The front sound panel stopped working. Connecting the front panel connectors of the computer

A front panel with audio and USB ports is an integral part of any modern computer. This is a very convenient thing that allows you to connect removable media, headphones or a microphone without unnecessary movements. However, it is often with the front panel that problems arise, as a result of which the sound stops working and you can no longer use the computer as usual. In this article we will try to understand the possible causes of such malfunctions.

Before you start troubleshooting problems with the front headphone and microphone jacks, you need to make sure that all drivers are installed correctly and the sound is working properly on the back panel of the computer. If there is no sound when you connect headphones to the back of the system unit, then the problem is more global and, therefore, requires a different approach to the solution and a separate conversation. We will devote this article entirely to the front panel.

Why doesn't the sound on the front panel work?

We begin diagnostics by remembering at what point the inputs stopped functioning. For example, if the computer was only recently assembled and you have never used headphones with a microphone, then perhaps during assembly the connectors were incorrectly connected (or not connected at all) to the motherboard, i.e. The front panel is simply not connected properly. If the panel worked properly before, then try to determine the action after which the problems probably began. Perhaps some settings were made in the Control Panel or BIOS. If nothing comes to mind, follow the recommendations below.

Checking the headphone and microphone input connections

This item will be relevant for those cases when the computer was disassembled/assembled and after that the sound on the front panel stopped working. You need to make sure that the panel is really connected - the connector is connected to the correct contacts on the motherboard, and the integrity of the supply wires is not damaged. To connect the front panel, either a solid block of two types – AC’97 and HD Audio, or separate connectors with markings can be used.

The AC'97 format is obsolete and is now rare. At the same time, the HD Audio (High Definition Audio) standard is now used everywhere. On the motherboard, the connector for connecting the front panel HD Audio plug usually has a letter designation, for example, F_Audio.

If you are still not sure where to connect the header, use your motherboard manual. Below we provide the AC’97 and HD Audio pinouts.

Connection diagram of individual connectors to AC’97:

Front Panel Configuration in BIOS

Sometimes it happens that the front panel works according to the old AC’97 standard, but the motherboard provides the new High Definition Audio specification. By the way, both connectors are similar, and the user may not notice this discrepancy. However, no problems should arise when connecting a panel with AC’97 to a motherboard with High Definition Audio. True, in some cases you will have to change the operating mode through the BIOS.

We go into the BIOS by pressing the F2 or DEL key when booting the computer. Next, go to the “Advanced” section and look for the “Onboard Devices Configuration” item. Just below is the “Front Panel Type” parameter (it can also be called High Definition Front Panel Audio or Legacy Front Panel Audio). Switch it from the HD Audio position to the AC97 position. If your front panel uses the HD Audio standard and the BIOS is set to AC97, then switch back.

Some motherboards do not provide the ability to change the operating mode of the front panel, but only allow you to disable or enable the sound controller. The Onboard Audio Function parameter (may have a different name) is responsible for this function, providing only the “Enabled” and “Disabled” values. In such a situation, you do not need to reconfigure anything in the BIOS, and the sound should work without additional manipulations.

Setting up sound devices in the Windows 7/10 Control Panel

If you are one hundred percent sure that the front inputs for headphones and microphone are connected correctly and everything is set correctly in the BIOS, it’s time to move on to the sound settings in the Windows 7/10 environment itself. First of all, go to the Control Panel, and then to the “Sound” section. On the “Playback” and “Record” tabs, make sure that the default devices are installed.

To display all devices, right-click anywhere in the window and check the “Show disconnected devices” and “Show disconnected devices” checkboxes.

On the “Playback” tab, click the same right button on the active device and select “Properties”. In the “General” section, look at the list of connectors - the item “Front panel 3.5 mm connector” should be present.

In the same way, we check the microphone properties on the “Recording” tab.

Front Panel Configuration Using Realtek HD Manager

If all the steps done did not produce results and the front panel for headphones and microphone still does not work, try playing with the Realtek HD settings. If the drivers are installed correctly, this sound configurator must be present on your computer. We launch it using the icon on the taskbar or, if there is none, by following the path Control Panel - Realtek HD Manager.

In the program window, select the “Speakers” section and click on the yellow folder in the upper right corner.

Make sure that the checkbox next to “Disable detection of front panel sockets” is checked; if it is not there, be sure to check it.

Save the settings and check if the sound on the front panel is now working. In most cases the problem should be resolved.

Here in the Realtek HD manager you can make additional device settings. Follow the corresponding link in the upper right corner of the window.

Using switches we achieve the required sound configuration.

