# Suggestions sought to make earphones work on computers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937 "2009-03-18T20:02:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/1 "2009-03-18T20:02:08Z")
The computer lab where I work just got new computers but we can’t get earphones to work with them. Plug them in and the sound still comes out of the speakers on the CPU. Does anybody know if there’s a quick fix to this? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/2 "2009-03-18T20:13:36Z")
Are you sure they’re in the right jack? ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/3 "2009-03-18T20:15:13Z")
That’s strange. What’ the OS? Have you tried checking the sound control panel (on vista at least) it should give you output options. Perhaps updating the audio drivers? Where are you plugging in the headphones? If it’s on a front panel, have you tried the rear panel? Is it possible that the manufacturer forgot to plug in the front audio panel into the video card/mobo? ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/4 "2009-03-18T20:39:44Z")
Does sound come out of both the headphones and the speakers, or just the speakers? ---
**Author:** ![New\_Beginning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@New\_Beginning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Beginning)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/5 "2009-03-18T20:45:58Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Where are you plugging in the headphones? If it’s on a front panel, have you tried the rear panel? Is it possible that the manufacturer forgot to plug in the front audio panel into the video card/mobo? This. Or else it was on purpose, because they don’t want you listening using headphones for some reason… ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/6 "2009-03-18T21:10:45Z")
Thanks for all suggestions. I tried them in the back per suggestion and they worked perfectly, so apparently the front port is either missing or intentionally disabled. I don’t know if they were ordered like this. (Like most library labs we don’t allow sound files played out loud, but I never had a problem with students using headphones; I’m wondering if our tech guy [who’s remote] decided to “help” us by ordering them this way.) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/7 "2009-03-18T21:20:51Z")
If the front jack was missing, you’d… well, you’d notice. The plug would fall out. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/8 "2009-03-18T21:27:06Z")
The front headphone port might simply be disabled in the BIOS. If you’re comfortable doing so, you might check this. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/9 "2009-03-18T21:48:27Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > If the front jack was missing, you’d… well, you’d notice. The plug would fall out. It doesn’t have to be missing, just not connected internally. ---
**Author:** ![steadierfooting](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@steadierfooting](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steadierfooting)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/10 "2009-03-20T17:34:48Z")
Sound comes out of our sound card at work if headphones aren’t plugged in, so I have a audio cable extender always plugged into the sound card, and then when I want to listen to streaming music just plug my headphones into the extender. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/11 "2009-03-20T17:39:18Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > It doesn’t have to be missing, just not connected internally. He said missing _or_ internally disabled. ---
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-sought-to-make-earphones-work-on-computers/489937/12 "2009-03-20T23:09:20Z")
One thing I’ve noticed is that various software media players – in this instance Cyberlink PowerDVD – include an audio setting that, once you set it to stereo (as opposed to, say, 5.1 speaker setup) allows you to choose between “2 speakers” and “headphones”. But on that computer, like most, plugging in the headphones automatically disables the speakers. So what do you think the setting actually does or changes? I’m thinking the setting might alter the audio output waveforms in some way to compensate, but either setting sounds the same to me (though right now I’m in a somewhat noisy area). Sorry if this is too OT.