Linux Users Report “Headphones Stopped Working in Windows 8.1” Problems

by Radu Tyrsina

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

November 3, 2013

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Users that have installed a Linux distribution running in dual-boot with Windows 8.1 have reported problems with their headphones not working

I know that there have been a number of threads regarding headphone issues in Windows 8.1, but this is the first time I’m hearing about a Linux/Windows 8.1 dual boot issue. Let’s hope somebody can provide a resolution once this gets more eyeballs. Here’s what the affected user is saying:

I installed Linux mint 15 mate 64 bit on other partition, and a weird thing happened, I booted into Windows 8.1 and my headphones do not work. Realtek softwares notification pops up and recognizes that I connected headphones, but they do not work. I tried reinstalling drivers – didn’t help and I tried Windows default drivers – when I use them, sound only comes through speakers rather then headphones. Headphones work perfectly fine when booting into Linux mint, but in Windows 8.1 – problems. Any ideas what should I do?

The Linux version in discussion is Mint 15 and the error appears after booting into Windows 8.1. At the moment, we don’t know which specific version it is, so we’re reaching out to find out more details. Since this is a new issue, let us know if you can replicate this on your system while dualbooting Linux and Windows 8.1, as well.