Headphone Jack locks up computer?

Question

We have a Dell Dimension 4700 desktop that is 2 years old and works well. We are using the back speaker jack for a set of speakers in two rooms which always work fine. The problem is when we plug in a headphone into the front headphone jack it almost immediately makes it so that you can't select anything with your mouse and then the cursor slows way down.

We've tried several remedies including unplugging the headphone once the problem starts and unplugging the speakers from the back before plugging in the headphone to the front. None have worked. The only remeady has been to restart the computer by pressing on the button on the front. I can't seem to get the Process box to appear by pressing cntl-alt-delete.

The really strange thing is that the headphone jack worked, with the speakers plugged in, for about 6 months before this problem arose about a year ago. The only way to use the headphones now is to unplug the speakers before we turn on the computer. Please help!

Answer 1

It's possible that the connection for the front jacks is loose or damaged. The cable leading to the actual jacks may also be bad. Both are easy to figure out.

1) Make sure the PC is off and unplugged.
2) Remove the side panl.
3) Dell generally uses a black cable for front audio, so look for that. It should run from the front of the case where the jacks are, to almost completely to the rear of the case.
4) Push down on the connection to make sure it is down all they way. Look for damage. If it is all the way down and there's no damage, then it may be a bad cable or jack.

Another possibility is that your headphones are shorted out. Try plugging the speakers into the front jack to see if it still locks up.

The final possibility is that the speakers are creating a short when the headphones are plugged in. If you can, borrow a friend's speakers and see what happens.

Answer 2

Hi. I assume you tried another set of headphones to verify the problem is not a short in the cable.

Answer 3

It sounds like a short to me, the front jack has a cable running to your mother board, I would look at it and see if there is any visiable damage/burn/bare wires. If it is a short theres little you can do but buy a new mother board/connectors.