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My sister wanted Skype, so she bought it along with a camera and headphones. Now the headphones work for Skype, but whenever I try to play music on, say, Youtube, they don’t work, and when I disconnect the headphones, the speakers don’t! I made sure I’m not on “Mute-all”, and the computer WILL play that “Dun-uh” sound when you keep clicking something that won’t connect or something. It plays all those different ones.

I have to say, I love Skype. Not two minutes ago, I was using Skype to talk to (and see) a friend of mine in London from here in California. Gotta love the technology. I can see how this headphone problem is frustrating, so let’s see what we can do to help you.

Skype Setup

In order to determine if the system is set up properly, I’m going to walk you through the set up steps - this may be redundant, but bear with me.

1. Go to Control Panel and find Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices. Find the Sound and Audio Device section.
2. Find the Audio tab. Under Sound Playback, choose the Skype device from the drop down menu.
3. To adjust the volume, click on Volume and then Options and Properties.
4. Under ‘Show the following volume controls’, make sure that everything has a check by it.
5. In Volume Control, make sure that the Microphone has a check by Mute. None of the other controls should have mute checked.

To change the recording options:

1. Click on Sound Recording in Sound and Audio Devices.
2. Choose the Skype device from the list and click Volume.
3. In Recording control panel, choose Properties and Options. Check all boxes under ‘Show volume controls’.
4. In the Recording control panel, under Microphone make sure that Select has a check mark.
5. Go to Options and Advanced Controls. Under Other Controls make sure there is no check beside Microphone Boost. Exit.

To check your configuration:

1. Start Skype. Go to Tools and Options. Find the Audio Settings tab.
2. In the Microphone and Speakers menu, select the devices you chose in Control Panel. Save.

Troubleshooting

If the problem persists, go back into Control Panel and choose Sound and Audio. On the Audio tab, set the default playback device to your main soundcard. Make sure that your audio device is present - if it isn’t, then you may need to reinstall it.

If you’re having to unplug your speakers every time, then make sure that they are connected properly when you’re not using the headset. If you’re still having issues, I’d suggest contacting Skype help directly - they may have some information that we don’t.