computer bsods when unplugging speakers

Experiencing a blue screen of death (BSOD) when unplugging speakers can be indicative of driver issues or hardware conflicts. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem:

1. Update Audio Drivers: Ensure that your audio drivers are up to date. You can do this through the Device Manager by right-clicking on your audio device and selecting "Update driver."
2. Check for Faulty Hardware: Sometimes, hardware issues can cause BSODs. Check if the speakers or the audio ports are functioning correctly. You might want to test with different speakers to see if the issue persists.
3. Review Event Viewer: After a BSOD, check the Event Viewer for any critical errors that occurred around the same time. This can provide clues about what might be causing the crashes.
4. Run Hardware Diagnostics: Use any built-in hardware diagnostics tools provided by your computer manufacturer to check for potential issues.
5. Disable Power Saving Features: If your audio drivers have power-saving features, try disabling them. Sometimes, these features can lead to inconsistencies and BSODs when devices are unplugged.
6. Check for System Updates: Make sure your Windows operating system is fully updated, as updates can include important fixes for stability issues.

If the problem continues, consider seeking further assistance from Microsoft support or a qualified technician.

References:

• Stop errors and unexpected restart troubleshooting guidance
• Advanced troubleshooting for stop code errors

Thanks for sharing the details, Caleb! Try to disable/remove the “Jack Detection” Service

Some Realtek audio drivers include a jack-detection service that watches the audio ports. When you unplug speakers/headphones, that service triggers a driver notification. If that service is corrupted or mismatched with Windows updates, it can BSOD the system.

How to fix it:

Step 1 - Disable the Realtek “Jack Detection” component

Option A — From Realtek Audio Console

(If installed)

Open Realtek Audio Console

Go to Device advanced settings

Look for:

• “Enable jack detection”
• “Jack information pop-ups”
• “Connector retasking”

Turn these OFF

This stops the driver from reacting to unplug events.

Step 2 - Disable the Realtek “RtkAudioService” (APO driver helper)

Press Win + R, type services.msc

Find the service names such as:

• Realtek Audio Universal Service
• RtkAudioService64
• RtkAudioService

Double-click → Startup type: Disabled

Click Stop

This removes the unstable middle-layer that causes BSODs during jack-removal.

Step 3 - Delete the Realtek APO Extension Driver

(This one causes BSODs most often during device hot-unplug)

Press Win + X → Device Manager

Expand Software Components

Look for anything like:

• Realtek Hardware Support Application
• Realtek Audio Effects Component
• Realtek Audio Universal Service

Right-click → Uninstall device

Reboot

Windows will still use the base audio driver but without the unstable effect processing.

See if this helps. If you need further assistance just let me know.

Best regards,

Kimberly

Got it, if the system is BSODing on the lock screen, that’s an important clue. Looking forward for your upload tomorrow.