Resolving Microphone Problems

Resolving Microphone Problems
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In this document:
Using this document to troubleshoot microphone issues
Test your equipment
There is no sound or signal when recording
Check the connections
Check microphone settings
Ensure correct recording device is selected
Remove duplicate soundcard entries from Device Manager
Resolving microphone failure with Internet software (chat rooms)
Fix feedback, noise, and static problems
This document pertains to Notebook PCs with Windows Vista.
Using this document to troubleshoot microphone issues
This document provides solutions to a variety of microphone/recording problems. This document is divided up into sections that deal with individual issues. Before performing any of the solutions in this document, test your equipment. After testing your equipment, select the document section that applies to your issue and follow the instructions.
Changes in software, settings or drivers can cause a microphone to stop working. If your microphone recently stopped working, you may need to use Microsoft's System Restore feature to correct the problem. For more information, see Related links .

Test your equipment
To troubleshoot microphone recording problems, follow the steps below, depending upon using an internal or external microphone.
Test the internal microphone
The internal microphone is located near the top of the notebook LCD display or near the bottom of the LCD near the hinge. Use the following best practices to capture sound more easily:

Adjust the notebook screen to place the microphone in the best direction for receiving sound.
Speak directly into the microphone. Avoid speaking away from the microphone.
When using the internal microphone, choose an environment without background noise.

Test the external microphone
Verify that the microphone port and microphone is working properly.

Test the microphone on a known, working portable tape recorder, another computer or device that accepts the microphone connector.
If the microphone successfully records the voice, test the computer's record function. If the microphone does not work properly on another PC or tape recorder try using a different microphone.

Test the computer's record function
Follow the steps below to verfy that the computer's recording program works properly.

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Sound Recorder.
Click Record and speak into the microphone. Save the file to an easily-accessible location, such as the desktop.
To play back the recorded sound, open the file using Windows Media Player.
If the recorded sound does not play back, continue to the next section of this document.

There is no sound or signal when recording
If, when recording with a microphone, no sound or signal is recorded, use the following steps to resolve this issue.

Check the connections
Verify the microphone (if external) is plugged into the correct jack in the front or side of the computer.
If the microphone is connected to the correct jack and there is still no sound, try unplugging the connector about 1mm, so that the connector is sitting loosely in the jack. It is possible your microphone's connector does not match up correctly with the sound card jack. If this does not resolve the problem, push the connector firmly into the jack and go to the next step.

Check microphone settings
Follow the steps below to verify the microphone's settings in Windows Vista:

Right-click the Sound icon in the system taskbar, beside the clock. Select Recording Devices from the drop-down menu.
When the Sound window opens to the Recording tab, select Microphone. The Microphone entry should say that it is working, and there should be a meter beside the entry.
Tap the plastic above the display gently. The meter should respond to the sound stimulus by rising and falling.
If the microphone is not working, or if the meter is not present, or does not seem to respond to sound input, follow the steps below:

Click Properties. The Microphone Properies window appears.
Make sure that the device is enabled in the Device usage dropdown menu on the General tab.
Click the Levels tab. Set the microphone volume to 100.
Click the Advanced tab. Make sure that all checkboxes in this window are have checks in them.
Click Apply, then OK. Close the windows.
Try recording again to see if the problem is resolved. If there is still no sound, continue to the next step.

Ensure correct recording device is selected
Access sound properties:

Click Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound. The Sound window appears.
On the Playback tab, select the SPDIF Interface, or audio device.
On the Recording tab, select the Audio device that is installed on the computer. It should be the same as the listing under Sound Playback.
Click OK, and close the Sound window.
Try recording again to see if the problem is resolved. If there is still no sound, continue to the next step.

Remove duplicate soundcard entries from Device Manager
If there are multiple soundcard entries in the Device Manager, they may conflict with one another. Follow the steps below to determine if conflicts exist, and remove duplicate entries.

Click Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Device Manager. If prompted, permit the action to continue.
Click the plus (+) sign next to Sound, video and game controllers in the list and check for other soundcard entries that have the exact same name.
If there are duplicate entries, select them one by one. Right-click each duplicate and select Remove until they are all removed.
Click on the Scan for hardware changes button in the Device Manager taskbar. Windows Vista will scan your system's hardware and supply default drivers where needed.
Try recording again to see if the problem is resolved. If there is still no sound, continue to the next step.

Resolving microphone failure with Internet software (chat rooms)
There are many reasons why voice may not work over the Internet. These reasons will vary based on the voice carrying software that you are trying to use. Typically, Internet connections that use a proxy server or firewall will not work.
If the microphone can record sounds into the computer, then it is capable of working with software that carries voice over the Internet. Test the microphone to see if it is functioning properly. If it is functioning properly, then the issue is probably a setting or capability in the chatting software. If it is not working, then use the other sections in this document to resolve your issue.

Fix feedback, noise, and static problems
If microphone boost is selected, noise can interfere with recording. Use the following steps to check for and disable the microphone boost setting:

Right-click the Sound icon in the system taskbar, beside the clock. Select Recording Devices from the drop-down menu.
When the Sound window opens to the Recording tab, select Microphone. Then click the Properties button. The Microphone Properties window appears.
Select the Advanced tab.
Under Default Format, select the lowest sample rate and bit depth available, such as 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality).
Click the Close button and exit out of all windows.
Try using the micrphone again to see if the problem is resolved.