Windows 7: Realtek Mute Rear output when front input is plugged in

This doesn't work. Very irritating.
(I don't know if this RealTek sticky at the top of this forum is a solve for this, I'm not hot on registry changes and I'm not sure if this is a fix for this issue.)

Firstly I have to turn off the front-panel detection in order for the front panel to be detected..?

Secondly, I can't get the speakers to mute when the front phones are plugged in. I can do a manual switch from one to the other, but the front panel won't detect when things are plugged in.

Is it fixable?

Danke!

Sorry, but no. You will have a Realtek HD codec on board, and, like many others (myself included), are having to use an AC'97 front panel. These will work, but there are limitations like you have mentioned. The only way that you can have the speakers that are connected to the rear panel (the motherboard connectors) mute automatically when plugging headphones into the front panel is to have a HD compliant unit.

See AC'97 and HD audio front panel layouts for an explanation.

Thanks for letting me know (rather than going through another half hour of switching of tick boxes randomly in hope something would get it to work). If the only option is to switch the default output manally, it's still much better than having to scramble behind the computer desk each time to plug and re-plug things.

NB: tomorrow I get a new graphics card, I'll be back here (on the Mac no doubt) to cry about that too I expect

One last thing.

My audio is set up as working now, I switch between speakers or phones out with the manager.

However, an anomaly. Speakers are set to default, I turn Warcraft on and the sound only comes out the front headphone socket. If I take the headphones out, no sound at all. What's going on?

Edit: my bad, it's an in-game setting. Ignore my ignorance.

Riddle me this.
I had my speakers plugged into a different computer the last few days where I needed them to be.
I plugged them back into the green port in my PC today only to find they now won't output sound (although they are according to the Realtek thing), I haven't changed any settings, they are plugged in properly, there's no headphones in the speakers - although the phones are plugged into the front port (and work). I've unplugged the front port and still no sound from the rear plugged speakers.

What the heck has happened? I'm missing something obvious, I'm sure.

Have you plugged the speakers into the power supply? Most speakers are active, which means that they have a built-in amplifier. Of course, this also means that they need connecting to a source of power, as well as to a signal source.

I may look it, but I'm not that stupid!
The speakers are on, the led is on, my mobile phone's interference sound comes through the speakers (as usual), and the speakers worked fine when I plugged them into my Mac to work on a video project the last three days.

Ok a little but yeah you have mobile phone plugged in? ..unplug that re-plug in the speakers and restart, did you change something on the advanced settings on the realtek HD Manager?

No, I find my carrier's signal is loud, you know the signal it sends to keep in touch with the nearest cell tower, it does it quite often and is picked up by the speaker if it is nearby.

Speakers definitely work, I plugged another device into them.

I only started fiddling with the manager when it stopped working. As far as I can tell it's back on the settings which worked for me once I'd sussed them out. Most peculiar.

Edit: also, when fiddling with the setting of the speaker port, setting it to rear speaker, the speaker popped when it came back on via me clicking that setting.

Ok so you have the phone plugged in the front? and the speakers in the back are muted? soo it'd make sense at theres no output .. go to the Realtek Manager and click device advanced settings and change it to " Make front and rear output playback two def......" another way to try to get the speakers tested is open WMP > Options > Devices Click on Speakers.

then change the default to your Speakers (not phone ones).

forgive me if im no help

Edit: also try going to the Speaker icon in your notification area Click it and click System Sounds .. new windows will pop up .. go to the playback tab and fiddle with those settings if you missed something.