Substitute a USB audio device for dead laptop soundcard? [SOLVED]

[usually_quiet]

My nephew gave me a Dell Inspiron 5150 to rehabilitate for him. It has been sitting in the closet unused for 3 years because everything ran too slow and the unremovable firewall his university IT department installed prevented it from establishing an Internet connection at home. It has a 2.8 GHz P4, so I thought it would be worth saving.

A fresh re-install of Windows XP and a memory upgrade from 256MB to 2GB fixed the problems he was complaining about, but I found a new one. No audio from the headphone jack using headphones and speakers that worked with my own PC's headphone jack. I tried troubleshooting with Windows XP . All settings were correct and Device Manager reported the SigmaTel Audio device was working properly. I tried updated drivers as well as the original ones, and it made no difference. I finally ran Dell's hardware diagnostics CD, and based on having no audible sound in its tests, it seems likely the sound card itself is dead.

I read that some USB audio devices are able to function without a laptop soundcard and could give him audio, but I have no experience with them. Are these likely to work?

http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-CM-UAUD-Adapter-C-Media-Chipset/dp/B001MSS6CS/ref=sr_1_2...4118383&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YL3KUY/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf...N9B6VJKZST2M4S

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-S150-Speakers-Digital-Sound/dp/B000ZH98LU/ref=pd_cp_e_1

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Headset-Premium-Laser-Tuned-981-000195/dp/B003NREDG4/re...4118383&sr=1-3

Thanks in advance for your help.

[mixxerr]

i had a problem like this before. No sound on a laptop. I bought a usb device similar to the Syba on the Amazon site. It worked perfect for me. I just used a cheap headset,no external speakers.

[edDV]

Are you sure you downloaded the correct audio driver for your model ? You need to download and install all the drivers. They aren't on a XP disc.
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/devices.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&SystemID=INS_PN...&os=WW1&osl=EN

Otherwise, a USB audio device should work after driver install.

[usually_quiet]

Are you sure you downloaded the correct audio driver for your model ? You need to download and install all the drivers. They aren't on a XP disc.
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/devices.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&SystemID=INS_PN...&os=WW1&osl=EN

Otherwise, a USB audio device should work after driver install.

Thanks, I wish I could say I wasn't sure, but unfortunately, I am certain I installed the right audio drivers.

Dell provides a separate driver installation CD. The only drivers I could not find on the CD were for the wireless network card, which I downloaded from Dell support based on the service tag, When I discovered audio was not working, I did the same for the latest audio driver. I even tried uninstalling and reinstalling the audio drivers. No change.

It is strange. Troubleshooting within windows XP indicates everything is fine, but there is no sound. ...and Dell's diagnostics indicates the drivers are correct, and the device is working, except the final audio diagnostic test (playing a tune), which produces no sound.

[Nelson37]

So it always does this, I mean this PC is actually Usually Quiet? Or would that be UNusually quiet?

It's all your fault.

Other than checking to make sure it's the default audio device and that the outputs are not muted, sounds like it's dead. Definitely the USB device should work, uninstall and disable the on-board sound first.

[usually_quiet]

So it always does this, I mean this PC is actually Usually Quiet? Or would that be UNusually quiet?

It's all your fault.

Other than checking to make sure it's the default audio device and that the outputs are not muted, sounds like it's dead. Definitely the USB device should work, uninstall and disable the on-board sound first.

I'm just usually quiet, but this laptop is always quiet, except for the fan.

Windows XP's troubleshooting incorporates those steps, but I checked again anyway. SigmaTel C-Major Audio is the default audio device, and not muted. It has integrated speakers as well as a headphone port, but neither produces sound, no matter which I choose for audio output. Well it looks like all the built-in audio devices are useless.

I will do some more shopping and see if I can find some USB headphones and speakers that my nephew could still use when he saves enough money to buy a new Mac laptop or a new Windows 7 laptop. (He says he wants a Mac next time around, but I don't think he will like the pricetag.)

[edDV]

I still suspect a driver or audio settings issue.

Boot from a Linux live disc and see if they can discover audio. Most Dell laptops are supported by Ubuntu.

[usually_quiet]

I still suspect a driver or audio settings issue.

Boot from a Linux live disc and see if they can discover audio. Most Dell laptops are supported by Ubuntu.

As suggested, I booted into Linux from an Ubunto CD I created this evening. I used the media player with all of the various audio outputs offered by Ubuntu and still had no sound, even with the volume turned up all the way. I tried testing the speakers too. and there was no sound from either side.

[edDV]

I still suspect a driver or audio settings issue.

Boot from a Linux live disc and see if they can discover audio. Most Dell laptops are supported by Ubuntu.

As suggested, I booted into Linux from an Ubunto CD I created this evening. I used the media player with all of the various audio outputs offered by Ubuntu and still had no sound, even with the volume turned up all the way. I tried testing the speakers too. and there was no sound from either side.

That would tend to indicate a hardware issue. You could try other Linux live distributions.

If you want to give up on the Dell audio, you can add a USB dongle, an Express Card or external USB audio device. There are many.

