Windows 10 Update Killed My Headphones

After I got the latest Windows 10 update a few weeks ago, my headphones stopped working. I plug them in, nothing happens. I unmute the volume, only the speakers work. I looked online for a solution; they all confused me. I tried following the least confusing directions (update the driver) and nothing changed. I'm not even sure of what program/drivers I should be looking at. I'm not even sure if I read the directions right; I may have inadvertently screw something up!

So here I am, asking for help, because I can only see 3 solutions:

1. Ask for the dummy's version, assuming one exists.

2. Have a techie relative look into it. Unfortunately, my only 2 choices are my BIL (who doesn't have a lot of spare time) and my brother (who is, to put it nicely, loud and opinionated).

3. Consider this a job for the professionals, and hope it doesn't cost more than my laptop's worth.

If it helps, my laptop is a Dell Inspirion 15, 3000 series.

Thank you.

Thanks, anaemic_mind.

anaemic_mind said:

I updated last week and noticed I got a popup message asking what device I had plugged in when I plugged my headphones in for the first time afterwards. (A popup I had disabled a while back.).

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Now that you mention it, I do remember that popup. I also remember clicking something, then clicking don't show this message again, then thinking, "Wait, I think I clicked on the wrong thing. Nooo!" And now I have no way of double-checking to see if I messed up or not. Maybe there's where the problem lies?

Have you checked 'Manage sound devices' in the settings? (Under system, then sound from the main settings window).

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I probably did, but I checked again. Speakers/Headphones and Microphone are enabled, but Stereo Mix isn't (they're all Realtek Audio stuff, if that helps). I looked up Stereo Mix online and it doesn't seem to have anything to do with headphones.

It worked! I enabled the popup, stuck in my headphone, entered the proper settings, and now they work again. I went back into MaxxAudioPro and disabled the popup again to make sure this doesn't happen again (at least until the next update, but hopefully I'll pay better attention then).

Thanks, again!