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No sound on Windows (OSX Mac Bootcamp)

I have Windows running natively on my MacBook Pro.
I am unable to hear sound.
I plugged headphones into what appears to be the earphone jack on the side of the MadBook Pro where the USB ports are. Still no sound.
I plugged a microphone into the USB port on the computer - and then plugged the headphones into the microphone jack. I can hear sound that way.

Lugging the microphone around is a nuisance. Any ideas on how to get sound to work through the computer speakers, or through the jack?

SOLUTION

Eoin OSullivan

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cornell256

ASKER

Thanks - I will try this in the next few days and report back. Why can I hear sound through the microphone? If I can't fix the problem, I'd like to find an inexpensive lighter way to do this for when I travel - the Yetti microphone is quite heavy.

Martin Liss

Does this help?

cornell256

ASKER

Thanks, Martin - no that is not the problem - I never have sound and there is no red light. I can't look at this for a few days due to a deadline but will report back.

I should mention, I have no sound at all on bootcamp - except when plugging headphones through the Yetti microphone. So without headphones - no sound.

Martin Liss

Do you have sound set to Mute in Preferences?

cornell256

ASKER

I am not booted into Windows right now but can check at some point. However, since I can hear sound through the Yetti microphone (via a USB connection), doesn't that suggest sound would not be set to mute?

Martin Liss

On my MAC I have a pair of external Bose speakers that have a touch-sensitive volume control and when I touch the center the sound is muted. If I plug my headphones into the volume control I can still here the sound.

cornell256

ASKER

I will go look right now - thanks for the idea. Actually, before I do that, where do I find preferences - it's Windows that controls it, right? (I have never touched preferences so doubt that is the issue but should check.)

Martin Liss

Well "Pregerences" is a MAC thing but in Windoes the sound settings are somewhere in Contril Panel.

Martin Liss

Oops "Preferences".

Martin Liss

And Windows:( Sure would be nice if the EE mobile app allowed one to edit their post so as to avoid embarrassment.

cornell256

ASKER

I went into Windows and verified that the speakers have up-to-date drivers and are "working correctly". Nothing is muted.

I forgot to check on versions, which I will post next time I am on Windows and can check. By the way, the Apple genius bar folks installed boot camp when I purchased the MacBookPro so I'm assuming things are compatible.

Sound on OSX works fine.

SOLUTION

Martin Liss

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Eoin OSullivan

USB microphones and headphones come with their own drivers for windows and osx so that would explain why the microphone works but the headphone and microphone jacks do not

If you can confirm the model of MacBook Pro, and if the headphone and microphone jacks work under OSX then we can rule out hardware issues and focus on drivers and settings in Windows as the cause.

cornell256

ASKER

Thanks for the explanation, eoinosullivan - interesting.

I have a MacBookPro 7,1

Great, on to the next step in this interesting process!
I did find this article but it's very involved - maybe there's a faster way to sleuth this out.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-hardware/no-sound-on-windows-7-installed-on-an-imac/af6e2f0f-fc46-487b-af0f-6299f115cbfe

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Eoin OSullivan

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cornell256

ASKER

Thanks, this is great - I will study your post - not until next week, though. I did try Parallels and also its competitor but neither had performance that suited me as well as running windows natively. Too bad. Anyway, will read and reply in the near future. Thanks again. At least it looks like I don't have to try to figure this out - I just have to use the microphone (a real nuisance but since I only use Windows for Camtasia and testing an online application, not impossibly inconvenient).