XPS 12 Win 8.1 audio always on

or how can I fix the issue?

Hello. Because you have multiple issues, some of which don't show up in safe mode, I would just perform a system recovery, in other words reset the laptop back to the original factory configuration. That process will get it working exactly like it did when it was new, unless there has been hardware failure in the meantime.

If you have an XPS 12 9250, the instructions for performing a hard reset are on page 20 of the XPS 9250 User's Guide.

If you have an XPS 12 9Q23 or 9Q33, here is Dell's article for performing a system recovery in Windows 8.

I found a suggestion to roll back the audio driver to the original - where could I get that?

Go to the driver html page for your laptop model. You did not provide the model name of the laptop, but it should be one of these:

XPS 12 9250 -- there are 3 Realtek audio drivers, all are compatible with Windows 8.1 and 10 64-bits.

XPS 12 9Q23 -- only one Realtek audio driver compatible with Windows 8.1. The one for "WB64A".

XPS 12 9Q33 -- there are 4 Realtek audio drivers compatible with Windows 8.1. The ones for "WB64A".

Before downloading one of the drivers, first remove your current Realtek audio driver.

1. Open the Device Manager (find it in the Control Panel, or type devmgmt.msc into the search box).
2. Expand the "Sound, Video & Game Controllers" section.
3. Right click on "Realtek High Definition Audio".
4. Click "uninstall."
5. Put a check mark in the option to delete the driver software, and then ok.
6. Restart the laptop. Because you removed the Realtek driver files, Windows will install its native audio driver, named "High Definition Audio Device".
7. Go back to the Device Manager and look for "High Definition Audio Device". If you see "Realtek High Definition Audio" again, that means that there was another version of the Realtek driver on your hard drive, and Windows found and installed it. So  keep uninstalling & restarting until Realtek no longer appears under Sound...Controllers and "High Definition Audio Device" appears in its place.

At this point, download and install an older Realtek driver. I would start with the oldest one that is available for your model and operating system, then the next oldest, etc.

I have been having an issue with my audio track pad and touch screenAudio is always on 100% if i try to reduce it it goes back up while dragging it down

If you need more help, reply back with the full model name, and try to use some punctuation if you don't mind.

Hi Jim:

This is an XPS 12 9Q23.

I have already re-installed Windows and upgraded back to Windows 8.1.

I tried un-installing the Realtek Driver and now have two High Definition Audio Devices in the Device list.

The audio is still set to maximum. The 'x' flashes on when i hit the audio on/off button on the keyboard. The audio up and down buttons don't appear to have any effect.

So this seems to be pointing to a hardware issue with the keyboard and touchpad.

I try to run the Keyboard mouse and touchpad diagnostic, but get error: (There was a problem with your internet connection. Please try running the diagnostic again.)

I attempted to run it several times.

I have had this issue before trying to run diagnostics.

John Roser