoft has yet to come up with a solution or an explanation for this particular problem.

Have you experienced any issues with your drivers after the recent Windows 10 update?

Let us know in the comment section below.

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