Muted Sound with No Apparent Cause, Resolves on Logoff/Restart

[DrSatanDracula]

Specs:

Windows 7 Home Premium sp 1 64-bit
Intel i7-2600 @ 3.6 ghz
12 gig ram
Beats Audio

Problem:

Randomly, the sound on my Windows 7 machine will go out. It hasn't occurred mid-song or video, but  I will randomly find that the sound has stopped when I go to listen to something. I have checked to see if it was an issue with my headphones or speakers but that is not the case (they both work fine), and I have double checked to see whether anything is muted under the Windows sound OR Beats Audio and nothing, and no other sound file was playing that should have interrupted it or something of the sort.

I have not been able to discern ANY potential cause for this, and so far the only solution has been to logoff or restart. Upon logoff, the sound immediately returns (the Windows logoff sound pops up) and things are fine until the audio cuts out again.

What might be the cause of this? I am really stumped and I cannot think of any causal reason why the audio would go out. Conversely, how might I just handle it?

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best here and that is why I'm coming back for more help from you folks.

[patio]

That is indeed strange...
Onboard sound...or addon card ? ?
Only thing i would think other than the chip itself would be a heat issue...

[DrSatanDracula]

The computer was running cool. I was just browsing the net normally. The last time I was playing a game, but the computer was running cool as a cucumber without a problem.

It's onboard sound.

As I said: As soon as I logoff, literally as soon, the sound comes back on. This leads me to suspect that some program is closing off the sound and I can't identify it.

It isn't like I log off, wait ten minutes, and log back in.

Thanks for your help as always.

[DrSatanDracula]

Well, to add to the problem:

I was just right now listening to a Youtube video while I copy/pasted some text into my e-mail. As I did so, the Youtube video audio cut out. It seemed to coincide oddly with pressing ctrl C? I have no idea why that would cause it, but at the very least that is what I was doing precisely when it happened.

I have no idea why this would cause anything. I am absolutely stumped.