No sound on Windows 7

Sorry if I'm double-posting here!
So, I just finished building this rig with Windows 7—brand new to me—using an ASUS B85 Motherboard and an Intel Pentium 3.3 GHz processor. Most things are running smooth, and even Media Player acts like everything is fine and shows all the audio icons, but when I actually plug in my speakers... total silence. In the Sound settings, I see a Digital Audio Device listed, but it says "Speakers not plugged in."
I already tried nuking the drivers by reinstalling both the Realtek ones from the disc and the ones I grabbed online, but no luck. Checked the connections on the motherboard too, and they're definitely seated right. I poked around the BIOS, but there's nothing special there besides the audio being set to enabled.
Any ideas? I'm starting to think I might just need to grab a dedicated sound card. 🤔

velvetdrifter86 said:Sorry if I'm repeating myself here.
So, I just finished installing Windows 7 (it's my first time using it)

🤦

Have you tried testing this with headphones?

Give these suggestions a shot; they might just help you pin down exactly where things are going sideways.
No Sound from the Speakers or Headphones (Windows 7)

Roger Kim2 said:🤦

Ever tried plugging in some headphones?

Anyone got actual advice here instead of just spamming emojis?
I already tried hooking up two different sets of speakers to the rear panel. Nothing. Total silence. No signal detected at all.

Problem solved! Turns out the cable connector was totally shot. Not sure why my other speakers were acting up too, but honestly, who cares? It's working now.