XPS 13 - 9333 - No Audio Output Device Installed

Rolled system back to Factory (Windows 8.1)

Hello. If you reverted to the original factory configuration using the Factory Image, and if the problem was not fixed, then there has been hardware failure. If you performed a simple rollback from Windows 10, then you should use the Factory Image.

Using the Factory Image is the gold standard for determining whether a problem is due to hardware or software. It is a hardware problem under this condition, that the problem is still there immediately after the recovery, before the laptop is allowed to go on the internet or other programs are installed. If the laptop is not tested until after Windows Update has a chance to alter the laptop's factory configuration, then the test is not valid.

The test is inconclusive if it fixes the problem, but the problem returns in days or weeks. In that scenario, the problem could be due to either an intermittent hardware problem, or due to configuration changes to the software.

If it turns out that the audio hardware has failed, or is failing, and if the laptop is no longer under warranty, a workaround solution is to get a cheap usb audio jack. That kind of device has its own audio hardware, and runs off the Windows native usb audio driver.

It'd really be quite coincidental that the hardware on a laptop failed 6 months after purchase and only when upgraded to Windows 10.

This is also an issue I've seen all over the internet with 9333's regarding realtek drivers.

The last update on the realtek driver was June 2015 which is before the windows 10 roll out.

It would make much more sense for there to be a compatibility issue between the new Windows 10 OS and the dell provided drivers.

After I wrote that message, I reinstalled the drivers again and the sound started working - again. No telling yet how long it will last.

I bought it in Jan 2015, upgraded it to windows 10 when it was being pushed around - started having the issue and since work provides a computer and I was no longer in school I kinda.. shelved the problem.

Now I'm headed back to school and can't really take my work laptop into class with me so I'm trying to fix the problem once more. Plus the work laptop is a Mac and I already know i'm going to need a windows os for a good chunk of the programs, or rather having windows will make it significantly less annoying. in theory.

I'll try that 8-5-15 driver when I get home tonight, and maybe.. maybe I'll bite the bullet and try a full system restore once more making sure it updates all things accordingly if the 8-5-15 driver doesn't work.

its been so long, I honestly can't recall if it captured all the updates when I rolled it back to 8.1

It would make much more sense for there to be a compatibility issue between the new Windows 10 OS and the dell provided drivers.

Yes, the audio hardware manufacturers had a hard time writing drivers that could fix the audio problems introduced by Win10, but you said you had gone back to Win8.1. If you used the Factory Image, then Windows 10 wouldn't have anything to do with the problem.

The last update on the realtek driver was June 2015 which is before the windows 10 roll out.

The Windows 10 Realtek driver for XPS 9333 was last updated 8-5-15. The beta version of 10 had been around almost a year by then.

You have 2 alternative drivers available: get one directly from the Realtek site, or use the Windows native audio driver. If you test with the native driver and the problem goes away, then it is being caused by the Realtek driver.

a laptop failed 6 months after purchase

Does that mean it Is only 6 months old? Or has the problem been happening for a few years now -- I think that model is over 3 years old?

Also see en.community.dell.com/.../19664816 and many other threads. If this is a hardware issue then it happened on A LOT of XPS 13 9333 systems exactly after installing Windows 10.

Also, it is NOT the Realtek driver: The native Microsoft driver works better, but the problems still occur regularly.

Right now I see a completely new way for the problem to show itself (after the latest big Microsoft patchset): Instead of the sound being completely disabled only microphone and speaker are unavailable "not plugged in" and audio plays on "SP/DIF digital port". (does the XPS 13 9333 actually have one???? physically I mean?)

Also see answers.microsoft.com/.../554dac34-f0f5-4d74-b9ab-3122e659be0e (same result, i.e. none)