No sound from headphone jack

Question

I have an Inspiron 15, very recently purchased. I've only had it for 13 days and have only used it a handful of times. I just tried using my earbuds and nothing happened. Sound comes clearly from the speakers, but, nothing out of the earphone jack.

Jim Coates · Accepted Answer

Inspiron 15 (3521)

It operates on Windows 8.

Thanks. I'm surprised Dell is still pre-installing Win 8. I thought it had gone to 8.1. Anyway, the current Windows 8 audio driver for your model (Realtek 6.0.1.6788) is the buggy one I mentioned --fails to sense headphones. The previous version works okay, Realtek 6.0.1.6690

This affects these Inspiron models: 15 3521, 15R 5521, 17 3721, 17R 5721, and also Vostro 2521

To install the older driver first remove the current one. Open the Device Manager (type devmgmt.msc into the search box) and expand "Sound, video and game controllers". Right click on the Realtek 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 driver if there were any other versions on the hard drive. So go back to the Device Manager and check for a Realtek driver. Keep uninstalling & rebooting until Realtek no longer appears under Sound Controllers. When you see "High Definition Audio Device" (the native Windows driver) in place of "Realtek", download and install the older Realtek 6.0.1.6690 driver.

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/inspiron-15r-5521?driverId=YW1FJ&fileId=3159568474&osCode=W864

[The advice that Ravi Ch provided would have applied to a model with IDT audio hardware. What you saw in your Sound properties is correct for models with Realtek audio hardware.]

Jim Coates · Accepted Answer

I see 'Realtek High Definition Audio Device". Is that the same as the "High Definition Audio Device" I'm looking for in the end?

The sequence is:

1. First you see "Realtek High Definition Audio", meaning the newest Realtek driver.

2. You get rid of that and see "High Definition Audio Device" when the native is installed.

3. Then you install the older Realtek driver and see "Realtek High Definition Audio" again.

So to answer your question yes or no, it depends on which point in the process you are. I don't know if you are seeing "Realtek High Definition Audio" from step 1 or step 3.

If you recently got your laptop new from the factory, it would have come with the newest (buggy) version of the Realtek Audio driver installed. You want to install an older (non-buggy) version. Windows gives preference to the version on the hard drive with the most recent date, so you want to get rid of the one with the newer date before trying to install the one with the older date. You can have more than one on the hard drive at the same time, but in this case having a newer one would be an impediment to installing the older.

Windows also gives preference to the manufacturer's (Realtek) driver over its own native driver. So you will not see "High Definition Audio Device" (the native Windows driver) until you have removed all versions of Realtek audio driver on your hard drive.

do you happen to have any idea as to how many times I'll have to uninstall the driver and restart the computer?

No, but probably only once. There is probably only the newest Realtek driver on your hard drive if you just recently bought it new. At the factory only the newest driver would have been pre-installed.

Jim Coates · Accepted Answer

If the Device Manager says 'High Definition Audio Device' then the Realtek audio driver is not installed. After you downloaded and unzipped to the default location, the installer should have automatically begun to install the driver. If that did not happen, navigate to the folder where you unzipped the download package (c:\dell\drivers\xxxx) and find the set.up exe file. Double click on it to begin the installation.

DELL-Ravi Ch · Answer

Hi TX90,It seems like when you connect the headphone the device is not getting enabled in the Sound properties. Please follow the steps below to enable the headphone.1. Click on the Start button and open the Control Panel.2. Once in the Control Panel, change your view to either large icons or Small icons. Look for and click and open on the ‘Sound’.3. Click on ‘Playback’ tab.4. Select ‘Microphone’ or ‘Communications Headphones’and click on ‘properties’ button.5. Click on ‘General’ tab under the device usage select ‘Use this device’ and click on OK.Please let me know if this helps.

Jim Coates · Answer

I have an Inspiron 15

Hello. If the suggestions offered by Ravi Ch do not help or seem confusing, please provide the full model name of your laptop and the operating system. The model names of the Inspiron 15 line are:

Inspiron 1545, 1546, 1564, M5010, N5010, M5030, N5030, N5040, N5050, 3520, 3521, 3537, and 7537. There are also a dozen other Inspirons with "15" in the name so that's why the full name is necessary.

very recently purchased.

Because it is a recent model it probably has Realtek audio hardware, in which case line 4 of Ravi Ch's instructions might not apply to you. Also if it has Realtek, a recent Realtek audio driver is buggy and fails to recognize the headphone jack.

Alternatively it could be hardware failure. The audio jack of the laptop is supposed to detect when a plug is inserted into the jack but sometimes the detection mechanism will fail and the laptop has to be repaired. Because you only have a short return period within which to return a defective laptop, you might want to diagnose this as soon as possible. After the return period you have to settle for getting a repair under warranty which could involve ending up with a used motherboard in your new laptop. [Dell is allowed to install "refurbished" parts.]

TX90 · Answer

Inspiron 15 (3521)
Item model number	i15RV-6145BLK

JIMCO,

There is the full model name and series info for the laptop. It operates on Windows 8.

You said, "The audio jack of the laptop is supposed to detect when a plug is inserted into the jack but sometimes the detection mechanism will fail and the laptop has to be repaired." I don't know if this means anything, but, when I plug in the earbuds, I get a pop-up message on the task-bar saying that an audio device has been plugged in. So, i believe the laptop detection capabilities are in tact, but, it doesn't change the fact that there is no sound coming our of the earbuds.

TX90 · Answer

DELL - Ravi Ch,

I don't know if it's because the laptop has Windows 8, but the Control Panel method does not include all the options you stated. When I click on 'Sound', there are no buttons for 'Playback' and 'Microphone' or 'Communications Headphones' are not listed. The only device listed are the 'Speakers'.

TX90 · Answer

JIMCO,

I open the Device Manager and expand the "Sound..." controls. I see 'Realtek High Definition Audio Device". Is that the same as the "High Definition Audio Device" I'm looking for in the end? If not, do you happen to have any idea as to how many times I'll have to uninstall the driver and restart the computer?

TX90 · Answer

I downloaded the driver and unzipped the files, but, the device manager doesn't list a new 'Realtek' audio driver. How do I know it's actually installed?

Jim Coates · Answer

Sorry, I meant the setup.exe file.

TX90 · Answer

God bless you, JIMCO! Thank you so much for taking all that time to answer my every question with such detail and no hint of condescension. You were an immense help and I really appreciate it!

Jim Coates · Answer

Thank you for the kind words. Doing this is a hobby for me so I appreciate the questions. I just hope it solved your headphone jack issue.

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No sound from headphone jack

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