post the pulseaudio verbose log
try hda-jack-sense-test to find out whether your acer aspire e500 support jack detection of front panel headphone and mic alc880 is a 8 channels codec and headphone need to share with line out jack (rear panel green jack) and there is no headphone playback volume control Simple mixer control 'Headphone',0 Capabilities: pswitch penum Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right Mono: Front Left: Playback [on] Front Right: Playback [on] Node 0x1b [Pin Complex] wcaps 0x40018d: Stereo Amp-Out Control: name="Headphone Playback Switch", index=0, device=0 ControlAmp: chs=3, dir=Out, idx=0, ofs=0 Amp-Out caps: ofs=0x00, nsteps=0x00, stepsize=0x00, mute=1 Amp-Out vals: [0x00 0x00] Pincap 0x0000133f: IN OUT HP Detect Trigger ImpSense Vref caps: HIZ 50 80 Pin Default 0x0221411f: [Jack] HP Out at Ext Front Conn = 1/8, Color = Green DefAssociation = 0x1, Sequence = 0xf Misc = NO_PRESENCE Pin-ctls: 0xc0: OUT HP VREF_HIZ Unsolicited: tag=04, enabled=1 Connection: 1 0x13 -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/878394 Title: after 11.10 upgrade: lost hardware device To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/878394/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs