Try using the basic Windows HD driver instead of the Sigmatel.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3517/p/19352371/19772824.aspx#6.%20How%20to%20Install%20the%20Generic

If you still get no audio from the speakers you could have a bad sense pin in the headphone jack. See section 2 of

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3517/p/19345854/19748041.aspx#19748041

hi Jim -

Thanks foe sending me this information. I tried using the basic WIndows HD and that didn't work for me. I will your second option for a bad sense pin.

Have a great day!

Cheers

I'm looking for an answer to a similar issue... XPS 64bit sound was intermittent, and after trying to update drivers, all has failed.

Seems I've seen this issue raised a lot on other forums.

Is there any required bios update, etc. to resolve this?

a similar issue

How similar is it? The original poster had no audio from the speakers but did have it through the headphone jack. Is that the same problem you have?

My situation is similar to, but not identical to the original poster, so I have started a separate thread just in case.

However, similar to the original poster, at one point I was only getting sound through my headphones using skype intermittently.  The "red x" would show up and then go away depending on what sound-based application I was using.  It has been a while since that happened and things have regressed to no sound at all through any device.

Just for completeness here (and I'll cross post this also the other thread):

I can confirm that all DELL diagnostics (from the downloaded DELL diagnostics tool) pass.

I can also confirm that  the BIOS-level audio tests pass (and in those bios level audio tests I can clear hear sound coming from speakers and from headphones... so I would not think this is a hardware issue... also all other BIOS level tests pass except for a DVD issue that is known).

I can also see from checking the Sound Speaker properties that the Realtek High Def Audio controller is reported as "This Device is Working Normally", where the Driver date is 12/13/2011 version 6.0.1.6526.  (I've also reinstalled all DELL-available versions of older drivers for Audio as well and confirmed they also "work normally" per this dialog... but  no sounds comes from my system.).

I've downloaded and followed the DELL-posted FAQ for audio resolution steps, including to check services.msc (windows audio and windows audio EndPoint Builder appear to be running fine and have the proper settings).  I've also run msinfo32 and checked status on all hardware resources (which show OK), and Components->Sound Devices all appear to be OK, and have checked Multi-media Audio codecs (which show OK).  Checking System Drivers per the msinfo32 tool, there are many drivers that are started and many that are stopped... I see a few seemingly "audio" related System drivers that say "No" in the ""Started" column... honestly not sure if this stuff is relevant, but here's what is stopped that seems audio related: (1) drmkaud Microsoft Trusted Audio Drivers (start mode is manual and status is OK, so perhaps this is ok?), (2) usbaudio USB Audio Driver (WDM).  BUT - various other sound services ARE running fine according to msinfo32, including hdaudaddservice Microsoft 1.1 UAA Function Driver for High Definition Audio Service, hdaudbus Microsoft UAA Bus Driver for High Definition Audio, intcazaudaddservice Service for Realtek HD Audio (WDM), nvhda Service for NVIDIAI High Definition Audio Driver.

Not sure if this helps - thanks for any insight you can provide.

Jeff

Jeff, in the thread you started you only provided your model line, XPS. If you have an XPS 1530 then you are using the wrong driver, but I suspect that you have a different model than the one that is the topic of this thread. If your model has Reatek audio hardware then it is probably an XPS L501X/502X, or XPS L701X/702X.

I don't think your issue is related to the bad sense pin that seems to have been the problem here, so I will participate in your thread if I think of anything else.