My second Computer windows Xp Prof. problem with "MICROPHONE".

Depends on what Operating System you have; Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 (or 8.1). Also, what HP laptop do you have? does it have a built-in microphone?

Look for a 3.5 mm microphone port on the computer. Usually the port on the back of the desktop will have a pink surround. (There will be other ports there; the usual minimum are the green port for speakers and blue one for line-in.) Put the 3.5 mm jack on the end of the cord on the microphone into the port. If you have an add-in sound card, use the microphone port on the sound card.

Some machines will also have a front panel microphone port. This will have a small mike icon next to the port.

Next you need to ensure that the audio device is set to Microphone. For Windows systems (Vista/7/8), enter the Control Panel and go to the Hardware and Sound panel. Click on Manage Audio Devices under Sound. Then click on the Recording tab. Check if the microphone listed as plugged in. Make this the default recording device. (XP has a slightly different name for the panel.) For XP through Windows 7, click on the start button and then find the Control Panel listed on the right. For Windows 8, from the desktop, press the Ctrl and X keys at the same time. Then find the Control Panel in the list. (Alternatively, activate the Charms menu, Ctrl+C or hover on the upper right of the screen. Move down and click on the gear (Settings). Then select the Control Panel.)

If the computer doesn't indicate that the microphone is plugged in, make sure that the 3.5 mm plug is in the correct port. Next try the microphone on another computer. The audio card port could be damaged or the microphone cable could be faulty. If the microphone works on another computer, you can try a USB audio adapter (StarTech ICUSBAUDIO or similar) or a new sound card. (Note: some older sound cards do not work properly on newer versions of Windows. If you have a sound card installed and the motherboard has an on-board audio device, remove the sound card. Enable the on-board audio in the computer's BIOS. Install the appropriate audio drivers. Try that audio device. Accessing the BIOS will depend on computer. Often you can press Esc, F1, F2, F10 or Delete repeatedly after you turn on the computer. If Windows starts to boot, turn off the system and try again.) If another computer doesn't recognize the microphone, I'd recommend a new microphone. Fixing the cable isn't worth the effort.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

Using a microphone with computer

To use any microphone with your computer you will need to enable it in control panel. The following instructions are for Windows XP but are broadly similar for Vista and Win7

Click START, CONTROL PANEL, SOUNDS & AUDIO DEVICES

Click VOICE

In the Sounds & Audio Devices Properties window locate the SOUND PLAYBACK box and click the VOLUME button. Make sure that there is not a tick (check-mark) in the MUTE box against microphone in the list of devices and that the volume slider is at the top of the scale.

Also make sure that the MUTE ALL box isn't checked before closing the window.

Now click the VOLUME button in the SOUND RECORDING BOX. Here you need to SELECT microphone as an input source for recording (as opposed to un-checking mute in the playback controls).

NOTE if microphone is not listed in the 2 sets of volume controls click OPTIONS, PROPERTIES on the tool-bar and place a check against microphone in the list entitled 'show the following volume controls' and then click OK.

That should be it.

However - if you cannot get enough volume on the microphone you may need to purchase a pre-amplifier to boost the signal strength before input to the computer.

You don't specify what type of microphone you are using.
The following instructions apply to a microphone plugged into the normal mic/line in (red) jak-plug socket on most computers.
If you are using a USB microphone the process might be slightly different because the system has to actually recognise the microphone first. Most are plug and play so will automatically be detected after a few seconds but some do need drivers installing from the mic manufacturers disk
To use any microphone with your computer you will need to enable it in control panel. The following instructions are for Windows XP but are broadly similar for Vista and Win7
Click START, CONTROL PANEL, SOUNDS & AUDIO DEVICES
In the Sounds & Audio Devices Properties window locate the SOUND PLAYBACK box and click the VOLUME button. Make sure that there is not a tick (check-mark) in the MUTE box against microphone in the list of devices and that the volume slider is at the top of the scale.
Also make sure that the MUTE ALL box isn't checked before closing the window.
Now click the VOLUME button in the SOUND RECORDING BOX. Here you need to SELECT microphone as an input source for recording (as opposed to un-checking mute in the playback controls).
NOTE if microphone is not listed in the 2 sets of volume controls click OPTIONS, PROPERTIES on the tool-bar and place a check against microphone in the list entitled 'show the following volume controls' and then click OK.
That should be it.

I don't think the laptop comes with a microphone.

Simply enable the microphone and check the audio control tab to see if the microphone is not mute....sodeep

Hi, no your eMachine does not come with a built-in microphone. You can however, easily buy a USB microphone from your local electronics store or from Amazon for around $25 dollars. Good luck!

Check to see if the microphone works on the macintosh side of the computer, chances are it won't, microphone usage on Macintosh computers has been hit and miss, sometimes the microphone needs a pre-amp or USB interface like a Griffin iMic adapter.

Did your Microphone come with a Software CD?

Sounds like the mic is bad. The only way to confirm this is to plug a different mic into the computer and see if that works. If the second mic gives no sound then the computer may have an issue. Hope this helps.