Realtek HD Audio Manager doesn't recognize speakers or headphones as plugged in

I discovered the same "not plugged in" problem on my home desktop computer (Windows 7) Tuesday evening, July 21, 2015. Tried various suggestions to fix the issue; none are working.

This morning, July 23, 2015, I discovered the same "not plugged in" issue is also affecting my desktop (Windows 7) at work.

Both use Realtek HD Audio Manager. Device managers find the audio device both computers "working properly" but the "not plugged in" issue persists.

I think there's a larger problem here since we (me, Tom-T) now have 3 unrelated computers affected by the same problem.

Is it possible that one of recent Windows updates somehow affected the audio device connection?

Hello!

Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> RealTek HD Audio Manager 

Click "Device Advanced settings" ( top-right part of the window  -> tick "Make front and rear output devices playback two different audio streams simultaneously".

Hello!

Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> RealTek HD Audio Manager 

Click "Device Advanced settings" ( top-right part of the window  -> tick "Make front and rear output devices playback two different audio streams simultaneously".

I already tried this.   Selecting the option for "two different audio streams" has no effect.   The problem is that the Realtek HD Audio Manager should detect when a device (headphones or speakers) gets plugged in to one of the Audio Output jacks (front or rear).  But it never detects that a device is getting plugged in.

The Realtek HD Audio Manager acts as if there are no Analog outputs (front or rear).   It sees only the Digital Output.

Let me know if you have any other ideas.

It seems like you have a desktop system there.  So, assuming that you have an available expansion slot inside the case, I would get an internal sound card, rather than an external USB device.  Note that you might have to spend a bit more for an internal card ($20-$30), as opposed to a USB device (around $10); but it shouldn't be much more -- not unless you opt for a real high end card, which could push the cost up to $50 or more.  It's more a matter of personal preference; but for myself, I like to keep all the essential hardware inside the box.  So a few extra dollars is worth it.   The fewer cables or devices outside the box, the better.

Hi Ratandeep,

Thanks for the reply.   I tried all of your suggestions here; but none of them have worked.   The system still doesn't recognize any headphones or speakers as being plugged in.

Here's the details of the steps I followed and what I found.

Method 1:

I went to Control Panel -> Troubleshooting -> Hardware and Sound -> Configure a Device.

The Troubleshooting Report came back with one issue found as follows:

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Hardware changes might not have been detected --- Detected

Scan for recent hardware changes --- Completed

The troubleshooter made some changes to your system.

Try attempting the task you were trying to do before.

=====

After getting this status back, I went and tried plugging in the headphones and speakers again to first the front Audio Output jack, and then the rear Audio Output jack.   The system still doesn't recognize that any device is being plugged in to either of these jacks.

Method 2:

Went to http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/studio-slim/drivers.

Downloaded the following audio driver file:

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Realtek ALC888 HD Audio, v.5.10.0.5864, A00

Realtek ALC888 HD Audio driver for Win7

Release Date:  26-Oct-2009

Last Updated:  07-Jul-2012

File Name:  R230963.exe

File Size:  57 MB

=====

This downloaded file is the same one that I had already downloaded and installed twice before.   But to satisfy your request, I went ahead and installed it a third time.   I restarted the system twice during this installation process as prompted -- the first time as part of the uninstallation process of the old drivers, and then a second time after installation of the new drivers (which are actually the same as the old ones, since this was being done for the third time).   After everything finished, I again checked the Realtek HD Audio Manager -> Audio Devices.

But the headphones and speakers were still not recognized as plugged in – to either the front or the rear Audio Output jack.

No sound in Windows:

Checked out your final suggestion, which referenced this support article:  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/no-sound-help#no-sound=windows-7&v1h=win8tab1&v2h=win7tab1&v3h=winvistatab1&v4h=winxptab1

The results of that check were as follows:

===============

1.  Check your sound card.

Sound card entries in Device Manager are fine.   They're the same as before (as follows):

High Definition Audio Device – Manufacturer:  Microsoft

Realtek High Definition Audio – Manufacturer:  Realtek

The status of both entries is “working properly”.

2.  Check if the cables are connected properly.

The headphones and speakers were both properly plugged into the Audio Output jacks (front and rear).

And I previously opened the case to confirm that the front and rear jacks appeared to be solidly connected to the motherboard.

3.  Check power and volume.

Checked that both the headphones and speakers were properly working and set to a mid-volume level by plugging into another system.   Checked that the speaker icon volume level is set at 100% on this problem system.

4.  Run the “audio troubleshooter”.

Running that diagnostic merely confirms that it doesn’t detect any headphones or speakers being plugged in.  That's the problem that I'm trying to solve here.

5.  Update drivers.

I already tried the driver that you suggested from the Dell website (see Method 2 above).   And I also did a Windows Update -> Check for Updates; but no additional drivers or updates were available there.

===============

So, that pretty much covers all your suggestions and recommendations.   But the problem remains.   The system still doesn't recognize any speakers or headphones being plugged into either of the two Audio Output jacks.

Do you have any other suggestions or advice on how to proceed here?