My internal microphone stopped working

Sorry this isn't a solution but just letting you know I'm having the same trouble, the funny thing is mine was working a couple of months back and now its not, it's driving me crazy.

You need to tell your computer which microphone / sound source to use.
In he absence of other instructions it is defaulting to the built in microphone.
Normally your sound-card software should detect a new device plugged in and ask you to confirm it. However if it is not doing so you may need to change the audio settings.
How to correct this will vary slightly depending on which operating system you are using.

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

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). If your webcam/ microphone is built in to the laptop there should also be a volume control called 'Internal MIC' - disable it by placing a check-mark in the mute box.

NOTE if microphone (or internal MIC) 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 but it is possible you may also need to turn off the microphone in the software for your web-cam.

I'm assuming you know FOR A FACT that you have a working microphone on your computer. Is it a laptop? Because, some laptops have internal mics and some don't.

Anyway, if your mic is working, try adjusting te volume(s).

For Windows: right click the sound function (image of a speaker) in the bottom right corner of your screen.

Right click "Recording Devices".

There should be a picture of a mic in a new window now.

Click on "Properties" in the bottom right corner of that window.

Near the bottom of that window you will see "Device Usage".

The device may be disabled. If so, just enable it.


Other than that, I'm not too sure. If you're having any other problems with the computer it may be an internal malfunction.

If not, the mic could be the problem.

But, I hope this solves your problem.

GOOD LUCK!

-Scott-
web designer - evisions
themusenashville.com
Booking Agent - LightsOutBooking NASHVILLE - USA
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Make sure of the following:

- The microphone is plugged in directly to the mic port either in the back of your computer or in the front (if this is available)
- Turn off any other applications that may be using the mic (yahoo messenger, Windows Live messenger, etc..)
- Go to the audio settings of the application you are using. Try to change the mic to another mic other than the default then test your settings

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IThe issue could be due to incorrect audio settings, corrupted drivers.

I recommend you to follow the steps in the below link:

http://notebook-solutions.blogspot.com/2009/06/microphone-of-my-laptop-does-not-work.html

Similar steps have to be followed even for Vista.

Try to disable your laptops build in mic through the recording options on your computer. It worked for me

You need to set the internal mic as the default input device. To check this Right click on the sound icon next to the time and select Recording properties. In the Recording properties right click on Arrey Microphone and select set as default. If this does not help. Uninstall and reinstall the sound drivers. To uninstall the sound drivers click on start and type DEVICE. Open device manager from the results and then look for sound devices. Click on the Plus sign next to Saound and audio devices. Right click on the SigmaTel entry there and select uninstall. Put a check on remove this driver from the computer. Once done restart the computer and go to support.dell.com and click on Drivers and Downloads. Enter your system service tag and download the Sigmatel audio drivers and install them. Check if the MIC works after the restart. If the Arrey microphone is set as the default and you have uninstalled and resinstalled the drivers and it does not work in MSN try recording with the Windows sound recorder and see if it works there. To open the sound recorder click on start and type SOUND. Open sound recorder from the results. Incase the mic does not record even in the recorder it could be bad or have a loose connection. If in warranty call/chat with the Dell technical support. If the warranty has expired consult a local computer guy.

This solution works for the Windows XP version. Go to msconfig.exe, then the Startup tab. UNCHECK rthdcpl and restart. Realtek driver doesn't load, but who cares...the microphone works now.

go to device manager and check if there is mic internal or not-and check user manual sound section.

I've just had this problem and fixed it.

Right click anywhere in the "Recording" tab of your sound options. (the place where you disabled this mic) and click "show disabled devices".

Then simply enable it. Hope this helps.