Latitude E6540 audio issue with headphones

sound keeps going through external speakers.

If the sound is going to external speakers like usb speakers, go to the Playback tab of the Sound properties and change the default playback device to Speakers.

If that was a typo and the sound keeps going to the laptop's internal speakers then I would agree that it points to a faulty jack, given the steps you have taken. Dell no longer includes a dedicated audio hardware diagnostic utility so the only way to diagnose is by the process of elimination.

When you have the same symptoms with both the manufacturer's driver and the Windows driver then it almost certainly is not a driver issue. When you reinstall an audio driver it returns to the default configuration and rules out a configuration issue.

That leaves Windows and hardware. There is no known Windows problem that would cause your symptoms. Your audio jack is a smart phone type of "combo" jack, but it should function normally when regular headphones with a 3.5mm stereo plug are used. So it does point to a faulty jack.

The only other way I know to diagnose is to restore the laptop to the original factory configuration (Factory Image Restore). Any jack issues immediately after doing that are most definitely caused by hardware failure.

Thanks jimco. I made a typo indeed and sound keeps playing through internal speakers.

I'll try once more to uninstall the Realtek driver, go back to the Windows native driver and also check if the BIOS can be upgraded (I've seen such an update helped in some other cases reported on the forum).

Will keep you posted.

Well, I'm afraid I can only conclude for a faulty jack:

- updated BIOS to latest available: didn't help

- installed audio driver from Realtek website: to no avail and mic/headphones are not detected.

Will contact tech support...

Okay, then I can stop trying software solutions ;)

Tnx for the quick response! 

Hi,

Dell solved it by replacing the motherboard, as it turned out the audio was faulty.

Okay, then I can stop trying software solutions ;)

There is only one software test that is worthy trying, and that is to test with the Windows native audio driver. If you have not performed the test yet I urge you to do so. If the jack works with the native driver then it is not a hardware problem, and the reverse is true.  fverchere did the test and the jack failed, so the strong indication in his case is that it was a hardware failure.

See this thread for instructions on installing the native audio driver. If the jack does work with the native driver then the problem is most likely in the Realtek audio driver. Several of their versions are buggy regarding jack detection.

If the jack does not work with the native driver then an easy workaround is to get a usb audio jack if you are no longer under warranty.

Thanks, With the native driver, it works!

Thanks jimco the Windows Native Audio Driver fix worked for me.

For me, installing the native audio driver resolves the problem ! My laptop recognized that a device was plugged into the jack but there were no sound ... Thanks Jimco :)