Sound problem, again

[Eireann]

I had this before, when I had Vista. Or maybe it was before Vista. I don't remember.

I always have a headset plugged into my computer. This evening, I unplugged it to hear the sound through the computer speakers.

Surprise! Sound didn't work. I plugged the headset in again, and THAT didn't work. I went to Control Panel and then to the sound features, and found that the speakers were enabled, but the headset wasn't. Funny; I still wasn't getting any sound through the speakers.

I closed the whole damn thing and turned it off, then turned it on again. Now, the headset is working. I haven't unplugged it, of course. What the hell do I do to make sure that ALL the sound system works?

[crashhelmet]

To be honest, I'm not sure what this is yet. I'm still researching issues like it myself with one of my machines.

With this particular machine, I tend to keep it muted. Only unmute when I plug headphones into it. I'll unmute it, plug the headphones in and get sound. When i'm done, I'll mute it, unplug the headphones, and sound will still come out of the built-in speakers. If I plug the headphones back in, there is no sound. I have to unmute and then re-mute the sound to get it to work properly. All of this on an XP machine.

CH

[Geek King]

Most headsets have a seperate driver from the normal sound. If you unplug some headsets while the computer is running, that driver can hang which causes the sound to act flakey like that. Easiest way to fix it is to reboot the computer with the headphones unplugged.

To safely unplug the headset, try setting the sound to the speakers under the sound contols on the control panel before unplugging the headset. Heck, you shouldn't even need to unplug them if everything is working right, unless you need the USB port they take up.

[Daskinor]

If you are using windows XP and a USB headset. XP will use the USB headset as the default sound driver. When it is removed XP will not go back to the original device until you reboot.

Windows 7 and Vista will work the same way. But after the USB device is removed you need to go into sound properties and set you actual sound card back to default.

[barcode]

And if all that wasn't confusing enough...

If you're using a standard phono-jack type headset, there may be two causes:

1) The sound card senses what you have plugged in, and switches modes automatically. That is, if you're set to use 5.1 surround mode, and you plug in the headset, the card then realizes you're no longer able to use 5.1, and switches to 2.0 low-power (headset) mode. When you unplug, it doesn't turn the 5.1 mode back on, and also forgets to keep the 2.0 mode going (I call this "driver limbo").

2) The headphones are plugged into the front panel jacks, which have a built-in switch that cuts out the rear panel jacks going to the speaker(s). If the tabs in that switch get bent, broken, or dirty, then this very thing can happen. In fact, my left-side computer started doing just this. Fortunately, I just popped the front panel header off, and manually jumpered in the rear jacks, so everything's up and running (with less EMI, since there is no longer 36 inches of wire antenna running past the mobo).

If you have a laptop, then change "rear panel/5.1" to "internal speakers"...

barcode

[Eireann]

It's a desktop computer with Windows 7, and the headset is plugged into the back of the computer. Pain in the ass, sometimes.

[barcode]

Errr. Plugged into the USB (flat rectangular) or phono (round, about 1/8") jacks?

Also, check to see if you have any flip-down panels that may have a front-panel connector for the headphones - most new desktops do. Some HP models have a flip-UP panel at the very bottom that can hide all sorts of connectors.

barcode

[Eireann]

Phono jacks. There are phono jacks in front, too.

[barcode]

Okay, after looking at the manuals (HP is fantastic in this respect!), you have either the "Micro-tower" or "Slim-line" case. In either case, the jacks in the front are Top = Headphones, Bottom = Microphone (assuming that the slimline is on it's side).

Just for grins, I'd try using the front panel jack(s) with the headset. If there's anything wrong with the wiring inside, you'll have the same problems. If you don't have the problems anymore, then most likely there was something (usually dust/dirt) keeping the front panel jack switches from making good contact to the rear jacks.

BTW, this is how it's supposed to work:
Sound card -> Front panel (Headphones) -> Rear panel (Speakers)

If you have nothing plugged in front, then the sound is switched automatically to the rear, where the speakers are waiting. If you plug in the front, the switches OPEN, cutting out the rear speakers, but allowing the signal into the headset (privacy mode).

If the problem persists, then you've got a Windows/driver problem, as mentioned, and there isn't a whole heckuva lot you can do.

barcode

[Eireann]

Okay, the headset is plugged into the front. A Skype window popped up, telling me enthusiastically that a new audio device had been found, and that Skype would now use this device for calls.

Will I now be able to hear through the regular speakers if I just unplug the headset? How does that work?

[Chromatix]

...try it? Skype does have an echo test service, after all.

[emax4]

I'm more familiar with Macs but have had a similar issue on my parent's PC. They had desktop speakers and when the 1/8" audio jack was but into the back, there was nothing. It wasn't until I remembered the hidden flap on the front panel that exposed the extra audio jacks. I tried it there and it started working.

Why it does this? I don't know. I understand that manufacturers add features to make things easier for the customer, but sometimes it only makes things more complex, especially for those who are familiar with these things.

[Eireann]

I unplugged the headset (accidentally) this evening, and....

No sound whatsoever. Which doesn't surprise me, really.

[Daskinor]

Five bucks its a AC'97 Realtek sound device. It sees the front jacks and the rear jacks as separate devices. A program is most likely still using the front jacks when the OS tries to disable them and they are stuck on. Il need a Direct X Diag but it most likely can be reconfigured correctly.

[Eireann]

I'm almost positive it's Realtek, yes. How can it be reconfigured?