No sound on both Windows and Linux

Question

I have a computer with many Windows and Manjaro installed. Everything has worked fine for months.

Recently, the sound stopped working on both Windows and Linux. On Windows, the sound manager lists some audio output, but it says "not plugged in". There's in also an "x" next to the sound icon at the bottom right.

On Linux (Manjaro), you can inscrease or decrease the volume and the icon seems normal, but again, no audio output.

My computer is a Dell T7400 desktop. There are two audio outputs. I tried both with different devices, and nothing works.

It seems to be a hardware problem. What should I check next?

Answer 1

Sounds like hardware problem.

If you checked a few different OS's, especially ones that worked fine yesterday, that's about it. Could download & try some different linux iso's (for cd/usb)...

Is it a separate sound card you can remove & try a new one? Or try the card on another computer & see if it works there. But, if it's built-in sound you may need to find a sound card to use.

Answer 2

As you have already determined it is a hardware issue, what you must do next is determine if there is a way to repair this particular hardware.

As it is a desktop, the solution could be as simple as purchasing a new discrete audio card and installing it. These are usually quite inexpensive for the basic sound cards.