Your microphone won't wont? I'd say it's fixed then.

Seriously though, have you checked your audio settings? I remember going over this with you before in Vista about how to check whether your microphone channel in Vista's audio mixer is muted or not. Not sure if you remember the steps, but generally you should be able to find your audio settings in Control Panel > Sound/Audio (or whatever it is in Vista)
Make sure the channel labeled Microphone is not muted and that it is turned up.
Also ensure that your microphone is plugged into the microphone input port, not the line input port or the headphone output port.

well...

if your new one doesn't work either, then it's probably not a hardware problem.

have you checked the input volume? it might have gotten turned down...

Fixed :D I'm very happy.

what was the problem?

I literally have no idea. I faffed about, then it worked. I don't even remember what I did. Oh well! :)

I got this weird issue I am trying to figure out... I am thinking its pretty simple to fix but I just cant figure out whats causing it.

For some odd reason my computer is showing that I have a extra CD Drive I didn't before. I only have one CD drive but for someone my computer is showing 2 now. Which has pushed my external drives up a letter So instead of being F: my music now on G: which has screwed up my entire library with my media player.

Figured Id ask before I start messing around in BIOs...

it's very probably a virtual drive. did you install any CD burning apps lately? Nero or Ultra ISO or Demon Tools or something?

changing drive letters is easy. right-click on My Computer and go to Manage. choose Disk Management in the tree on the left. right-click the drive in question, choose Change Drive Letter and Paths...

Dont think I did... but maybe something took hold after a reboot or something.

Didnt know I could change Drive letters in My Computer, thought that was a BIOS thing.

Problem is now when I go into manage and change the Virtual drive from F to something else so I can change my music drive to F:. The Virtual drive doesnt show there so I cant change it... It only shows everything else but it.

You can see F:
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/6012/mycomputerj.jpg

There is no F: to change from but it still takes up a space so I cant change my Music Drive to F:
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/20/managementa.jpg

best thing i can suggest is to try and remember what you have installed lately.
go to the add/remove program dialog and sort by date to help you remember.

maybe post a screenshot here...

hmm I dont see anything recent in the last 2 days that would cause it I dont think...

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/7124/installed.jpg

Try a system restore back to before the extra CD drive appeared?

that's kinda drastic isn't it? Never done a restore before, wouldnt know how to start it. I usually just totally wipe and start over if the system gets to bad which I usually do like Once a year.

Not drastic at all.
All a restore does is literally restore your computer to a time when it was working perfectly. In your case, before the CD drive turned up.

Go to Start Menu > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.

Once in system restore you will be given the option to choose what date you want your computer restored to.

Here's a link to Windows tech support explaining how it all works.
Use System Restore to Undo Changes if Problems Occur

Go to your start button then in your run bar, type CMD and hit enter. That will open up your command console.

Type the following into the command console:

set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 (then press enter)
start devmgmt.msc (then press enter)

Your device manager console will pop up. Don't close the command console yet. In the device manager console, go to VIEW then select SHOW HIDDEN DEVICES.

Now scroll down and find the virtual drive and remove it.

Then you can close everything down.
That should do it.


BTW... don't restore your computer to an earlier time.

Thanks I think this would work... But I dont see anything that resembles the Virtual Drive any Ideas on what I am looking for or under what?

The virtual drive should just be a cd drive with the F drive letter, located in the same place as your real drive in the device management console. If not, look around the management console in case it's located under a different category, although it shouldn't be.

If you entered the script correctly in the CMD box, and opened the device management console with the command in the CMD box, without closing it, and selected the option to view hidden in View in the device management console, you should see the virtual cd drive.

If you still can't find it anywhere, then something is up.

Thanks Dali I Got it... I closed a Virtual Drive and it didnt do anything. But I just rebooted and now it works.

Thanks Again.... *Gets back to listening to music* been missing it for like 2 days now

*EDIT NM its back... Guess it didnt have time at first reboot.

You're quite welcome.

naaa it didnt work... Sorry I went back and edited my post but I guess ya didnt see it.

I think I am going to change my DVD drive to Drive Z: and that should push the virtual drive to D: when I boot up which should set all my other drives correctly. I know not having my burner set for D: is going bite me in the ass when it comes to default programs that want to burn there but I am sure I can change those.

Sucks I gotta live with it though

Oops.

Nah you won't have to worry about the burner being set as Z. It's recognized through the hardware drivers regardless of the drive letter you assign it, so go ahead with that.

Another thing that crossed my mind is whether you recently installed some kind of burning software, or even a virtual drive program like Alcohol... Some programs like that assign you a virtual drive by default. If this is happening and you have one of those programs set to load on startup of your computer, that could have been the reason your virtual cd drive reappeared after you re-started.
Just thinking out loud here.

I GOT IT!!!! NOISE hinted at it in a early post but I didnt look at it because I havent touched it in forever... Then you said Burning Software I found PowerISO has a Virtual drive I went under options and disabled it!!! MUAHAHHAH


I dont know why all of a sudden it added a virtual drive considering I dont even think I have used it in like 3 months.

