Sound On Dell Latitude

[Tubbycoates]

Hi All,

I've got a Dell Latitude running on Windows 7.

For some reason, I can't get any sound from my loudspeakers. The sound works perfectly well with headphones attached.

This only happened yesterday.

Could it be that something has become detached inside the unit?

Thanks in advance

[Guilbert53]

>Could it be that something has become detached inside the unit?

Very much doubt it.

On the task bar in the bottom right should be an icon for the sound (like a small speaker).

Right click on this and choose "Open Volume Mixer" and check it is set for your speakers and volume is up.

Also open "Playback devices" and check speakers are set on.

Also open "Volume Control Options" and check the settings there.

Also on your laptop see if the is an "F" button for the sound and make sure that is turned up.

[Guilbert53]

Sorry my last suggestion was not clear.

Across the top of the keyboard are a number of "F" keys (F1, F2, F3 etc)

One of these will probably make sound go up, another may make the sound go down. Try pressing these and see if it makes a difference.

Note on some laptops you need to press another button first to make the "F" buttons work.

[Buenchico]

When you plug in headphones, the plug pushes a switch inside the headphone socket, which breaks the speaker circuit. The switch is actually nothing more than a springy piece of metal, which is meant to return to the 'speakers on' position when you remove the jack. However (either through wear and tear, or just because it's a poor quality component in the first place) that piece of metal can lose its springiness and fail to return to the correct position when you remove the headphone jack, leaving you with the internal speakers permanently disabled. So a dodgy headphone socket might well be the cause of your problem.

However, before seeking a repair for the socket, it would be well to check that it's not actually a software problem first:

Start by right-clicking the speaker icon, at the bottom right of your screen, and selecting 'Open Volume Mixer'. Look beneath the sliders to check that nothing is shown as muted.

Then go to Start > Control Panel > Device Manager.
Click View > Show Hidden Devices
Click the arrowhead to the left of Non-Plug and Play Drivers
Double-click on Beep
Click the Driver tab
Check that Status is shown as Started. (If it's not then, obviously, start it).

If you don't encounter any software problems then it would seem most likely that you need to replace the headphone socket. It's possible to do it yourself (with help from Youtube) but it's a rather fiddly task. It might be better to get a professional to do it for you (after, of course, confirming that it's actually the socket which is at fault) but don't even consider going to PC World! (They charge a flat fee of £50, plus parts, for laptop repairs and there's definitely not fifty quid's worth of labour involved in the task; it should only take a few minutes to do).

[Tubbycoates]

Thanks everyone.

I've checked all the software is OK, and it is.

So it looks like a hardware problem. I'll just use my headphones !