diff --git a/apps/desktop/lib/main.dart b/apps/desktop/lib/main.dart
index 7958e6c..1e8fc55 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/lib/main.dart
+++ b/apps/desktop/lib/main.dart
@@ -49,8 +49,6 @@ Future<void> main(List<String> args) async {
   await AppSettings.instance.ensureLoaded();
   // The composition root: every system, made once.
   final graph = AppGraph.build();
-  // Sounds stay off after an audio-device crash (see SoundEngine.crashMark).
-  graph.sfx.engine.crashMark = '${dirs.support}${Platform.pathSeparator}audio-init.pending';
   final ports = graph.ports;
   // Close button / Alt+F4: the orderly close ([shutDownApp]), so others
   // see "left", your server shuts down and no player outlives the engine.
diff --git a/apps/desktop/lib/src/platform/audio/sound_engine.dart b/apps/desktop/lib/src/platform/audio/sound_engine.dart
index d987e24..b0cd922 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/lib/src/platform/audio/sound_engine.dart
+++ b/apps/desktop/lib/src/platform/audio/sound_engine.dart
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import 'dart:async';
-import 'dart:io';
 import 'dart:typed_data';
 
 import 'package:flutter_soloud/flutter_soloud.dart';
@@ -51,13 +50,6 @@ class SoundEngine {
 
   Future<bool>? _ready;
   var _disposed = false;
-
-  /// A file that exists only while the audio device is opening (set by the
-  /// app). Found at the next start, the last open took the app down (a
-  /// native crash in the driver or miniaudio, seen on Windows): sounds stay
-  /// off rather than crash every start, until [retry] (Settings' preview).
-  String? crashMark;
-  var _skipped = false;
   /// Per slot: the loaded key and its sound (null: failed to load).
   final Map<String, (String, Future<Object?>)> _slots = {};
   /// Load names are unique: SoLoud hands back the old sound for a name it
@@ -69,43 +61,15 @@ class SoundEngine {
 
   Future<bool> _init() async {
     if (_disposed) return false;
-    final mark = crashMark == null ? null : File(crashMark!);
-    try {
-      if (mark != null && mark.existsSync()) {
-        _skipped = true;
-        _log.warning('no sounds: opening the audio device crashed the app last time '
-            '(${mark.path}); a sound preview in Settings tries again');
-        return false;
-      }
-      mark?.writeAsStringSync('opening the audio device');
-    } catch (_) {}
-    _log.info('opening the audio device');
     try {
       await _backend.init();
-      _log.info('audio device open');
       return true;
     } catch (e) {
       _log.warning('no sounds: audio init failed: $e');
       return false;
-    } finally {
-      try {
-        if (mark != null && mark.existsSync()) mark.deleteSync();
-      } catch (_) {}
     }
   }
 
-  /// Opens the device again after a crash mark kept sounds off (the user
-  /// asked for a sound). A real crash leaves the mark again.
-  void retry() {
-    if (!_skipped) return;
-    _skipped = false;
-    try {
-      final m = crashMark;
-      if (m != null) File(m).deleteSync();
-    } catch (_) {}
-    _ready = null;
-  }
-
   /// Plays the sound of [slot] at [volume] (linear gain). [key] names what
   /// [wav] renders: the same key reuses the loaded sound; another key, or
   /// [fresh], renders and loads it again.
diff --git a/apps/desktop/lib/src/sfx/synth_sfx.dart b/apps/desktop/lib/src/sfx/synth_sfx.dart
index 90cffc3..b7146f3 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/lib/src/sfx/synth_sfx.dart
+++ b/apps/desktop/lib/src/sfx/synth_sfx.dart
@@ -37,11 +37,8 @@ class SynthSfx implements SfxService {
 
   /// Plays [kind] even when it is switched off (Settings' preview), always
   /// freshly rendered: an edited spec plays after a hot reload.
-  Future<void> preview(SfxKind kind, {int readyIndex = 1, SoundPreset? preset}) {
-    // Asked for: try the device again even after a crash kept it closed.
-    engine.retry();
-    return _play(kind, readyIndex, preset ?? presetFor(kind), fresh: true);
-  }
+  Future<void> preview(SfxKind kind, {int readyIndex = 1, SoundPreset? preset}) =>
+      _play(kind, readyIndex, preset ?? presetFor(kind), fresh: true);
 
   /// One slot per sound and ready step: a new preset replaces it.
   Future<void> _play(SfxKind kind, int readyIndex, SoundPreset preset, {bool fresh = false}) {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/test/sound_engine_test.dart b/apps/desktop/test/sound_engine_test.dart
index a678683..90c1130 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/test/sound_engine_test.dart
+++ b/apps/desktop/test/sound_engine_test.dart
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import 'dart:io';
 import 'dart:typed_data';
 
 import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
@@ -148,46 +147,4 @@ void main() {
       expect(b.deinits, 1);
     });
   });
-
-  group('crash mark', () {
-    late Directory dir;
-    setUp(() => dir = Directory.systemTemp.createTempSync('sound_mark'));
-    tearDown(() => dir.deleteSync(recursive: true));
-
-    test('exists only while the device opens', () async {
-      final mark = '${dir.path}/audio-init.pending';
-      var seen = false;
-      final b = _MarkBackend(() => seen = File(mark).existsSync());
-      final e = SoundEngine(backend: b)..crashMark = mark;
-      expect(await e.warmUp(), isTrue);
-      expect(seen, isTrue, reason: 'there while opening');
-      expect(File(mark).existsSync(), isFalse, reason: 'gone once open');
-    });
-
-    test('left by a crash: sounds stay off, a preview tries again', () async {
-      final mark = '${dir.path}/audio-init.pending';
-      File(mark).writeAsStringSync('opening the audio device');
-      final b = _FakeBackend();
-      final e = SoundEngine(backend: b)..crashMark = mark;
-      await e.play('chat', 'k', _bytes, volume: 1);
-      expect(b.inits, 0, reason: 'never opened after a crash');
-      expect(b.plays, isEmpty);
-      e.retry();
-      await e.play('chat', 'k', _bytes, volume: 1);
-      expect(b.inits, 1);
-      expect(b.plays, hasLength(1));
-      expect(File(mark).existsSync(), isFalse);
-    });
-  });
-}
-
-class _MarkBackend extends _FakeBackend {
-  final void Function() onInit;
-  _MarkBackend(this.onInit);
-
-  @override
-  Future<void> init() async {
-    onInit();
-    await super.init();
-  }
 }
diff --git a/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md b/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
index bbf3515..59746bf 100644
--- a/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
+++ b/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
@@ -1946,12 +1946,7 @@ panel) and chat messages (Copy message, and a link in it).
   switched off in `soundsOff`. The device opens 2 s after startup
   (`warmUp`), so neither startup nor the first sound waits on it; if it
   can't open, the engine logs `no sounds: audio init failed` once and drops
-  every play. Opening it is logged (`opening the audio device`,
-  `audio device open`) and leaves `<support>/audio-init.pending` until it
-  returns: a native crash there (a driver, miniaudio) leaves the file, and
-  the next start skips sounds (`no sounds: opening the audio device
-  crashed the app last time`) instead of crashing again; a sound preview
-  in Settings deletes it and tries once more. App close disposes the engine (deinit, 500 ms bound)
+  every play. App close disposes the engine (deinit, 500 ms bound)
   before leaving the server. Settings → Notifications & sounds has the volume, the
   overall sound set (`soundPreset`), and per sound a preview, its own set
   (`soundPresetFor`, else the overall one) and a switch; a preview always