Windows 10: Volume permanently muted after taking apart laptop

I have a Dell Inspiron laptop (I can't find the model number), and have Windows 10 installed on it. Earlier today, I opened the inside of my laptop to plug my solid state drive back in, due to a boot device error that I've had to deal with before and have fixed. It turned back on fine afterwards except that now the volume dialog is permanently onscreen and stuck on zero, even when I'm not touching anything. If I try to turn the volume up, I can tell it's trying to go up like I want it to, but then it goes right back down and mutes itself, as though the Volume Down key is stuck down. I'm guessing this is due to me messing something up inside the laptop earlier. I've also tried restarting the laptop, turning the volume up manually in Settings, and reinstalling drivers. None of it has worked. My guess is that it's something with either the sound card or the volume down key itself.

If anyone has an idea as to how to fix this, I would be most grateful, as I use the speakers on my laptop a lot. Thanks!



:)

 

Windows 10 Volume Mixer fails to keep System Sounds muted over Remote Desktop Connection

The problem:

after having muted the System Sounds on the remote desktop machine, it shall unmute itself after several seconds. This pattern is persistent.

The physical setting:

I use my laptop at work, and use Remote Desktop Connection to access my desktop machine left in my apartment.

The software setting:

I have enabled Remote audio through the Remote Desktop Connection, and chose Remote audio playback --> Play on this computer. Thus, I get audio streaming on my laptop at work.

My attempt:

I have tried to find a way to mute System Volumes through a shortcut, and the following pages appears to be helpful:

1. HowToGeek suggested to create a shortcut with the following executable command:
   
   “C:\Path\To\nircmd.exe” mutesysvolume 2
   
2. The same source also points me to the shortcut for opening the Volume Mixer. %SystemRoot%\System32\SndVol.exe. Yet, I failed to find a stable way to mute System Sounds through AutoHotKey.
   

The problem for the suggested approach is that, on Windows 10, nircmd.exe no longer take the option "mutesysvolume 2" as designed. Instead of toggling the System Volumes, it is toggling the Device Volume. This is different from what the specs have suggested: NirCmd - Windows command line tool

 

Volume Mixer not showing muted app

The application was muted on Windows 10 with November update. Now I am using Anniversary update, on build 14393.10

The initial step did not help make Banished show up in the Volume Mixer, nor did the article.

 

How can i get the volume mixer sound for a particular game if it's muted from volume mixer

OT- Sound Issues

Since programs are only listed in volume mixer if they are "making sound", and you mute it from volume mixer, how can you get it back as listed on volume mixer because if it's muted from volume mixer then it won't make sound for volume mixer to identify
therefore you can never get it back, but I need volume for the game I'm playing. Is there a way to get it to reappear even though it's permanently muted? I've been searching for an answer but it's all saying to make the program make noise so it registers,
but it's muted from volume mixer, so how do I get it to make noise??