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Alexandr Irza edited this page Sep 19, 2026 · 1 revision

Troubleshooting

Quick reference

Symptom Setting
Worked, then stopped; works again after clicking the tray icon System → Restart the hooks every 500 ms
Does not work over the taskbar, Start menu, or elevated applications System → Run as Administrator + startup As Task
Does not start with Windows Startup As Task (required when running as administrator)
Settings window opens at every boot Task Manager → Startup → disable the duplicate Volume2 entry

Volume control stops working after a while

Symptoms: everything works after a reboot; hours or days later the wheel and hotkeys do nothing. Clicking the Volume² tray icon restores it. The tray icon is present and Settings still opens.

Fix: Settings → System → enable Restart the hooks every 500 ms (FAQ #5).

This re-establishes the global hooks that Windows drops — after a UAC prompt, a desktop switch, an RDP session, or a misbehaving application.

RDP: connecting to the PC over RDP and then logging in locally reliably drops the hooks. The tray icon remains and Settings opens, but Win+scroll and taskbar scrolling stop working. The same option fixes it.


Volume does not change over the taskbar or in elevated applications

Cause: Windows does not allow a normal-privilege process to hook a higher-privilege window, so Volume² cannot see input over the window under the cursor.

Fix: Settings → System → tick Run as Administrator, set Run program at Windows startup to As Task, and restart the program (FAQ #1).

Both parts matter: administrator mode fixes the hooking, and "as task" is the only autostart method that works with it.

On laptop touchpads, two-finger scroll may be recognised over application windows but not over the taskbar, regardless of version or privilege level. Check the touchpad driver's scroll emulation settings.


The program does not start

Nothing happens when it is launched, including as administrator, and the Event Log is empty.

  1. Check for a recent Windows update. Update KB5030310 prevents the program from launching; removing it restores normal operation. If the failure began right after a Windows update, test this first.
  2. Try the newest build from GitHub Releases. Startup failures caused by Windows updates are usually fixed there quickly.
  3. Try the portable build in a short path such as C:\V2\. This separates installation problems from program problems.
  4. Check the profile folder (%AppData%\Volume2). Rename Config.ini to force a clean configuration; if the program then starts, the old configuration is the cause.

Autorun does not work

  • If the program runs as administrator, plain autorun cannot work — Windows does not launch elevated programs from the registry Run key. Use As Task (FAQ #10).
  • If it still fails on Windows 10, edit Config.ini (FAQ #3), then run the program and restart:
[Main]
AutoRun=0
ScheduleAutoRun=1

Creating a shortcut manually in the Startup folder does not solve the administrator case.


The Settings window opens every time Windows starts

Cause: Volume² has been added to autorun twice.

Fix: Task Manager → Startup tab → disable one of the two Volume2 entries (FAQ #12).


"Couldn't read TOC. Aborting" during installation

Three causes — see Installation and Updating for detail:

  1. The installer is being run from inside the ZIP — unpack it first.
  2. The path is too long — copy the installer to C:\ and run it there.
  3. A non-ASCII character in the folder name — the ² in a folder such as Volume² v1.1.8.461 breaks the installer; rename it to Volume2 ….

The OSD disappeared

The volume changes but no popup is drawn, and toggling the option does not help.

  • Enable Restart the hooks every 500 ms.
  • Restarting Volume² restores the OSD.
  • If it recurs, note the build number and how long the program had been running when reporting it.

The OSD drifts off screen

On multi-monitor domain PCs, Group Policy refreshes can make the OSD blink and move off screen. Workaround: System tab → Notifications → disable USB connect/disconnect, system volume and CD tray open. See OSD, Skins and Tray Icon.


Volume changes by accident in games or the Start menu

The wheel changes volume, or the middle button mutes, with no modifier pressed.

  1. Restrict wheel control to a narrow area — the taskbar or one screen edge — rather than the whole screen or all title bars.
  2. Require a modifier key for wheel control.
  3. Look for a leftover hotkey row that still matches a bare wheel action.
  4. Disable gestures in your mouse vendor software (FAQ #7 lists known conflicts).

When reporting this, naming the last version where it did not occur is the most useful detail you can provide.


The device disappears after sleep

Monitor and TV speakers and Bluetooth devices are both affected, and in most cases the endpoint is removed by Windows, not by Volume². See Devices and Applications.

Quick test: if the standard Windows audio device manager cannot see or switch the device either, the cause is outside Volume².


Sound stays muted when raising the volume from zero

With the logarithmic method plus mute at zero volume and unmute on volume change, sound stays off well past zero. Workaround: use the linear method, or turn off mute at zero volume. See Volume Behavior.


High CPU for a few seconds after launch

If the CPU spikes for several seconds immediately after startup:

  • Check for duplicate autorun entries in Task Manager → Startup and in the Task Scheduler.
  • Check for a broken or orphaned scheduled task left by an earlier installation.
  • Test a clean configuration by renaming Config.ini.

Builds from other sources

Volume² downloaded from file-sharing and repack sites cannot be supported. Use GitHub Releases, the downloads page, the Microsoft Store, Steam or Chocolatey.


How to write a useful bug report

File at https://github.com/irzyxa/Volume2/issues and include:

  • the exact build number (for example 1.1.9.470) and whether it is portable, installer, Store or Steam
  • the Windows version and edition, including whether it is an LTSC or modified image
  • whether Volume² runs as administrator, and the autostart mode
  • the audio device involved, and whether the Windows audio device manager behaves the same way
  • the last version where it worked, if known
  • your Config.ini if the problem is configuration-dependent

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