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Headphone Static - Inspiron 14R
I recently bought a new insipron 14R touch screen and suddenly there is a lot of static when using the headphones. This doesn't occur when using the laptop's speakers and I've tried my headphones with other devices and haven't had any problems. As well, I've tried multiple sets of head[phones and they all have the same issue. The static is there whether the laptop is plugged in or running on battery power. Anyone know what could be causing this?
Jim Coates
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January 27th, 2014 06:00
I would download an install a fresh copy of the audio driver from Dell.
If that does not fix it then try the native Windows audio driver. To install the native driver, remove the Realtek, Conexant or IDT audio driver. Open the Device Manager and expand "Sound, video and game controllers". Right click on the Realtek, Conexant or IDT audio driver and select to uninstall. Put a check mark in the option to delete the files, and then ok.
When you reboot, Windows will either install its own native driver or another Realtek Conexant or IDT audio driver driver if there were any other versions on the hard drive. So go back to the Device Manager and check for a Realtek, Conexant or IDT audio driver driver. Keep uninstalling & rebooting until Realtek, Conexant or IDT audio driver no longer appears under Sound Controllers and "High Definition Audio Device" appears in its place.
At that point you will be using the native audio driver. If the problem goes away then it is an issue with the Realtek, Conexant or IDT audio driver. In that case download and install a "previous version" of the driver and try it. You may install it directly over the native driver, but if installing over a newer version of the manufacturer's driver then should remove the manufacturer's driver first per instructions above.
If you still hear the hissing even with the native driver then there could be a hardware issue. Contact tech support and report the problem.
If you need more help please reply back with the full model name of your laptop and also which Windows operating system you have. The 14R models are:
N4010, N4110, 5420, 5421, 5437, SE 7420
The 5421 has a touch screen. I don't know if any of the others do. The 5421 has Realtek audio and Win 7, 8, or 8.1.