Alienware laptop speakers small problem.

Hello. What is the operating system please? Windows 7 is the only OS tfor which Dell supplies an IDT audio driver.

A common problem with Windows 10 on older models, is that the headphones won't work until the manufacturer's audio driver is installed.

If you have Win7, download and install the IDT audio driver.

If you have Win8, 8.1, or 10, do the installation this way:

1. Download and save the IDT audio driver to your desktop or any convenient location on the hard drive. 
2. Double click on the new folder to extract (unzip) the driver files.
3. The extractor wizard will create a new folder for the driver files. It will be at "c:\dell\drivers\xxxxxx". Write down the exact location that the wizard creates.
4. If the driver begins to install automatically, halt (cancel) the installation.
5. Browse to the driver files on the hard drive (the location you wrote down).
6. Find the "setup.exe" file.
7. Right click on setup.exe to open the context menu.
8. Select the Properties.
9. Select the Compatibility tab.
10. Check the box "run this program in compatibility mode for"... Win7.

I have gone to the settings to try and set the headphones as default, but the headphones don't show up there.

It's okay if it just lists "Speakers". That means the audio goes to the speakers, or if headphones are plugged in then it goes there. However, after you install the driver, if it shows "Headphones" separately, do not make Headphones the default Communication device. That setting forces regular audio to the speakers even when headphones are plugged in, and only allows communication audio, such as gaming chat, to the headphones.

Hi Raichu Girl,

Thanks for posting.

Here is some information you may find helpful:  http://dell.to/2sj7wf2

Hi Jimco, thanks for the help, and I have windows 10. Also I found out that some hd audio files were installed when I had the graphics card upgraded. I was told to uninstall those and see if that works. If not I can try your suggestion

I found out that some hd audio files were installed when I had the graphics card upgraded.

Hi. Open the Device Manager and expand the Sound ...Controllers category. You will see either "IDT High Definition Audio Codec" or "High Definition Audio Device".

If you see "High Definition Audio Device", don't uninstall it. Just install the IDT driver using compatibility mode.

"High Definition Audio Device" is the Windows native audio driver. If the headphones worked before the graphics card was replaced, then what happened was they removed the IDT driver for some reason. When that driver is removed, then Windows installs its native driver, which is an okay driver but not all features work with it, and in the case of Win10 it's the headphones that don't work (on older models). However I don't advise  removing it.

Oh I see. Is there a link to donwload that?, And will that also fix the weird sound the speakers are making? I would like a Link mostly because I'm not home, and I don't have Internet at home, and I would like to donwload that on my phone and bluetooth it to my laptop to install.

Oh I see. Is there a link to donwload that?

Sorry for not replying last night, but I had gone to bed right after my previous post.

that

I don't know what "that" refers to. If the IDT audio driver, the link was in my first post in this thread, as were the steps to install using compatibility.

If "that" is the High Definition Audio Device driver, it is part of Windows, and Windows automatically installs it when the manufacturer's audio driver is missing.

If "that" means the Device Manager, it is also a part of Windows. Open it by clicking the bottom-left Start button on desktop, type device manager in the search box and click Device Manager on the menu.

Another way to open Device Manager is to press Windows+R to display Run, then type devmgmt.msc and click OK.

And will that also fix the weird sound the speakers are making?

You didn't mention a weird sound before. Please describe the issue in detail. It could be a separate issue from your headphone issue.

Well the "High Definition Audio Device" is not Installed to my computer, and the one that was added was Nvidia hd sound, I uninstalled that but nothing changed. As for the IDT audio driver it didn't work using the compatibility. I guess because I don't have the "High Definition Audio Device" right?

the one that was added was Nvidia hd sound

Nvidia is the graphics driver. It usually doesn't have anything to do with sound, except that it controls the HDMI audio, which comes into play when the laptop is connected to a tv with an HDMI cable.

As for the IDT audio driver it didn't work using the compatibility. I guess because I don't have the "High Definition Audio Device" right?

Not necessarily. Are you sure that your Alienware is an M17x R2 model, and not one with a similar name like 17, 17 R2, M17 x, etc? It's almost like Dell  went out of its way to make the potential for confusing the names as great as possible.

Do you still have audio through the speakers? if so, there has to be an audio driver installed -- can't have audio without one. What else is in the Device Manager in the sound Controllers category?

Lol that's true is very confusing! As for my computer i have the same one as this person: en.community.dell.com/.../19974199

I also tryed that ⇧ ^ and it didn't help.

And in the sound, video and game controllers I see that the High definition audio Device is there and sound Blaster Recon3di. That's all.

Oh and about the sound the speakers are making, it's like that sound speakers make when you have them way too loud. Kinda like a static noise, even though i only have them at 50% or 40 even 30 it stops at 27%

Ok I just saw this today, and I will give it a try, and tomorrow I will let you know if it worked. Thanks for helping.

So yesterday I didn't get the time to test the driver for windows 8.1, but I did today. It worked, so thanks for the help! Still the speakers are making the  weird sound I mentioned before.

When the speakers are making the noise, plug in headphones and listen. If you don't hear the same noise through the headphones, then there's a good chance that the speakers have suffered some type of hardware failure. If it were a software problem, then most likely you would hear it in the headphones, or re-installing the audio driver would have fixed it.

I guess I have to say it's the speakers. since I did test the headphones out already and it was fine.