Not getting full 5.1 only getting 2.1

So i have a p5ld2 asus mobo with windows 7 64bit and realtek drivers which im uninstalled and re-installed.

I have a 5.1 surround sound system and whenever i test it through windows and/or realtek i get the full 5.1 but whenever i start a game (skyrim or anything else) i only get sound out of the two front speakers.

Ive always been able to have the full surround sound up until yesterday

Have you made sure to select 5.1 sound within the game settings? Even though Windows may be configured for 5.1 surround sound, often games and media players will default to stereo until otherwise changed.

Not sure where the "bug" was, but for me to get 5.1, I had to set my system to 7.1, then disable the 2 surround sound speakers.

That is a different issue. It can be caused by the speaker jacks not matching up to the ports they are plugged into, although it is also possible they were not configured properly in software. Most motherboard sound chips will allow users to change which port outputs which channels in the software drivers.

It could just be a driver issue, as not all drivers play nice when using a 5.1 surround system. The two extra speakers might default to "side" speakers instead of "rear" speakers, I've seen that before too. 7.1 has both side and rear speakers. I have noticed changing my own .51 setup between "side" and "rear" speaker configurations will change what programs and music is played, or not played in as the case may be.

I am just saying that for me to get 5.1 surround sound, I had to enable 7.1.