Would a USB headset work if internal audio was dead?

[PenguinActually]

I noticed my laptop has no audio at all now. Nothing for audio shows in the device manager, no drivers sort the issue out, no devices show in the playback and recording tabs of the sounds window. No internal speakers, no 3.5mm in or out.

 

I can however plug a Razer Kraken V2 Chroma USB headset in and I will get audio out and microphone.

I've been chasing drivers that seemingly don't exist and installing anything I could find for Win 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 but none have had an effect. Full system / driver updates done, except BIOS. Nothing had changed except a reasonably fresh re-install.

Windows 10 Home V1809

 

If the internal sound has given up, would that still allow a USB device to work for audio?

[WereCatf]

5 minutes ago, PenguinActually said:

If the internal sound has given up, would that still allow a USB device to work for audio? 

Yes.

[PenguinActually]

8 minutes ago, WereCatf said:

Yes.

Okay thanks. I wasn't sure if it still had to pass through the internal audio or if it could be processed directly.

[rice guru]

1 hour ago, PenguinActually said:

Okay thanks. I wasn't sure if it still had to pass through the internal audio or if it could be processed directly.

if its using USB it becomes it's own audio device as the headset somewhere in line it will have it's own DAC which proccesses the signals so your headphone can make it into sound and AMP which amplifies those signals so what your hearing is loud enough

[PenguinActually]

9 hours ago, rice guru said:

if its using USB it becomes it's own audio device as the headset somewhere in line it will have it's own DAC which proccesses the signals so your headphone can make it into sound and AMP which amplifies those signals so what your hearing is loud enough

Cool thanks for that. Explains why the headset immediately showed audio devices in the device manager and in the sounds window when it was plugged in then.

 

Interestingly, as a test I installed an ISO of Windows 7 Home onto it that was on my external drive as a test, being the original OS it came with back in the day. Right off the first boot after pulling the USB out it has internal speakers and 3.5mm lines in and out. Made my day it's not a hardware issue, and learned that my testing with a USB headset wasn't going to tell me anything anyway. Now to figure out why there is no drivers at all for Windows 10

 

Edit

Reinstalled Windows 10 with the newest ISO from the media creation tool over the windows 7 install and everything is perfect now for some reason.

Edited May 30, 2019 by PenguinActually
Added update.