Microphone volume too low

Attn: Windows geniuses who cannot be bothered with feedback.

The microphone level still doesn't work for thousands of users.

So how about I offer a little financial incentive?

I'll pay Windows 5¢ if they can fix this problem.

That's right ... five whole cents ... five pennies.

How about it guys?  Can you fix this for all the Windows 7 and Vista users?

No need to worry about XP.  That was the last OS that worked.

I have a similar problem.  I have a Dell Studio laptop with Windows 7 and when I record audio with an external microphone, it will replay loud and clear on my new Dell, but when I transfer the wav files to any other computer, I can barely hear it even with headphones on!  That's how I get work done, sending wav files to a person on another computer!  I want the problem fixed as well; it's crucial!

hey all, there is a fix, and its not mic boost lol, read on.....>> i suffered with this for such a long time over about 3 creative soundblaster cards and a couple of onboard audio chips. i'm probably even on this forum with an old account complaining about this issue. the answer is surprisingly simple, takes a little re-wiring or re-purchase, and you will have to search for the diagram as i cant find the link but wish to help you all while im i'm here. microsoft and creative....shame on you both for never offering this fix, it shows how badly trained you really are. i found my fix on an audio website dealing with some of the very first soundblaster cards. i had tried upgraded cards (up to x-fi titanium fatality pro) purchased many (and even made my own) microphones in an attempt to resolve the issue. (and for some reason it affects usb live webcams produced by microsoft too..double shame...triple shame for sending my five or so replacements rather than trying to understand the issue or test your products to make sure they work before you sell them...microsoft certified..obviously means nothing). right..to the simple bit. condenser mic's (standard pc mic's), are generally wired with two contacts, if your here your mic jack has 3 contacts. so we have one spare contact on the jack. creative cards are wired to run 2 pin mic's at a very low level (mic boost workaround needed) or....the fun bit....3 pin mic's that use the 3rd contact as a power source. the fix is simply to keep the center pin as it is but connect the two other contacts. yup, thats all folks! (i simply removed the little plastic separator and wound some wire in, later i soldered the whole thing correctly) the creative card was very happy with that and my mic volume went from under 5-10% at normal speaking volume, to around 80% (i have a soft voice). the other option is simply to use a two contact 3.5mm audio jack instead of triple contact..but who uses those these days :) the creative socket uses a resistor on the 3rd contact in such a way that it provides more power to the mic and has circuitry dedicated to this so it is very safe to do and is considered normal operation. IIIII this whole issue is a matter of old standards> creatives standard mic input...designed to work with two or three pin jacks. microsofts standard...designed to work with two pin mics. the 3.5mm jack.....the standard has become to use a 3 pin jack on everything. low cost condensor mic standard...to use two pins. IIIII so if you have traversed my annoyance and ramblings succesfully then you will have a working mic with full volume. the descriptive diagram image (created by an unknown audio enthusiast many years ago) i wished to post, can be found if you search the net using these keywords: soundblaster; wiring diagram; mic. III i am sorry i dont have it to post here. alternatively, you can register at my clans website (repectfully, no spam please) at kdclan.net and search the hardware section for a post by myself: Vicious Enzyme where you will find a similar bitchy write-up but with the pictures and formatting included ;) good day to you all and happy talking :) (except maybe microsoft and creative...may you rot in **** for being so damn ignorant of your own designs and not listening to your humble users, who obviously know more than even your top engineers and support representatives..dont even try and argue with me over this one lol, idiots...or just greedy (mic sales etc) i'm undecided atm but you can tell us which you'd prefer to be known as)

Hi Laura17,

Some mobile PCs have an external volume control on the outside of the case. Check the external volume control.

Make sure your headphones are not plugged into the line out (headphone) jack of your sound card or computer (unless you want to be listening with headphones rather than speakers). When you plug in headphones, most computers automatically cut the sound to the speaker

Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services for No Sound in windows 7

Lets try Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services for No Sound in windows 7, Visit the link below and click on green button that says "Run Now" and follow the instructions appears on the screen.

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/no_sound

Follow the steps given below and check if it helps

There could be a possibility that the recording device could be faulty or the driver could be missing since you get a message "An audio recording device cannot be found"

Step 1 : To check if a driver is faulty

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.

1.    Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager.‌ If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

2.    Double-click the appropriate device category, and then look for an entry for the device you are having a problem with.

3.    Right-click the entry for the recording device, and then click Properties.

4.    Click the General tab, and then look in the Device status box to see if it mentions any problems with the device—specifically, a problem with the driver.

If you suspect that a driver you received from the manufacturer is faulty, contact the manufacturer.

Step 2 : Try to update the driver.

Some devices have drivers that you need to install yourself. If you download a driver that isn't self-installing, follow these steps:

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.

1.    Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager.‌ If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

2.    In Device Manager, locate the recording device and then double-click the device name.

3.    Click the Driver tab, and then click update Driver and follow the instructions.

Check the link to manually re-install the drivers

Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Update-a-driver-for-hardware-that-isnt-working-properly

Step 4 : Uninstall and reinstall a driver

 1.    Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel , clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager.

 If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

2.    Locate it, right click on it and select properties .

3.    Go to driver tab and click on Uninstall button to uninstall the driver associated with the device.

Once the uninstall completes, restart your computer, it will automatically detect and install it again, and install the new driver which you downloaded from the manufacturer’s website.

Step 5 : Check Audio Services:

1. Click Start, type Services.msc in the Start Search box.
2. Scroll down the list of services, right-click Windows Audio and select Start.
3. Select Properties for Windows Audio and set its Startup Type to Automatic.

If the Windows Audio service does not start and you get the error Error 1068:

The dependency service or group failed to start, then make sure that the following services are started and their Startup Type is set to Automatic.

a. Plug and Play

b. Multimedia Class Scheduler

c. Windows Audio Endpoint Builder

Also see :

Troubleshoot audio-recording problems

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Troubleshoot-audio-recording-problems

Azeez Nadeem - microsoft Support