# Realtek HD Audio not detecting plugs in the front or back panels



## lpakman (Aug 19, 2014)

I'm having trouble with the audio on my desktop. All of my audio plugs have stopped working, however USB audio devices are fine. Whenever I plug in a cord to either the front or back, nothing is detected. 

Clicking on the sound icon in the system tray immediately brings up the troubleshooter, which prompts me to plug something in. After I unplug and plug whatever it is back in, it won't recognize it:









When I right click on the sound icon and hit on playback devices, I see 6 AMD HD devices, which would be for an HDMI cable I believe, and then my speakers device which supposedly isn't plugged in:








I can't set any of them to be default devices; the options to do anything but disable them are grayed out.

So then looking at Realtek HD Audio Manager, everything appears blank. No nice icons on top to select and then configure, just a blank page:








I'm not given the option to click on absolutely any of the plug icons on the right hand side. 

Clicking on the wrench in the bottom right gives me the following page:








Now, I've tried disabling the front panel detection, which does allow me to "manage" the device, ie it gives me the option to change volume and such. However, sound still doesn't come out.

The gear in the top right gives me:








Selecting options here doesn't work either, even in conjunction with disabling front panel detection.

My relevant specs are :
MSI Z97 G55
Intel i5 - 4670
Sapphire Radeon R9 280
Win 7 x64

I've tried the following:
Uninstalling/reinstalling realtek audio drivers
Uninstalling/reinstalling amd drivers
Rolling back both the AMD and realtek sound drivers as well as the high definition audio controller
Checking/unplugging/replugging the front panel audio on my mobo.
Reinstalling windows

Anybody have any ideas or solutions?


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Typically a driver issue. But as you have reinstalled the drivers and the OS, I'd say the (Realtek) audio chipset is faulty.


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## lpakman (Aug 19, 2014)

If the realtek chipset is indeed faulty, what would be the next step? Is that a "fix/replace" motherboard issue?

Also, if it was indeed just the onboard realtek chipset, would getting a cheapo soundcard get around that?

Thanks.


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## Panther063 (Jul 13, 2009)

Logic says to me that if the realtek chipset was faulty then the USB audio shouldn't work either, so... Is the graphics card listed as default audio for HDMI in the BIOS?
Disabling audio on the graphics card may help.


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

USB audio doesn't use the onboard chipset. Also, regardless of which device is selected as the default output device, the ports should recognize when devices are attached (and nothing should be greyed out.

To test, you can disable the Realtek chipset in the BIOS. Boot into Windows, and the USB devices will still function.

As for the faulty chipset, the easiest solution is to simply get an addon sound card. Internal would be preferred (if you have a free motherboard slot), otherwise, you could use an external USB model.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

If you have tried all of the driver/configuration options to no avail, JimE's suggestion of getting a dedicated sound card is probably the best solution to your problem. Over the years, I've discovered onboard sound circuitry to be very susceptible to static discharge, such as when speakers are touched or headphones picked up after one has walked on a carpet. I've currently got two motherboards that work perfectly except for the onboard sound. A $25 sound card fixes the problem nicely.


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## lpakman (Aug 19, 2014)

JimE said:


> USB audio doesn't use the onboard chipset. Also, regardless of which device is selected as the default output device, the ports should recognize when devices are attached (and nothing should be greyed out.
> 
> To test, you can disable the Realtek chipset in the BIOS. Boot into Windows, and the USB devices will still function.
> 
> As for the faulty chipset, the easiest solution is to simply get an addon sound card. Internal would be preferred (if you have a free motherboard slot), otherwise, you could use an external USB model.


Yeah, that does sound like the best bet. Will I be able to plug my front panel audio connection into an internal sound card directly, or will it have to go through the motherboard?


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## lpakman (Aug 19, 2014)

MPR said:


> If you have tried all of the driver/configuration options to no avail, JimE's suggestion of getting a dedicated sound card is probably the best solution to your problem. Over the years, I've discovered onboard sound circuitry to be very susceptible to static discharge, such as when speakers are touched or headphones picked up after one has walked on a carpet. I've currently got two motherboards that work perfectly except for the onboard sound. A $25 sound card fixes the problem nicely.


Yeah, that certainly does sound like the best idea. I'm just going to have to start being a hell of a lot more wary of ESD, I think.

Also, do you have any suggestions for a good cheap card?


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

I have an Asus Xonar DG that I really like. If you have an available PCI slot the Xonar DG is a good choice. At $18 after rebate you can't beat the price.

ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Newegg.com


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Front panel connections vary by brand/model. The Asus noted above does appear to have a front panel connector.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

JimE said:


> Front panel connections vary by brand/model. The Asus noted above does appear to have a front panel connector.


I've got that exact card. Specs for the card include:



> Other Ports *1 x Front-Panel Header*


Note, however, that front-panel jacks are somewhat prone to interference. I prefer the back-panel jack personally. However, you can use either or both as you desire -- the audio manager gives you several options.


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