T510 MB doesn't recognize headphones?

First off, I've ruled out driver issues. I've upgraded my drivers, rolled 'em back, uninstalled and reinstalled many times. Even booted into Linux which I know supports the jack and it didn't pipe the music to my head.

Is this a common issue among owners? The strange part is that it went out steadily, that is, Breaking Bad played half on my laptop speakers and half on my 2.1's, switching between them often.

I took the thing apart (all the way! Messed up my wifi card along the way, that's for another thread) and couldn't see anything wrong with the part or the connections with the board. I'm thinking that the contacts inside the jack could have bent to the point that they don't naturally make contact anymore? Just don't know at this point. Suggestions are very welcomed!

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I'm thinking the jack is damaged. This is unfortunate, since unless you're skilled with a soldering iron you're looking at a potentially expensive repair...

 

I was considering replacing the jack. I'm great with the iron but my equipment can't handle the high-temp, multi-point solder this would require. I'd need to use some equipment from work (obviously that's looked down upon), and even then it's a risk.

So does this sort of thing happen often, then?

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I've never seen one spontaneously die, no. I've dealt with a couple ThinkPads in the past that have had them damaged by a) people being idiots and stick random junk in the socket b) people accidentally bumping into their headphone plug while it's plugged in, damaging the plug and the jack in the process.

Before you get out the soldering iron though, I'd make sure that it's not a sofware problem. This advice comes courtesy of a couple youthful, careless experiences from my early years of hardware repair...