Why is Call of Duty disabling my USB audio interface on PC?

ACSpeed · July 1, 2023

I've been using a UMC204HD USB audio interface with my PC for about 3 years and I've never had this problem before.

Every time I launch COD Warzone 2, after a couple of minutes the audio for my entire PC stops and then, not only is my UMC204HD disabled, it completely disappears from the PC as in it doesn't show up in any audio output selection menus and I have to restart the system.

I've update all drivers, tried old drivers and even re-installed original RealTek drivers despite having these removed from my PC for two years.

If I plug headphones into the PC (Front panel) the audio works fine after the UMC204HD has been disabled. I've never had any issues with the UMC204HD and use it daily. No other game has this effect, and no other application does this.

The audio with Warzone works for a couple of minutes before this happens though so I have no idea what the trigger is. There's no set time either, it's just usually within the first 2-5 minutes of the game being fully loaded.

The only other issue I've noticed is I keep getting a USB power overload warning, very randomly and this doesn't seem to be related to any specific USB device. I've tried running the system with every USB device unplugged (individually) and it still happens randomly.

I've also had every other audio device/driver disabled in Windows for about two years so I'm not sure if Warzone is trying to find a different audio output or what, but the fact the UMC204HD just disappears has me super confused. And again, this doesn't happen with any other game or app on my PC.

Sawa Takahashi · July 2, 2023

A USB power overload can do that. It will kill some USB ports until reboot to protect your computer from burning the ports permanently.

You need to find the source of the problem. IT could be a real overload or it could be a faulty wire, or even a faulty connector on your motherboard.

On the other hand, it can also be your Audio adapter that has a problem and drains more power than it used to. OR even an aging PSU that is beginning to provide lower voltages and causes devices to draw more current to compensate.

Good luck !