Why My Microphone Is Not Working?

My name is Narasimha, I am from the Social Media and Community Team at Dell.

Perform the following three methods to troubleshoot this issue and verify if the issue is resolved.

Method 1. Recording Troubleshooter:
Open the Record Sound troubleshooter by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type troubleshooter, and then click Troubleshooting. Under Hardware and Sound, click Troubleshoot audio recording.‌  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Follow the link below for additional assistance:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Open-the-Recording-Audio-troubleshooter

Method 2. Set Microphone as Default:
Perform the task mentioned below to set Microphone as default:
1. Go to Start and click on control Panel.
2. Click in Sound, then a new window will open up.
3. In the new windows click on the tab "Recording" and right click in the window and click on Show Disabled devices.
4. Now check if Microphone is listed there and right click on it and choose enable.
5. Highlight that Microphone and click on "Set as Default"
 
Method 3: Try updating the sound drivers:
To update your Audio driver:  
1.   Click Start, and then click Control Panel
2.   Click System and Maintenance
3.   Underneath Device Manager, click View hardware and devices
if you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue
4.   Expand Sound, video and game controllers
5.   Right-click your Audio controller, and click Properties
6.   Select the Driver tab
7.   Click the Update Driver button.
8.   Select Search automatically for updated driver software
 
Windows will now search for an update for your Audio drivers locally and on the internet, then walk you through the process of installing the driver.  If it is unable to find a driver you can it using the below link.

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriversHome/?c=us&s=dhs&cs=19&l=en

 
For additional help you can refer to the following articles:

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

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Recording-audio-in-Sound-Recorder-frequently-asked-questions

Thanks & Regards
Dell-Narasimha B
Dell Social Media Responder

http://www.facebook.com/Dell
http://twitter.com/#%21/dell
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