Reference number: CH000281

General microphone troubleshooting.

Issue:

General microphone troubleshooting.

Cause:

A microphone not working can be caused by several different possibilities. Below is a listing of those different possibilities.

1. Not connected properly.
2. Issue with microphone.
3. Sound drivers not setup properly.

Solution:

Not connected properly

Verify that the microphone is correctly connected to the computer. The microphone must usually be connected to the back of the computer into the microphone jack. The below illustration is an example of what to look for.

Issues with microphone

If the microphone is correctly connected to the back of the computer, ensure that you have a working Microphone. Some older microphones may require a battery; if you have such a microphone, verify that it has a working battery.

If you do not have such a microphone or the battery is a known good battery, verify that the microphone works on another device such as a stereo.

Sound drivers not setup properly

If the Microphone is correctly connected to the back of the computer and no issues have been found to be physically wrong with the microphone, verify that the sound card is properly setup in your operating system.

Windows 95 / Windows 98 / Windows ME users see document CH000282.