When Finale launches, it will attempt to initialize the audio devices on your computer so it can use whichever device you choose for playback purposes.
This can sometimes cause a problem. If you suspect a particular device is causing crashes or freezing when starting Finale or when playing back a score, you can try disabling the device in Windows's Device Manager to test and see if eliminating that device helps.
Disabling audio devices with Device Manager
- Close Finale.
- Hold down the WINDOWS key on your computer keyboard and press the letter R at the same time to open the Run dialog box.
- Type in:
devmgmt.msc
- Click OK.
- In the Device Manager window, expand the Sound, video and game controllers section.
- To disable a device, right-click its name and choose Disable. Note: This enables the device for your computer as a whole while it is disabled. A device can be re-enabled from this window by right-clikcing it and choosing Enable.
- Use step 6 to disable all but one device. Since audio hardware varies between computers, choose the most likely to work. Most computers utilize a Realtek or IDT sound card which would be a good choice.
- Relaunch Finale.
If disabling a particular audio device relieves the crashing or hanging problem, try reinstalling the latest audio driver available for that piece of hardware for your device and OS. You can usually find the latest hardware on the website of your system manufacturer.