Brand New M17X R4 and no sound

Just reposting my fix...

"I've been experiencing this problem intermittently since I purchased my M17xR4 in June 2012. Basically, every once in a while, I'll restart the laptop or turn it on cold (both always when the power cord is plugged in) and when I log into Windows 7 I see an X over the sound control icon and the message, "No Audio Output Device."  

The way I've been able to fix this annoyance is by unplugging the power cord from the machine once I see this message and then rebooting on battery power alone.  The sound device always starts working again this way.  Once I log into Windows or hear the Windows start-up sound, I simply plug the power cord back in.  

I hope this information helps someone."

I agree. Do not take "no" as an answer. We spend top dollars for a gaming system, not to spend hours helping Dell troubleshoot their hardware. After 2 more occurrences of this issue on my replacement laptop (which I've been using for more than 2 months), I have managed to get a full refund (I just received the cheque last week too).

I've tried reinstalling the drivers and all I see under Sound, Video and game controllers are Bluetooth Hands-Free Audio and Intel(R) display audio

Hi email me i a\have a fix fix... <ADMIN NOTE: Email id removed per privacy policy>

docs.google.com/.../edit

perm fix

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install this driver.. will fix for sure

docs.google.com/.../edit

this will get you system back working

I personally wouldn't go to that link - it contains a zipped .exe file which could easily be a virus.

it that case if you had tried all the software troubleshooting steps, most likely we will need to replace the motherboard.

I seem to be having this problem every other day, now.  Thankfully, reinstalling the A11 BIOS has always fixed it, so far.  But I must say that this is getting annoying.  

Jason...

Sigh... I am now outside my warranty on this evil beast.

Dell sent 2 different people to replace the motherboard. The second person got the speakers to work but now the headphones will not work no matter what I do.

I finally gave up and ordered an Creative USB 5.1 audio device.

I have been fighting with that device all morning. It just won't work on this laptop no matter what I do.

Ya know, I just want to sound to work on this laptop. I spent a ridiculous amount of money on it expecting a high quality product. In return all I have had is grief from this thing. If I ever find a headphone solution I will post it here but at the moment, it just isn't happening.

Avoid this laptop at all costs. It is a lemon. Plain and simple. 

btw, that  "perm fix" listed above by GbyeMrPink killed all my sound. Thanks for that. Just what I needed. Now I need to find the correct drivers and re install it all. Lovely.

Well, I've been living off of reinstalls of the A12 BIOS until just now.  Booted up without any sound, did two reinstalls of that BIOS but still no sound.  So, called Tech Support and they put me in for a new motherboard.  It's on its way, I'm told.   Since I'm traveling for the holidays, I doubt I'll see it until next week at the earliest.   Talk about an anoying problem.

Someone in this forum suggested that the solution is to disconnect the computer and "bump it" against the table or something like that. I definetively agree with other participants that bumping the laptop is a little bit risky. But then it occurred to me that the problem could be a matter of electrical charges. Since I am  not an expert in electricity, it is diffcult to explain this... but here it goes... Electrical/electronic devices can, from time to time get negatively charged. If this occurs, the device (or parts of it) don't work anymore (in this case, it's the audio device). That is quite simple to fix: (i) turn off the computer, (ii) disconnect every cable of the computer, (iii) take your computer in your arms and touch a piece of furniture made of metal (or the floor), and... that is. It worked for me. Best of all, is a lot less risky than bumping the laptop. Hope it works for you.