We tried to talk as fully as possible about how to act in a situation where the microphone and headphones on the front panel do not work on the computer. If none of the above helps, try reinstalling or updating your sound drivers. As a last resort, seek help from specialists.

Very often I encountered a situation where on the front panel of the system unit there are connectors for connecting headphones and a microphone, but there is no sound there and they do not work. It seems that manufacturers of system units deliberately forget to connect these connectors, forcing the user to climb into the system unit on their own. Although, it would seem, what do they have to lose - since they made these headphone jacks to increase the competitiveness of their product, then they can connect them! But this doesn't always happen. That is, it happens that these connectors are for headphones on the front panel connected to the motherboard, and the reason is in the settings.

Naturally, after Googling and finding different solutions to the problem, I came to the following conclusions:

The most common reasons for the lack of sound in the headphones on the front panel:

However, there is a universal solution to this problem - buy a headphone extension cord with a 3.5mm jack, connect it from the back instead of using the front panel, and alternately plug speakers and headphones into it. Place the output of this extension cord somewhere behind the monitor so that you can reach it with your hand at any time.

Also, these days, bluetooth headsets already exist and are inexpensive, which allow you to completely abandon wires when using headphones. I bought myself a Sony-Ericsson MW-600 and am very pleased.

In the comments you can ask a question or describe your case, this way you will help other users.

Instructions

First, turn on your computer, wait for it to load, and prepare a working one. If it is from the connectors on the rear side of the system unit, then you can safely try to connect it on the front panel. Usually there is a pink connector (with a symbol). For testing, a program that comes with the sound card drivers (for example, Realtek HD Manager) or “Sound Recorder” is suitable, which can be easily found by following the path “Start” -> “All Programs” -> “Accessories” -> “ Entertainment".

If the microphone does not turn on (this can be indicated by fixed recording scales), then first check the software activation of the microphone. Find the speaker icon in the system tray and double-click on it. In the main sound settings window that appears, select “Properties” -> “Mixer” -> input device. For example, this could be Realtek HD Audio Input. You should select the “Mic Volume” settings. When you close the window, you will see a microphone recording volume control. The microphone icon must be active and set to at least half scale. An alternative way to make these settings is: “Control Panel” -> “Sounds and Audio Devices” -> “Audio” -> “Sound Recording” -> “Volume”.

If recording still does not occur, check the auto-detection mode of the front panel jacks. This is the manager window of the program responsible for your audio devices. Set the top checkbox as shown in the photo and check the recording from the microphone again. Often it is precisely because of active autodetection that a conflict between audio devices occurs.

If you are not yet successful, then you should restart your computer and enter the BIOS. There, open the "Advanced Settings" menu. In the "Chipset Configuration" section there may be a "Front Panel Control" parameter. Force its value to be "Enabled" (instead of "Auto"). After rebooting, try to activate the microphone from the front panel again.

Another danger may await you if the front panel audio cable was not connected to the computer when assembling it. You can check this by looking at the side cover of the system unit and inspecting the connection point. If you have instructions for the motherboard that indicate the connectors for connection, and you have determined exactly where you need to insert the audio cable, you can do it yourself. Attention - if the computer is new and its case is sealed, you should contact the sellers for help so as not to lose the warranty.

Recently, a friend contacted me asking why her front sound panel wasn’t working. She recently purchased a computer, everything works, she’s happy with everything, she connected it and set up the Internet. But a problem arose.

She bought headphones with a microphone so she could talk on Skype. After she connected them to the front panel, she discovered that neither the headphones nor the microphone were working. Moreover, if you connect them to the rear panel, then everything works. And there are many such cases. What's the problem? Maybe this is a defect and I need to use warranty service?

Not everything is as bad as it seems. In fact, in almost every case, users simply do not look carefully at the settings. The connectors located on the front are in working order and rarely break down!

What to do if there is no sound on the front panel

In the lower right corner of the monitor you need to click on the speaker icon. We are looking for a driver designed to play sound on a computer. I call it “Realtek HD”. If suddenly it is not there, then we turn to the control panel and look for it on it. If it is not there either, then you simply have a different driver.

Launch the found driver. The sound settings window will appear on the monitor. Select the “Speakers” tab (if you are the owner of Windows XP, then this will be the “Sound inputs/outputs” tab)

Once you do this, sound will appear on the front panel.

All of the above applies to Windows 7. Therefore, if you are the owner of the XP version, then your control panel will be slightly different. When you go to the “Audio Inputs/Outputs” tab, you will see that next to “Analog” there is a small wrench in a blue circle. You need to click on it, then a window will appear on the screen, as for the Windows 7 version. And then follow the instructions.

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