Good stuff!

MY flatmates got an issue with vista where he cant take a file off read only, he'll change it in properties, then it'll just go back when he presses ok, we also had a look at the permissions in the security tabs, any ideas?

Make sure he's signed into the account that made the file, aka, the owner of the file. Also, if you take the file and move it to a different physical drive, all the permissions should reset and you should be able to make any changes necessary.

Ok I'll give that a go

So my D:\ drive disappeared. The Cd-Rom thingy. Gone.

Its not on my computer, it won't open when I hit the button. I was using Windows XP (original) and thought when I upgraded to Version 3 it would be fixed but no.

The weird thing is, occasionally (1 in 100 times) it will open, but I can't do a damn thing the rest of the time.

Any solutions?

Sounds like it could be a physical connectivity issue. If you want to check without opening up your case, simply restart your computer and enter the BIOS, and see if your CD drive is listed. If it isn't, you know there's a connection issue, or your device has totally failed.

It's not a bad idea to check the physical connection between your CD drive and the mobo anyway. If gunk buildup is causing intermittent issues with your drive, it can be fixed simply by disconnecting and reconnecting the cable on both the drive side and the mobo side a few times. (Ensure you finalize with a good solid connection that doesn't wiggle)
While you're at it, check and see what the manufacturer and model number of your drive is. If re-seating the connections doesn't do it, then you'll want to search online at the manufacturer's web site and download the latest driver for your CD-rom. Install it, and restart your computer to fix any possible driver issues that could be causing your problem.

Let us know if that solves it. If it doesn't, we may have to look at registry editing, which is a lot more complex, but do-able.

P.S...
If you open up your computer case, make sure you discharge any possible static electricity you have built up on you. You probably don't have an ESD wrist strap, but you can simply touch the case while it's plugged in and that will do it. Afterward, make sure to unplug the computer before opening it up.


Edit:
This is all assuming the computer isn't a laptop. If it's a laptop, you can omit the physical step unless your drive is removable. In that case, pulling it out and putting it back in several times should suffice. If it's not removable, just go to the BIOS and see if the drive is listed. If it is, continue on with the driver installation. If not, you need a new CD drive.

Im just guessing there might be someone who's done something similar in terms of education I'm currently half way through a first year BTEC National diploma in IT, second year I'll be doing games programming using Dark Basic/ Edit software I was wondering if anyone on here would have the know how to help me through it if I get stuck at all. Starting to look at it now and having a few tiffs.

I don't have time to go through the entire thread at the moment, so this question may have been answered already. Here goes:

What is the best anti-virus/anti-spyware program for a Windows 7 laptop that I can get for under $100? I know there are several different ones out there (Norton, Trend Micro, etc.), but is there one that really "stands out" and works well?

I also have a new Mac Book Pro laptop. I've been using Macs for a long time and know that they aren't generally prone to viruses and such, but I still like the security of an anti-virus/spyware program. Is there one that works well with Mac OS X Snow Leopard?

Without a doubt, for windows: AVAST. And it's free (the home version).
You can download it here: avast! Free Antivirus - Download Software for Virus Protection
Some people prefer AVG, but in my experience, the program and virus database update system is a lot better in AVAST. In either case, both AVAST and AVG are every bit as good as any other virus program and are the most popular free antivirus software out there.

As far as your Mac, I dunno. I don't use Mac.

Thanks a lot! Downloading right now. I'm not too worried about the Mac - I mainly use that computer for my school-related music projects and videos and pictures. I don't do too much Internet surfing on it.

university degree needed to establish internet connection?!?!
 

hey all. for the last year or so my girlfriend and i thought we had a wireless modem and had no problems connecting to the internet. a couple of weeks ago we discovered our neighbour hanging out in the hall stealing what we thought was OUR wireless signal. then, the real owner of the wireless decided to secure their signal, leaving us to figure out that we had a hardwire modem, and we too had been stealing internet.

my girlfriend has a mac, and has no problem just plugging the ugly yellow cord into it and using the net (hence me posting this). but i have a PC running XP, and am feeling as though i actually need to hire someone to come figure this out. it's registering the connections and stuff, but it says they're firewalled.

so... anyone know anything about hooking the net up to a PC running XP?

any help at all would be ridiculously appreciated!!!

It shouldn't matter what operating system you're using when trying to connect to a wireless Internet signal.

What kind of router do you have (like what brand)? Is it a 2-in-1 modem and wireless router or just a wireless router? Some routers require that the wired Internet connection goes through a desktop computer before going to the router itself, via an Ethernet port, USB, or DSL line, only because you need some kind of modem to process the signal. The modem in that case would be a card inside of your desktop.

I have a 2-in-1 modem/router, which can be used on it's own since everything is inside of it. I'm not sure if you can buy these in a store because my ISP has given me one to use for the length of my contract with them.

