Suggest you keep it simple and make one that works- all you're trying to do is prove sound can work on your hardware.
See also
Reinstall Windows 10 from DVD but no DVD drive - Windows 10 Forums
Post #5
There is another current thread where someone in part started with similar sound issues, tried a boot disk (sound worked) but probably has other underlying causes for Windows not working given the range of other symptoms.
Yeah, I'm feeling the white flag calling. Hardware problems actually DO occur from time to time, and my inkling is that this is one. Will leave the thread open until I have it checked out at my trusted local repair shop.
Update:
Good news is that I was right. Bad news is that it somehow IS a hardware problem. The sound chip somehow failed - after less than two years - and a compatible motherboard is going to take forever for the shop to find - they have been pinging their suppliers and whatnot, and for whatever reasons, it's not something they can get in a day or a week.
https://www.amazon.com/External-VAND...qid=1521154554 was something I found that appears to do the trick, faster - and much cheaper! - than waiting for a new motherboard. Basically, my wife uses the computer sound for watching movies and listening through headphones, that's all.
Based on the problem I mentioned, will this item solve the problem? I assume that, even with a malfunctioning sound chip, this item will allow her to listen to sound from headphones?
If so, great!
If not, can a similar small/cheap/effective plugin be recommended, that will allow her to use headphones with the computer?
I tend to doubt the sound chip has failed. Take a look at this thread if you haven't already to see if it is of help. Sometimes installing one audio device, or one only with some audio capability, kicks out the sound device you want to be the system default for playback.
I really think, that first thing you should do, is boot your device into safe mode. Then while still in safe mode fire up device manager and find ALL audio related drivers and devices, both physical and virtual, enabled and hidden. Remove every single one of those. Then finally boot into normal mode and let Windows find suitable drivers.
This procedure often solves hardware related issues.
I still doubt the hardware has physically failed, but it's rather a conflict issue in Windows that was caused by the installation of the Cisco VPN tools.
I appreciate the last two posts. The repair shop did boot the computer into safe mode, and into non-Windows OS's. For now, I'm content to ask, as in Post #13, if the inexpensive product I'm looking at should address my problem.
That USB soundcard would solve the issue IMO. However, its internal amplifier power might be weaker than the ones built-in to your laptop and therefore may not be suitable for medium high volume level (distorts easily). I would just purchase it and see if it's loud enough with your headphones.
The product I mentioned in post #13 above did the trick for us. Whatever the sound limitations of this product, the laptop isn't being used to listen to the NY Philharmonic or U2. And to accomplish our low-bar goal - restoring headphone-listenable sound to the computer - a $7 part easily wins over a $280 (parts and labor) MB replacement!
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