New computer, sound problem...

Hey all!

I just bought (like... Sunday) an HP-dv7, and I am having an issue regarding the sound. What I WANT to happen is when I plug in headphones, my volume controls will alter the volume through the headphones, and if I do not have headphones in it will control the speakers volume. What happens NOW is when headphones are in, I cannot hear any sound. When they aren't in, sound is normal. What can I do to fix this? =/

Edit: another issue I'm having, is the f1-f12 keys all have a secondary function, like brightness/sound levels and stuff. In order for them to function as f1-f12 keys, I have to hold the function button, and when weapon swapping in GW, its annoying, so how can I reverse these?

Sound prob i cant answer but regarding the keyboard , most fancy keyboards with keys like you said tend to have specific drivers and if you uninstall the drivers ( if there isnt a way to get what you want ) then the keyboard should work as standard keyboard.

Most laptops that have that sort of Function button have some way of setting up the button so that the F keys default to F1-F12 and you need to hold the function button to get the other functions - in other words, the direct opposite of what you now have. So, RTFM - read the freakin' manual - and it should tell you where (usually somewhere in Control Panel) you can set that.

As far as the headphones go - I have to ask the obvious questions:
Were you expecting the speakers to still work when you plugged in the headphones? If so, there may also be a setting for that in Control Panel. Normally, plugging in headphones will turn off the internal speakers.
Do your headphones have a volume control in the headphone's cable and did you have it turned up? (That will only affect the headphone volume, not the speaker volume.)

well Quaker, when I had headphones in, sound wasn't working through headphones,the speakers were still causing the sound. Like right now, for instance, my headphones are in, but my speakers are receiving the sound.

Somehow - call me crazy, but - somehow I interpreted that to mean no sound through the speakers either.

And again, since you failed to give much in the way of information:
- Have you tried the headphones in any other device, such as an mp3 player, to make sure they work?
- Is there an in-line volume control on the headphones and is it turned up?
- Is there an audio control app in Control Panel to set the functions of the various jacks and/or make the speakers turn off when the headphones are plugged in?
- Did you RTFM?

The headphones DO work, I used them on my old computer.
There isn't a volume control on the headphones.

About the Control Panel, I don't know what exactly to look for, the Sound menu opens up a window with playback and recording devices. When I have Speakers enabled, all sound goes through the speakers, regardless of whats plugged in, if I disable them, I cannot control my volume at all and all sounds go through my headphones and are extremely loud. I have tried my audio control settings in the bottom right corner to see what could be changed there, but nothing was working.

I read the manual, but nothing of importance about external sound devices. I hope this information is a bit more insightful.

Edit: I figured it out, I'm an idiot.

Now I just need to figure out how to reverse my f1-f12 keys.

I'm betting the headphones were connected to the mic socket....

I'm betting that the headphone jack was set to "Line out".

From the manual - (available online) - the Fn keys default condition is set in the Setup Utility in the BIOS, which you access while the computer starts up, by pressing F10 or ESC.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02160511.pdf