Audio issue N5010 IDT (cannot make headset as default device)

@lionelchakra  "System Info Dell Inspiron  N5010 Audio info - SRS Premium IDT"

What is the operating system? The only supported OSes are XP, Vista 32  & 7 32 & 64 bit.

Hi Jim,

Thank you for your reply.

Window 7 64 bit.

Thanks again!

I tried all 5 steps but yet no difference.

under audio device manager

-bluetooth handsfree

-high defintion

-intel display audio

But I am wondering that it is not a hardware issue, because I hear audio through the headset along with the speaker.

Cannot attach the image?

@lionelchakra  "But I am wondering that it is not a hardware issue, because I hear audio through the headset along with the speaker."

The test was to help determine if it is a driver issue. It seemed unlikely that there was a bug in one of the 8 year old IDT drivers that was only now manifesting. The fact there the issue is still there with the native driver makes it extremely unlikely to be a driver issue, because the chances are infinitesimally small that both drivers would suddenly develop a bug that would have the same symptoms at the same time. So what else could it be?

> Configuration issue. Each time you re-install the driver, either IDT or native, it resets the settings to the defaults. which would clear up any mis-configuration, so it's not that.

> Firmware. The only firmware that could have any effect is the BIOS, and it has not changed in 7 years.

> Windows. Hard to imagine where such a flaw could be in Windows. Reinstalling drivers resets the Registry values. The best test for Windows issues is a hard one, to perform a system recovery (reset the laptop to the original factory configuration). If doing that fixes the problem then it was something in Windows. If it doesn't then it's the hardware.

> Hardware. It might not be the hardware but I can't think of where else to look.

Your laptop model is capable of running the old Dell 32 bit Diagnostics suite of hardware tests. The audio suite of tests might be of use. Another test is to install Linux Live onto a bootable flash drive or a cd and boot up into Linux. This is a similar test in a way to the Dell 32 bit Diagnostics. Neither uses Windows or its drivers, so if the same problem exists outside of Windows and the Windows-based software then it is in the hardware. 

@lionelchakra"Cannot attach the image?"

A couple of months ago the forum moved to a new platform. The forum now is somewhat crippled in its functionality and as far as we can figure out only certain forum participants have the permission to include images in posts.

@Jim Coates

Appreciating much for your time and effort for my issues.

I checked with diagnostic

This is what happened

initial check up
All pass if you want further full then it may take 30 mins - Yes

then after 30 Mins, diagnostic finished.It shown no reports of failure I guess. If so it would have listed it up(I remember from my previous experience). Hardware is fine then I believe.

Should I try Linux too?

@lionelchakra  "Should I try Linux too?"

Yes. That might be easier. Just google for Linux Live (not just Linux). There are various versions of it. The one I use for testing is called Puppy.

Puppy is a very compact version of Linux Live. You download and install it onto a bootable flash drive, then restart the computer and boot from the flash drive. Then you are in Linux without disturbing the Windows on the hard drive. When you are finished testing you just restart the laptop and boot back into Windows.

@lionelchakra  "I checked with diagnostic

This is what happened

initial check up"

That doesn't seem like you ran the audio tests in Dell 32 bit Diagnostics. The audio test will play a piece of music (not just a series of beeps or tones), and will ask you if whether or not you heard it.

Note that the tests will probably not be on your laptop. There were on a hidden partition on the original hard drive, so if the hard drive has ever been replaced or fully wiped then follow the links (my link to the instructions, then the link within the instructions) to download the tests onto a bootable flash drive or cd/dvd.

Your laptop will still have the PSA or ePSA tests because that is stored in the memory of the BIOS on the motherboard. That might have been the tests you ran, however the ePSA tests are not the equivalent of the Dell 32 bit Diagnostics as far as testing the audio.

@Jim Coates

I have booted Puppy Linux live OS onto my computer.

I had the options for audio where I can select headset and speaker separately. When I unchecked speaker then I was able to hear the sound through the headset. From this shall we conclude  that windows has driver issues?

Thank you for your guidance until now.

Regards,

Lionel Chakra.

Hi @Jim Coates,

In linux, headset is working but not in windows 7, Anymore ideas?

Hi @Jim Coates,

Thank you very much for your help in trying to solve my issue. I appreciate really a lot of your efforts and time on this. Thanks again Dell-Genius.

Regards,

Lionelchakra

Hi 

This is a message for Jim Coates (or anyone else that can help) - apologies for hijacking this thread, but I cannot see another way of contacting Jim so I am responding to one of his posts.

The reason I am asking for advice from Jim is because he posted a solution to a problem I was having with my Dell laptop - the problem is that the headphone jack doesn't recognise when headphones are plugged in.  I followed the instructions on this thread here: https://www.dell.com/community/Laptops-General/Inspiron-15-3000-audio-jack-cant-detect-headphone/td-p/4479098 and the headphones worked when I switched to the High Definition Audio Device.

However I assume that rather than using the generic High Definition Audio Device, that there may be another Realtek High Definition Audio driver that I should use instead.  The only problem is I don't know which Realtek driver to use, nor where to find it.

The Dell Support websites only shows the one Realtek driver - it is as follows:

That Realtek driver doesn't allow me to use headphones.

The Laptop is an Inspiron 7373 2-in-1.

Please can someone help?

Many thanks

Reg

@regkebab"This is a message for Jim Coates (or anyone else that can help) - apologies for hijacking this thread"

Hello Reg. I am replying in the thread that you started so as not to go off on a tangent here.