Help me, Lazyweb; you're my only hope

[caddyman]

Sound on computers.

More precisely, settings in Windows XP to allow switching between speakers and headphones. How is this done and how does one stop XP from just giving up on one over the other? I had this problem on my old PC and Furtle is getting it now. I am so used to not having the sound playing - only have headphones and they get used for watching video and occasional Skype or other voice messenger doodads and that's pretty much all the sound I want from my PC (frankly I prefer it like that: I get annoyed by crummy bontempi muzak from shitty flash-laden web pages, designed by 14 year-olds with pimple-powered Oedipus complexes), although I have noticed recently the odd bleep from my PC when certain events occur.

Anyway: too much rambling. On Furtle's machine particularly and probably mine if I tested it, USB speakers work just dandy until you plug in a USB head set at which point, as a general rule, the speakers go mute. This is understandable, if a little presumptuous. What is more annoying, is that once the headphones are unplugged again, the speakers stay muted. There seems to be no obvious functionality that allows the user simply to switch between one and the other whilst still keeping them both plugged in.

This problem does not seem to spread beyond Windows, I think. Certainly Warcraft, with its own sound control allows for very simple switching between speakers and headphones. It's Windows itself that has brain farts on the issue.

I have said that the solution is not obvious rather than non-existent as I am hopeful that someone can point us at a quick and easy fix. At the moment the Windows sound controller seems supremely indifferent and apart from rebooting the PC (which seems a bit much just to switch sound) I can't think of anything.

Unless he knows the answer, probably best if irdm doesn't think this problem through as his MicroSquash stress levels are already pinned to the red zone.

Comments

[ladkyis.livejournal.com]

I'd like an expert to tell me why I no longer have the doohicky that you click when you want to remove hardware OR the volume control doodah (I am sorry to use such techie expressions here) that used to sit in the little space by the clock on the bar at the bottom of the screen. There was another little picture thingy but I can't remember what that one did. I have a blue thing, a lime green thing a yellow clockface with a green check background a big Z (zone alarm) a yellow shield that keeps threatening updates and my stickies thingy. All help gratefully accepted - PM me if it is better

[irdm.livejournal.com]

I get the "scanner with green arrow" turn up, but only when I've plugged in a USB drive or such.

On Control Panel / Sounds and Multimedia (or Sounds and Audio devices for XP) there is an "icon on the task bar" ticky.

[ladkyis.livejournal.com]

It is already ticked, but the little icon - I remember the name of the thingies now - is not in the box by the clock.

[ladkyis.livejournal.com]

ok I managed to get the volume back by unclicking and then clicking the ticky thing. The "remove hardware" icon won't come back. I went to the thing that hekai said and the hide icon box was unticked. I ticked it and then customised as hekai said and then unticked the hide when inactive box again. It doesn't show - even when I put the memory stick into the USB it doesn't show.
Let's just forget it

[ellefurtle.livejournal.com]

All I want is to have both the headset and the speakers plugged in all the time and to switch effortlessly between them. This it seems is v hard to manage and you can turn off the headset but setting the default back to speakers does...nothing!