Hi, everyone. I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I need some help please.

On my tower, I have two headphone sockets. One down the bottom, near the USB ports and one up the top directly under the CD drawer.

The top one has a volume control but the socket gives no sound anyway. The bottom socket works but I have no volume control unless I use inline headphones.

My question is...is my top socket busted or do I have to set it up to use it somewhere? I would much prefer to use this one.

I've an old Dell Dimension 2350. (Well, old by today's standards anyway. )

Your top one is so that you can listen to a music CD and do other things on your computer while not having music cranked so loud that it wakes the neighbors. It's sort of like a portable Cd player (the old "Walkman" if you will). This jack (port) will only work when listening to a CD. If you play music from your hdd, or off the internet, you won't be able to hear it when using this jack.

The one on the bottom is for having a "curtosey" port in the front so that you don't have to continually move your computer to plug a headset into the back. This one you should be able to hear everything through, whether it's off a CD, your hdd, the internet, or a game. This port is controlled by the computer, so it will put all sounds that the computer makes through this port. Of course, the port itself doesn't have a volume control, as the sound is coming from the motherboard (unless you have a sound card, then it comes from the sound card), so the computer has to control the sound (meaning that whatever program you're using has to control the volume).

Basically, the socket on the tower plays all music and sounds that you can hear that your computer makes.

The socket on the CD drive only plays sound directly from the CD player itself (only when you have a CD in it).

Hope this helps!

The volume on your lower socket can be controlled through the built-in Windows Volume Control. Its icon can be placed in the System Tray near the time and date by: Start > Control Panel > double-click Sounds and Audio Devices > put a check in the box 'Place volume icon in the taskbar'.

From then on you can double-click this grey speaker-looking icon and adjust the volume with the sliders. Hope this helps.

Thank you, both. Very much. It was really puzzling me.

I do have the volume control in the System Tray, but never thought to try it, and I don't like my inline headphones, so now I can go back to my old one's.

You're brill. Thanks.

Bummer. The one under my CD drive must be busted. It doesn't work even with a music CD in. Ah well, never mind.

Thanks again, guys.

Probably controlled by your soundcard. Mine doesn't, either - I'm using onboard sound and my speakers have a desktop control that also has a headphone jack, which does work.

Sometimes the CD drive's headphone jack requires an Auxiliary In from the motherboard. Its a little cable with only 3-4 wires on it that plugs directly from the motherboard to the back of the Cd rom drive. You might have to read the manual for your motherboard to see if there is a connector on your motherboard for this. Also the cable should have come with your cd drive if you bought it new from a store.

-Nick