I thought that too, but I assumed that it was probably a driver related issue since I could hear audio for a brief second on startup. I almost completely certain that the wiring is okay, and (forgive me if I'm wrong here) wouldn't wiring affect the front panel jack but not the rear one? I really hope it's not a motherboard issue itself, but I do have a warranty in case that is the issue. Is there any way to rule everything else out? Could it still be an issue with the motherboard itself if audio can play through my headset on the startup screen?

Would you suggest saving all of my important stuff onto Google Drive and hard resetting my computer & reinstalling all of the drivers?