This is frustrating....

[conuly]

I prefer to listen to things on the computer via headphones rather than speakers. Recently, the audio jack stopped working. It says it's unplugged.

It's not wobbly, so I think it's likely not a hardware issue. (Can't solve a hardware issue anyway - this laptop won't handle any more repair work!) The headphones work fine on other devices. I've tried rebooting. I've tried disabling and enabling the device. I've tried updating the driver. I've tried uninstalling the driver, reinstalling it, and rebooting. What is left to try?

If there's nothing else left, I suppose I could get a set of USB headphones. I'm reluctant to do this, though, because I'm out of ports (because the poor condition of my poor laptop means I'm using a plugged in keyboard and mouse), and all my USB ports *are* a bit wobbly, so I don't want to strain them with a lot of plugging and unplugging. I could get a USB hub, but... I mean, at this point, I know what the solution really is. The solution really is that I start saving my money and put it towards a new computer. But at least USB headphones would be a(nother) stopgap before I have to bite that bullet.

Comments

[randomdreams]

I echo the above, that a bluetooth headset is definitely the least intrusive fix.
I have done motherboard repair on a laptop of exactly the sort you're talking about, but it takes working under a microscope with some fancy soldering equipment and a chunk of experience.

If you like the laptop you have, you could look for another on ebay and swap hard drives. I'm on my third or fourth Lenovo T400, a 12 year old system that's perfectly adequate for poking about online. Even in like-new-with-windows-10 shape they're still only $150 or so, and if I get one that's in better shape than mine, but doesn't have a hard drive, it's like $40.

[conuly]

Well, I don't mind playing around once I have a new laptop, but I'm not going to try any more repairs on this one until then. It's held together with spit and hope.