Windows Won't Recognize Headset

Collin2011 · 15 Jan 2014

For Christmas I got a pair of Razer Blackshark headphones/headset. It's great and the bass is kick ass. But for whatever reason Windows 7 does not recognize that I have it plugged in. I hear audio and what have you but it's using default system audio levels. So if I unplug my headset and turn up the audio and then replug them, I get my ears blasted because it doesn't auto adjust.

The funny thing is, it works fine on Windows 8.1. It is recognized as a headset and everything. Show disabled devices is enable on Windows 7 and it is not there.

Realtek Control Panel doesn't even detect it.

archer · 15 Jan 2014

Hi Collin,

Try to update the drivers from here and after that try this.

1. Go to Start and click on Control Panel.
2. Click in Sound, then a new window will open up.
3. In the new windows click on the tab "Recording" and right click in the window and click on “Show Disabled devices”.
4. Now check if the Headphone is listed there and right click on it and choose enable.
5. Highlight the headphone and click on "Set as Default".

Collin2011 · 15 Jan 2014

I have discovered the issue at hand. I needed to have a special option ticked in the Realtek HD Audio Manager.

"Make front and rear output devices playback two different audio streams simultaneously"

archer · 15 Jan 2014

Nice! Glad the issue got resolved.

Collin2011 · 15 Jan 2014

Just for the sake of clearing up the issue for any other people in the future here was the issue.

* Windows was not acknowledging the fact that I had my headset plugged in. In other words it did not appear in the "Playback devices list" So I couldn't set it as the default device. It still thought I was using my speakers even though I had my headset plugged in.

So ticking that box in Realtek HD Audio Manager fixed this.

The result was thus: