Latest Realtek audio driver doesn't detect headphones!

I have a Dell Inspiron 5502 laptop running Windows 10 Home version 22H2. Everything was just fine and dandy until Windows decided to update things a few days ago (which led to another post I made recently about system restore not working)

I use external speakers all the time with my laptop. If I start (or reboot) the laptop with the speakers already plugged in, my laptop will recognize (and play through) the external speakers. But if I unplug the external speakers from the headphone jack, the laptop will not recognize the speakers when I plug them back in.
The Realtek HD audio driver that works perfectly is version 6.0.9313.1 It had Waves Maxxaudio pro, which would have separate output device settings (Internal speakers, Headphones, external speakers). Now, with the latest Realtek driver, Maxxaudio pro only has one option, Internal Speakers.


I have downloaded several recent versions of Realtek HD audio driver, and experimented with installing them and observing the performance. The only recent one that works the way I want it is version 6.0.9313.1

Is there a way to force the new Realtek audio driver to recognize the external speakers when they're plugged in? If not, I guess I will have to install the older version and force windows to not update the audio driver (not sure how to do that). Can I select only one driver to be overlooked when auto-updating drivers?

UPDATE: Damn, I cant even update a post here without the format getting all screwed up. I found the solution. I had to go through Dell Audio to fix the headphone issue, and not Realtek directly, or Maxxaudio Pro.