Reddit mentions of HiFiMeDIY TINY USB DAC Digital to Analog Audio Converter ES9023+PCM2706

Don't return it and buy it again, it's guaranteed to happen due to being a compact computer. You want just this honestly

USB to 3.5mm, you mean a tiny-dac... Then yes... If it's something like the dragonfly then yes... Otherwise, no. A cable wont work. You need a dac to turn the digital (usb) signal into analog for normal headphones. AKA a digial to analog converter (dac).

edit: dragonfly is 99$ a bit high for what you prob need. I would look at something like this if you're tough on cash http://www.amazon.com/HiFiMeDIY-Digital-Analog-Converter-PCM2706/dp/B00CWVDPC0/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1458415493&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=usb+tiny+dac

1. Don't uninstall the driver; the driver installer should uninstall it for you, and then install the correct driver upon reboot. Disconnect from the internet while it's installing just to be safe.
   
   
2. That's one of the problems with the default Windows driver
   
   
3. Well... shit. Could be that your laptop just has really shitty integrated sound. And that statics sounds like it is badly isolated from the rest of the computer. You could also try returning/replacing if you can still do that. I'd return it and get a different laptop altogether.
   
   Have a look at the Behringer UCA202 (cheap and still OK, but bulky), or some other USB DAC in the meantime.
   
   There's also this and (my recommendation, if you can afford it) this. They'll give you way better sound than any laptop can provide, and they'll be completely free from any crackling or interference of any kind since they're outside of the computer.

Here's an amazon.es dac for 40Euro, in the same vein as /u/Senkaichu :: HiFiMe ES9023. It's a common mobile dac and used often enough in industry to be a good, if cheap, solution.