HP laptop not recognizing headphones

[walruscarpenter]

Hi,

So I am having a lot of issues with the headphone jack on my computer. It used to work perfectly fine, but one day it just suddenly stopped working. I bought this laptop in February 2014 and I haven't had any issues with it until this point. 

The speakers work perfectly fine, but when I plug my headphones in, the computer doesn't recognize them, the sound continues to play through the speakers. I have run the sound troubleshooting a bunch of times, I have reinstalled the latest driver off the HP website and I cannot figure it out. Much of the advice that I have seen states to make sure that headphones are the default audio device, but mine don't even show up at all. 

I supposedly downloaded a Realtek driver from the HP website, but I can't find RealTek in the Control Panel, only DTS Studio Sound. 

I am at the point where I am so frustrated I am considering paying for a tech to fix it, but I thought I would ask here first, just in case. If someone could help me that would be REALLY great. 

[Jeet_singh]

Hi @walruscarpenter,

Thank you for showing your interest in HP Support Forums. It is a great place to find the help you need, from other users, HP experts, and other support personnel. For you to have the best experience on the HP forum, you could also visit our HP Forums Guide for First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More.

I need a few details to provide an accurate solution:

Are the speakers working?

When was the last time a headphone worked on your laptop?

Have you made any software or hardware changes?

As I understand the headphone aren't working on your laptop and here's what I need you to do;

Check those headphones with an alternate device such as a Smartphone, laptop, etc...

If they work on the alternate device, check if the Headphones are enabled as a playback device.

To do this, please see the steps below:

* Click the Start Pearl and then type Sound in the Start Search Box.

* Select Change Sound Card Settings in the Start Menu Options.

* Next, under the Playback Tab, right click and select Show Hidden Devices and Show Disconnected Devices if available.

* Select Headphones and enable

To Increase the volume on your headphone:

Method 1

* Right-click the volume icon in the notification area.

* Click Open Volume Mixer and increase the volume for Headphones.

Method 2

* Right-click the volume icon in the notification area.

* Go to Playback devices and right click Headphones under Playback.

* Go to Properties and set the volume to the maximum under Levels tab.

* Click Apply and OK.

For more steps, click here

Let me know if those steps worked for you.  

If they did, that's awesome!  

Give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons, 

that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Good Luck

Regards,

[walruscarpenter]

Yes, the speakers are working. I don't remember the last time the headphones worked, but I am guessing that it's been at least two months since they stopped working. I have not made any software or hardware changes that I can remember, but I do let my computer do the updates that it needs to. 

My headphones work on other devices. I have also tried multiple pairs of headphones/earbuds in my laptop and none work. 

I have already clicked on Show Hidden Devices and Show Disconnected Devices and the headphones still do not come up. 

[walruscarpenter]

I tried the sound again and now I see the headphones there, but it tells me that they are not plugged in when they are. 

I do not have a problem with the headphones being plugged in to other devices, such as an iPad, so does this mean that there is a physical problem with the headphone jack? 

[Jeet_singh]

Hi @walruscarpenter,

Thanks for replying. As I understand you have tried the steps suggested and still having the same issue. Don't worry as I have a few other steps to help you with this,

Before you conclude this to be a hardware failure. I would personally suggest you perform a system recovery using the partition available on your PC from F11. Doing this will wipe off everything from the computer and set it back to the original factory conditions. If this option does not work, which means either the system file is missing or corrupted. Here is the link to perform a system recovery.

The only other way to install Windows would be to order the recovery media for your laptop and using the recovery media you can install Windows. You can check if the recovery media is available online on www.hp.com/drivers by entering the exact model no. of your laptop. To find the exact model no. click here: http://hp.care/2bygf7l

Otherwise, you could also reach HP phone support to order the recovery media. Please fill in the product details to get the tech support number.

What you can do, is use the following link to create yourself a case number, then call and it may help speed up the call process: 

Step 1. Open link: http://support.hp.com/us-en/contact-hp
Step 2. Enter Product number or select to auto detect 
Step 3. Scroll down to "Still need help? Complete the form to select your contact options" 
Step 4. Scroll down and click on HP contact options - click on Get phone number 
Case number and phone number appear. 

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need any further assistance.

If you wish to help others looking for the same solution as you've found, mark the post as Accepted Solution.

If you wish to show appreciation for my effort, please click the Thumbs up icon at the bottom of my comment.

And I Hope you have a good day, Ahead.

Regards,