Any ideas on why sound wont work on laptop

[HomerRulez]

I got a message from someone letting me know the sound on the laptop isnt working. It was working before fine but when it got there, it didnt want to work at all. I believe he tried all methods to fix it software wise. With that said, is it possible its hardware issue? Would there be a possibility the speakers may have come off the mainboard? Could the speakers be kaput? Any ideas?

 

[tiraides]

What particular laptop are we talking about here?

Did your friend tried using a different media player on the laptop? Did he try to reinstall the onboard audio drivers? Did he use a different output device (like headphones or plug-in speakers) to determine whether or not it was a hardware problem?

 

[HomerRulez]

its a gateway nv58 laptop and not sure if he tried it another way. if the sound does work using headphones or external speakers when plugged in, could that mean the speakers are no good, not the sound card? Heres hoping thats the case.

 

[tiraides]

Yes, if the problem's hardware-based (read: the speakers), you should still be able to hear sound through "third-party" speakers or headphones. But if it's software- or drivers-based, there are a lot of way that could go.

 

[HomerRulez]

how much would those speakers be? I see them usually around $10-$15. Would they be similar in this case?

found the right and left speaker on ebay for $14.99 free shipping. Once this is the issue that is confirmed, I should be good to go. Thanks

 

[tiraides]

Are you comfortable replacing the notebook speakers by yourself? I'm not too familiar with the Gateway NV58 series, but some laptop brands/models have the physical speakers fused to either the motherboard or the speaker openings themselves.