Non-USB Headsets and Windows Vista

Walrus Pete

I got a new computer yesterday (wooo!) and almost everything is working just fine. The only major issue I have so far is that Vista (64-bit) won't recognize my headset. Whether it's plugged into the front audio jacks or the ones in the back, I get nothing; Vista doesn't even show that anything is plugged in. It works fine on my laptop which is running XP, and speakers work fine plugged into the new computer. Some brief research suggested that updating my audio driver may help, but it didn't. Any ideas?

Since it probably matters, I'm using this headset.

exoplasm

What matters is what sound card you have, and if you have the right drivers and/or software for it.

Walrus Pete

exoplasm wrote: »

What matters is what sound card you have, and if you have the right drivers and/or software for it.

The only information that Device Manager has on the sound card that means anything to me is "Realtek High Definition Audio," which it displays where you'd think a model number or some other useful information should go. I got and installed the only driver listed on the website of the company that sold the computer and there's no change.

edit: turns out I needed to update my drivers AND plug the headset into the rear ports. I'll have to check the wiring for the front ports soon.

Dark Shroud

I was just going to suggest that about the ports. It's happened to me so many times where the ports for head phones, USB & Firewire are just not connected. Ironically it wasn't until Vista that I was able to get my own front audio ports working for head phones, also a Realtek audio device.

.kbf?

Completely remove the audio drivers and reinstall.

1ddqd

The front headphone ports usually have a cable that connects to the motherboard, near the bottom and front of the PCB. There will be some pins sticking up that say F_PANEL or something along those lines. There should be a set that says FRNT_AUDIO (again, something along those lines) near those. Make sure there is something attached that also says something about AUDIO.

Walrus Pete

1ddqd wrote: »

The front headphone ports usually have a cable that connects to the motherboard, near the bottom and front of the PCB. There will be some pins sticking up that say F_PANEL or something along those lines. There should be a set that says FRNT_AUDIO (again, something along those lines) near those. Make sure there is something attached that also says something about AUDIO.

Thanks, it's good to know exactly what I'm looking for when I open the thing up.

Elimination

I had to buy a new headset when i switched to vista, no matter what i did my old one would not work correctly with vista, via usb or minijack (it had both). I simply just gave up and got a new set, vista simply would not detect the mic part of the headset, no matter the hookup, it only detected it as headphones, where as in XP i had no issues what so ever.

1ddqd

Odd, I had that issue with my Razer sound card, I just had to go in and tell it to use the Mic port, not the Line in.

Stormwatcher

The realtek control panel usually has a plug detection thingy.