Can't anyone help me get my mic working?

[Joseppi84]

First off, I am running Windows XP Professional. My mic hasn't worked since I reinstalled Windows months ago. But now I really need to use it. It seems to work fine in other computers. And other mics won't work in mine. So I know it's not the mic itself.

I don't know why, but my mic just will not work on my PC. I have tried everything possible and have had very little luck. I've went through Windows Support Center and have tried everything it said to do.

I have searched the internet far and wide trying to find a solution. I even tried using another sound card. But the mic still doesn't work. I am all out of ideas.

So I come to you guys. What could possibly be my problem and how can I fix it?

 

[Route44]

What about the mic jack? Could it be broke on the motherboard or wherever you plug it in?

 

[Joseppi84]

The jack is fine. I tried 2 different sound cards and the same problem is with both. But the mic works on other computers.

 

[raybay]

Sound drivers error? Go to Start->Control Panel->System->Hardware.>Device Manager and see if there are any yellow or red flags for the sound devices.
Regardless, download the sound drivers, then, when you know where they are, remove or disable the existing drivers, and install the new downloads.

 

[Joseppi84]

I've updated the drivers on both sound cards. I've even reinstalled both as well. Nothing.

The mic seems to give a very faint sound when I speak into it. I can't be heard, but the bars raise a little bit.

 

[LookinAround]

Hmmm...

Here's some good links (about mic issues) i've collected over time that may or may not address your specific problem. Don't know if any might help you out...

How to: Realtek ALC883: Boost the mic volume on your Realtek audio codec
SoundMAX Frequently Asked Questions
The Internal Mixer on the DSP24 series cards
Recording quality is poor when you use a USB microphone on a Windows Server 2003-based computer (or XP Pro 64-bit) that has 4 GB of RAM or more
How to set enable microphone Input?

And are you sure your mic is plugged into the right front / rear panel jack?
Connecting Audio & Sound Devices to your Desktop Computer

/* EDIT */
I'll add one more thing. I know this is an issue with Vista (altho you are running XP) but might be worth your knowing / considering if also somehow involved
- In Vista, the Sound control panel allows you to check/uncheck Allow an application exclusive use
- While i don't think this is in XP Sound control panel nor know that a device CAN take exclusive use.. at the same time i don't know that some application in XP can't attempt exclusive use nor simply interfere with its use by another app
- Review all the applications running/startup on your computer. Do any use the microphone? (e.g. Speech recognition in some Microsoft Office products are an option) Or do you use any VoIP products like Skype?
- Of course, still look closely if the mic jack might be broken, poor wiring etc