I booted Ubuntu from a USB drive, and Ubuntu detected no sound card on my laptop. Provided I didn't screw something up in Ubuntu, it seems to confirm it's a hardware issue then.
Suggest you email HP support for help to confirm whether you have a software or hardware issue. Normally laptops (like my Dell) have hardware diagnostic utilities - have you run the audio diagnostics? Do you have a sound module plugged into the motherboard or is there an audio chip embedded in the motherboard? If the latter, then a new motherboard would be needed if you have a hardware fault which may not be a cost-effective repair.
I tried running HP audio diagnostics but apparently my laptop model doesn't support them, pretty baffling as to why they exist for this laptop then. I'll email HP support and see what they say. Thanks for your help!
I'm no computer maven, but I am having a lot of strange occurrences since I updated my perfectly working W10 (than came with the computer 2 years ago) with the AU (Anniversary Update) 1607. Like: My Logitech TRB-22 no longer works and I'm getting strange scrolling behavior on some programs (e.g., Firefox (screens open at bottom of page and when trying to scroll up to top using scroll bar, it will automatically scroll back down,) File Explorer (scroll bar not always working right,) Thunderbird (getting the appearance of a small dropdown that asks if TB should "scroll down to the next...can't remember, but think it was "line.") All these aberrations stop on rebooting, or as I continue to use the computer. Also, noted that when I awake from Sleep, these problems occur.
And, I'm noting that when I first got into Explorer and went to a folder, the field on top that shows the pathway would slowly fill in with color. Took quite a while and I couldn't do anything else with FExplorer. What was happening?
Quote