If you're not sure of what's going on with your Internet, hire a technician. I know, it costs money (nothing is free!) but it will probably be a lot easier on you if you're not tech-savvy. The technician will also be able to secure your wireless signal which will require a password for each new computer that wants to connect to the Internet on your signal. This is extremely important especially if you live in some kind of complex or apartment building! You don't want any unwanted download and bandwidth user fees tacked onto your bill.

i must have worded things poorly.

the wireless works fine. but we don't have wireless anymore, and have to use the ugly yellow cord going from the modem (connected via something that looks like coaxial cable) into our computers. my PC however just isn't having any of it.

now, my girlfriend lived here on her own before i moved in, so is it possible that she needs to "un-wall" one of these firewalls?

like, can she say that only her computer can use this modem, and any others that try will need a password? is that what a firewall is? and if so, is from her computer or mine that i change things?

ps. i know my girlfriend, being the one that bought the internet and hooked it up should know what to do, but all she had to do was plug everything into her mac and it worked, so she has no idea whats going on. there's like this big f*cking PROCESS i have to go through with this stupid PC crap...

i apologize for my bitterness.

I have no idea why you posted this question in the Stereo and Production Equipment forum. (Mods, please merge this into the Computer Tech Support thread)

Anyway, zevokes..

Go to your start button, then Control Panel, then Network Connections. You should see your Local Area Connection. This is the connection you're using if you have a LAN cable plugged into the RJ45 port on the back of your PC.
First of all, the Windows Firewall that's obviously applied to your connection shouldn't be causing you any problems unless it's configured to block all traffic.
To make sure this isn't happening, right click Local Area Connection and choose Properties. In the box that pops up, you'll see two tabs: General and Advanced. Click Advanced. Then click Settings for Windows Firewall.
I won't walk you through the advanced settings because we're just diagnosing right now, so simply click the OFF radio button and disregard all the annoying popups that will result. Click OK.

Now go back to the properties of Local Area Connection and in the General tab, scroll down to Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), select it and click the Properties button.
All you want to do here is make sure "Obtain an IP address automatically" is selected, and "Obtain DNS server address automatically" is selected. If so, great. If not, make it happen then click OK, then OK.
Now look at Local Area Connection. It should say "connected". If it says "disabled", then right click it, and choose "enable". In fact, even if it doesn't say disabled, go ahead and right click the connection anyway, click "disable", wait for a few seconds, then go back and enable it. This will refresh your connection.

Your LAN connection is now configured correctly.
The next instructions may vary depending on what type of modem/router you're using and whether it's a combo unit or two separate units. Give us the make and model of your modem unit and we can look it up on the web and be a whole lot more specific.

But you can try plugging in your LAN cable to the modem/router's PC LAN port and giving it a shot. It it's not working, we're going to need the make and model of your unit.

[extra stuff below]
Whether your modem/router unit has a Mac address filter or not, I don't know. Probably not, as that usually applies to wireless routers. But that would be the only thing besides a physical connection error or configuration error on your part causing you to be the only one unable to connect. You can look through the settings of your modem/router by simply typing in your default gateway address in the URL bar of your web browser.
To find out what the default gateway address is, go to Start > Run > type CMD > Press enter.. in the black console that pops up, type ipconfig
Press enter.
The default gateway address will be the address you use to configure your modem/router. Type it into your browser URL bar and go.

One of the following things should happen... Your modem/router's configuration page loads up. Or you're prompted for a password. (If it hasn't been configured by you or your girlfriend, the username is usually Admin, and there usually isn't a password... by default).
If neither one of those things happen, you're either using the wrong kind of cable (not likely the issue with most routers these days), you're plugged into the wrong port on your modem/router, your cable is bad (I'm assuming it's not if your girlfriend used it successfully, or your Network Interface Card is bad. (You can test your network interface card by pinging 127.0.0.1 in that black console you saw just a minute ago. You should get replies.)

Well, I'm tired of typing.
Start trying the things I mentioned in the order I mentioned them until you get to this point, had none of it worked. Then post your modem/router make and model so I can see how you're supposed to be connecting everything up for your setup.

Talk to you soon.

Hah, Freebase. I knew you were going to respond with a book to this one. :)

I wish there was a compression algorithm that would allow me to use one word to say everything I just said. Or a real-life macro.

WOW MAN!

i thought this just wasn't gonna happen! thanks so much for typing all this out for me!

AND IT WORKED!

BUT, the internet just randomly started working after a failed attempt to type the default gateway into google chrome's URL browser. when i went to use netscape instead (i figured that because this computer came preloaded with netscape, it might have something to do with provoking the right outcome), i was looking over in the little black box at my default gateway address and came back to type it in and the internet was just on. so whatever that has to do with anything is a mystery to me, but i'm posting this from my PC, and that makes me happy!!!

the problem is, that i don't understand any of this, and fearing loss of a connection, will just have to stay up 24/7 hanging out on MB, guarding my computer from the will of the universe.

regardless, thanks DAL!

and sorry about posting this where i did... i'm slower than most kids.