Media Player Locks Up or Bluescreens When Using a Headset With a Dell Computer

Summary: Using a headset with the 3.5 mm audio jack may cause media players to lock up or may cause a 0x1A bluescreen on some Dell laptops.

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Symptoms

When plugging a headset into the 3.5 mm audio jack and then playing locally-stored music, a media player locks up with no sound output. When left with no change, this may lead to the computer experiencing a 0x1A "MEMORY_MANAGEMENT" bluescreen. This issue can occur with any media player. This includes Media Player and third-party media players.

When Media Player locks up, restarting Media Player causes the error code 0x800705AA with an error message that says, "We can’t open <FILENAME>. It uses unsupported encoding settings." In the error message, <FILENAME> represents the name of the file that is being opened. This error is not seen with a third-party media player.
0x800705AA error message 

The symptoms disappear after closing the media player for around two to four minutes. Audio can be played using the 3.5 mm audio jack and the media player as expected.

Affected Platforms:

  • Dell 14 DC14255 (using Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9873.1 or v6.0.9859.1)
  • Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 DB04255 (using Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9865.1)
  • Dell 14 Plus DB14255 (using Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9865.1)
  • Dell 16 Plus DB16255 (using Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9865.1)
  • Dell Pro 14 Essential PV14255 (using Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9873.1)
  • Dell Pro 14 PC14255 (using Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9826.1)
  • Dell Pro 16 PC16255 (using Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9826.1)

Affected Audio Driver:

  • Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9826.1
  • Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9859.1
  • Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9865.1
  • Realtek Audio Driver v6.0.9873.1

Cause

Compatibility issues with the audio driver cause this issue.

Resolution

Workarounds

  • Workaround option 1: Play music first, then plug in the headset to the 3.5 mm audio jack.
  • Workaround option 2: Use a USB Type-C headset, a Bluetooth headset, or the internal speaker.
  • Workaround option 3: Close Media Player for around 2 to 4 minutes and then try again.

Long-term solution

The engineering department is working on a fix to be released in Realtek Audio Driver version v6.9882.1 and later. The updated driver is posted to the computer's support page once it is made available.

Affected Products

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 DB04255, Dell 14 Plus DB14255, Dell 16 Plus DB16255, Dell 14 DC14255, Dell Pro 14 PC14255, Dell Pro 16 PC16255, Dell Pro 14 Essential PV14255
Article Properties
Article Number: 000369694
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 16 Sept 2025
Version:  1
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