steva
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Using Docking station Audio Out doesn't mute laptop speakers
When I plug headphones into the audio out jack of my Thinkpad T41 laptop, the speakers turn off automatically. That's fine. But when I dock the laptop and plug headphones into the audio out jack of the docking station, the laptop speakers do not shut off - and that's a problem. Does anyone know how I can get the laptop speakers to go off automatically when I plug headphones into the docking station audio out jack? I'm running XP/SP2 and the docking station is an IBM Type 2878, part number 62P4551.
Thanks for any help,
Steve
Thanks for any help,
Steve
ASKER
Ok, that's not a bad idea. I could then leave the headphones plugged into the dock and they would work autoatically when I docked the laptop, with no sound coming from the laptop speakers. But I still have to plug something in and then unplug it every time I come and go with the laptop. (Currently I plug the headphones into the laptop when I come and unplug them when I leave.) The goal here is to just dock the laptop and use the headphones - with no sound from the laptop speakers. It seems like a natual thing to want to do and that there ought to be a way to do it.
Steve
Steve
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ASKER
It seems that if you're plugging in a headset you don't want to hear speakers anywhere, so it would be ok to turn of your laptop speakers. But I suspect you're right and that there's no fix other than a hardware hack.
Thanks for your thoughts. I released the points to you.
Steve
Thanks for your thoughts. I released the points to you.
Steve
Looking at the dock user guide and hardware maintenance manual, I don't think there's any way to do it with software either. I think it is a hardware issue.
My suggestion, if you really want sound to come out the line out on the dock, and not out the laptop speakers, is to buy a headphone connector from Radio Shack (or Digi-Key or where ever) and plug that into the laptop headphone jack.