Vista and Headpones Not Working

[Charles]

When I plug headphones into computer no sound comes out of them but sound continues to come out of the built in speakers.

Cause - Vista sound settings

In Windows Vista, open the Control Panel, if using Control Panel Home view, click on “Hardware and Sound” -> “Sound”. This will open the sound manager box. Select the top tab in this box called “Playback” , here you will see a selection of device including Speakers and Headphones. Right click on Headphones and select “Set Default Device”, this will put a green checkmark on the Headphones. Then click on “Ok” at the bottom. Now make sure there is no audio currently playing and reopen the sound manager box Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound and click on the tab at the top labeled “Sounds” and then click on “Ok” at the bottom. Wait a few seconds before starting to run any audio player or program while the settings take place. Then try launching an audio program and you should now get sound from your headphones and not your speakers.

To restore sound back to the speakers, you will simply go back to the sound manager box and right click on Speakers and select “Set Default Device”. You must also then return to the sound manager box and select “Sounds” and hit “Ok” for the change to take effect.