Luddite needs 2 way sound.

This is what I am seeing with mah two eyeballs: UNDER "RECORDING" 1. A picture of a table top microphone with a green check over it - says: Microphone High Definition Audio Device Working over here is a sound bar with blue soundwaves 2. A picture of a headset - with NO green check mark - says: Microphone High Definition Audio Device Working over here there is NO sound bar 3. A picture of plugs - with NO green check mark - says: Line in Working over here there is NO sound bar ____________________________________________________________________ At the bottom of this box: Configure Set default Properties OK (in blue) cancel apply

Okay, so to clarify. The microphone at the top of the list is showing that sound is being heard? (The sound bar will move up and down depending on how loud you tap or speak)

Yes, The pink plug is in the pink hole. (Gawd that sounds lewd)

There is a blue bar, but when I speak or tap it, it does nothing…shows no signs at all. Pass me that bottle of whiskey….

Don't worry, we'll get there in the end. Okay, this time try making the "headset" the default device. Try tapping it again and see if the bars light up.

So now the headset has the blue bars beside it, but when I make noise, it does not show any kind of movement. When I toodle around in there, it claims that the microphone is 'working'

NOTE: My gmail talk/callphone is claiming that "we couldn't detect a proper audio setup".

Okay, this either means the microphones are faulty, or there is something wrong with your audio device driver.

Before we try reinstalling the drivers, we'll try one more thing.

Right click the "headset" icon and go to properties to get back to the volume screen. Last time you dragged the normal input volume all the way to the right. This time I want you to drag the "Microphone Boost" all the way to the right too.

The "Microphone Boost" literally does what it says on the tin. It amplifies the signal from your microphone to make it louder.

Try tapping the microphone to see if the bars light up and then try gmail.

If that still doesn't work, we'll go for a driver reinstall.

Getting somewhere….. At least now, in the blue bar, there is a bit of green at the bottom of it,…that is the thing that we want to move up and down when I talk…..but that little bit of green was not there before. I've got a friend here on gmail chat…and I can hear her like she is sitting in the room through the speakers AND the headset. "Not at the same time of course….but we tested both……

I did come across an option to update the driver….is it possible that the driver needs to be updated, rather than a new one installed? I have done nothing of the like, since I got this machine in 2007.

Well, updating and installing a new deriver is essentially the same thing. Drivers get updated once in a while, but in order to reduce any chance of problems we would install them as though they were new. Anyway, back to the green bar. Does the green move at all if you try and talk directly into the microphone?

Here's an issue too… The microphone jack information says "rear panel" ….so I plugged into the back, but that got me nothing…I could not hear my friend and she could not hear me….. So went back to the front plug in again, which is where I have always plugged in to…. but maybe this icon is for the back only? there is TWO headset icons…..and one table microphone icon to play with here….

I think we have the right device now in the right place…. But that green bar is just sitting on the bottom rung, and not moving….I got it to bump for one microsecond….but that is it…..so it's like it is on life support or something…LOL….just laying there at the bottom…… I can't seem to boost it at all…..

Right…okay. Unplug the microphone completely and go back to the Sound properties window. If all the microphone icons are still showing, right click somewhere on the white space and click "Show Disconnected Devices". The list should now look smaller. Then plug the Microphone back into the front socket. The icon that pops up is then the right device, I hope.

Ok There is something goin on there, that is where our little gremlin is messin' with things. When I followed those instructions…..the device that popped back up, was indeed the headset one …but this time, that little green bar on the bottom, flashed on for a second, and then went away…so now it is just a blue bar without the green again…. I am resisting the temptation to poke my swiss army knife at it to get it to perk up…..