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3.5 mm jack not recognizing anything

Anonymous
2019-09-28T06:03:19+00:00

The laptop I use is a Dell Inspiron 7573. I found out that the 3.5mm headphone jack can also double as an input for a microphone that I use for gaming purposes. I've done this many times in the past.

What usually happens when I plug something into the jack, a little menu pops up asking me what I just plugged in. It usually lists stuff like "Small Headphones", "Big Headphones", "External Speakers", and "Microphone Input", or something like that. Now suddenly when I went to go plug my microphone back in, that menu didn't pop up. I thought that I may have set the "Microphone In" as my default, so it just wouldn't pop up. I went into the sound settings So I could test the microphone just to make sure that it would work, but it wasn't showing up in the microphone options, only my built-in mic was there.

Long story short, I tried multiple different headphones to see if my laptop would even recognize that there was something plugged into the jack. After none of those worked, I searched online for what I could do to fix this. I guess other people have had the same problem that I have, but none of their solutions worked. Also, RealTech isn't an option in my settings, so I must not have it. Everything else that the articles suggested wouldn't fix it either. I tried restarting the laptop and it still wouldn't work. So, I'm at a loss right now. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Settings

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-09-28T06:25:28+00:00

    Hi JBarbot

    I am Vijay, an Independent Advisor. Please try these steps and check after each step.

    1. Run Audio Troubleshooter

    Windows Key+i > Update & security > Troubleshoot > Playing Audio > Run the troubleshooter

    1. Take actions related to Audio Driver

    Windows Key+X > Device Manager > View tab > Show hidden devices > Sound, Video & game controllers > Right Click on your Audio driver (if more than one, then you will have to repeat the steps for all) > Properties > Driver Tab >

    A. Roll Back - If Roll back driver is enabled, roll it back

    B. Update - Update driver

    C. Download and reinstall the driver from computer manufacturer's website - f you need my help to locate the driver on the website, please let me know following -

    A. What is your computer's make and model? For example Lenovo T470

    B. Windows Key+X > Click Device Manager > Sound, Video & game controllers > Right Click on your Audio driver > Properties > Driver tab > Post the screenshot

    1. Check if Windows Audio service is running or not

    Windows Key+R > Type services.msc > Scroll down to Windows Audio > Change the startup type to Automatic > Restart computer

    1. Check Speaker / headphone is not disabled and is set as default

    Type Sound in Windows Start Seach box > Click Sound > Under Playback tab, right click on an empty space and select, Show disconnected devices and Show disabled devices > Select Speaker and click on Properties and make sure that it is is enabled > You may also check if the Speaker that you are using is set as default.

    1. Also check additional Microsoft recommendations

    Fix sound problems in Windows 10 - https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/402699...

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
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