I've purchased a new Acer Predator a week ago and has set it up to dual boot with Linux Mint and Windows 10. It was working perfectly fine for a week, until yesterday my sound suddenly disappeared while I was logged in Linux. It happened right after I had plugged my headphones into a headphone jack, which led me to suspect that it was a hardware-related issue.
After reboot, Linux would not recognize any sound outputs. Just to verify my suspicions, I had booted into Windows, which had the same issue: no output devices were recognized, whether it were built-in speakers or headphones. It also has revealed that Intel Audio Controlled was malfunctioning and throwing Error Code 10. Reinstalling/rolling back drivers didn't help, as was expected, but I had to try.
Just for another confirmation, I booted of a USB Linux distro, and it also couldn't detect any audio outputs. Confident that my audio controller was dead, I ordered a replacement laptop and stopped looking for a solution.
The next day, I started the laptop again and the sound was working just fine in Windows, but not Linux. The Intel Audio Controller is now operating properly. No changes were made overnight, and I honestly have no clue why the sudden change of heart.
At this point I'm pretty sure it's a safer bet to replace it, but I can't help but wonder what could've caused the issue and how has it resolved itself despite my hardest efforts?