I've used the SIIG USB dongle to get DD AC3 out of my old XP Compaq laptop. Not saying this one is any better than the dozens of others or that it works for Win7. After driver install, it shows up as an alternate audio card.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=USB+SOUNDWAVE+7.1.&cid=1604300847766602...&os=tech-specs

[usually_quiet]

That would tend to indicate a hardware issue. You could try other Linux live distributions.

If you want to give up on the Dell audio, you can add a USB dongle, an Express Card or external USB audio device. There are many.

I've used the SIIG USB dongle to get DD AC3 out of my old XP Compaq laptop. Not saying this one is any better than the dozens of others or that it works for Win7. After driver install, it shows up as an alternate audio card.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=USB+SOUNDWAVE+7.1.&cid=1604300847766602...&os=tech-specs

I am throwing in the towel. I have spent probably 8 hours trying to get some sound out of the laptop and that is enough. Audio may not have been working when the laptop was turned over to me. I haven't been able to ask my nephew. He went out of town for the weekend. He left even before I had received the memory needed to get the laptop running well enough to really test anything. I'll present him with a list of possible solutions and he can make his own choice.

Thanks to all for your help.

[usually_quiet]

I discovered the likely cause for the kind of audio symptoms I saw, once I used the right words for a Google search. I found the complete loss of audio isn't rare for this model, and the cause isn't a failed onboard sound card. The headphone jack is broken, and when it breaks, the internal speakers may stop working too. A post in the Dell user forum said this:

In the older Inspirons, when you insert the plug into the jack the plug pushes apart the spring contacts and breaks the connection to the speakers. When you pull out the plug the contacts should spring back together. If this fails to happen due to a misaligned contact for example, you won't hear sound from the internal speakers. Could also be a loose solder joint at the jack. .

I'm not going to attempt to fix a mechanical problem of this sort. A USB sound card or USB speakers/headphones with an integrated sound card is the best solution.

[edDV]

I discovered the likely cause for the kind of audio symptoms I saw, once I used the right words for a Google search. I found the complete loss of audio isn't rare for this model, and the cause isn't a failed onboard sound card. The headphone jack is broken, and when it breaks, the internal speakers may stop working too. A post in the Dell user forum said this:

In the older Inspirons, when you insert the plug into the jack the plug pushes apart the spring contacts and breaks the connection to the speakers. When you pull out the plug the contacts should spring back together. If this fails to happen due to a misaligned contact for example, you won't hear sound from the internal speakers. Could also be a loose solder joint at the jack. .

I'm not going to attempt to fix a mechanical problem of this sort. A USB sound card or USB speakers/headphones with an integrated sound card is the best solution.

Well this is Deja Vu.

My just out of warranty Denon 7.1 receiver recently went wild with relay clicks and no audio to speakers. One would think this was due to speaker overload but no. No amount of trouble shooting or speaker substitution helped. An extensive Google + Bing search found the culprit ....

It was the headphone jack !!!

I hadn't even used the headphone jack but the electronics associated with it got compromised. These fancy receivers have sensors to detect overload or shorts.

The solution? Blow into the headphone jack to clear the dust. I used a can of compressed air. Immediately the problem was gone.

[edDV]

I'm not going to attempt to fix a mechanical problem of this sort. A USB sound card or USB speakers/headphones with an integrated sound card is the best solution.

If this is the problem, a local computer repair shop can probably fix it. They should know how to open a laptop and put it back together. The fix is easy. Laptop disassembly is not a task for an amateur. Too many left over parts.

[usually_quiet]

Well this is Deja Vu.

My just out of warranty Denon 7.1 receiver recently went wild with relay clicks and no audio to speakers. One would think this was due to speaker overload but no. No amount of trouble shooting or speaker substitution helped. An extensive Google + Bing search found the culprit ....

It was the headphone jack !!!

I hadn't even used the headphone jack but the electronics associated with it got compromised. These fancy receivers have sensors to detect overload or shorts.

The solution? Blow into the headphone jack to clear the dust. I used a can of compressed air. Immediately the problem was gone.

I tried some canned air just in case. It didn't work this time, but now I know I've tried everything within my capabilities. I will give my nephew the explanation, and a list of hardware to choose from.

This model reportedly has an overheating issue too, but the additional memory installed should help quite a bit. There is less heat produced by the CPU and HDD with adequate memory to run security software and applications. With a inexpensive external sound card installed it should get my nephew through a few more months while he saves for a new Mac or Windows laptop.

[usually_quiet]

I'm not going to attempt to fix a mechanical problem of this sort. A USB sound card or USB speakers/headphones with an integrated sound card is the best solution.

If this is the problem, a local computer repair shop can probably fix it. They should know how to open a laptop and put it back together. The fix is easy. Laptop disassembly is not a task for an amateur. Too many left over parts.

If repairing the laptop costs more than $20-$35, the cost of the external devices I'm going to recommend, it isn't worth it. This laptop is also 7 years old, so I think the less spent on it the better.