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BIOS setting to disable onboard microphone?
I recall a setting in BIOS, to disable the camera, and I will try to toggle it off next time I go there. I hope it works, as using a tape to cover it is not esthetic enough :)
Does anybody know, if a similar feature exists for the onboard mic, on Dell Inspiron 7786? Has anyone seen it at all, on Dell computers? I only want to use the mic on my headset (when it's plugged in), because that's when I need a microphone. I don't want the other one (the onboard mic) to kick in at any time.
If not, does covering the mic with transparent tape-it guarantee that it will receive no sound input at all, or would the user still be exposed? This laptop is not user-serviceable inside (I think I made every thinkable mistake buying it), so I don't want to just go straight in and pull it out.
jphughan
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July 9th, 2019 16:00
I haven't seen a firmware-level control for the built-in mic on Dell or non-Dell systems before, and I doubt you'd be able to physically disconnect it. My bet is that the mic wiring will be part of the overall display ribbon cable connector. However, given that BIOS settings can actually be changed from within Windows if you have admin rights using tools like Dell Command | Configure, a BIOS-level option wouldn't be a whole lot more secure than just disabling the mic device in Device Manager or under Control Panel > Sound > Recording, since that too would require admin privileges to change. (EDIT: Well perhaps if you also set a BIOS admin password to prevent changes without knowing that, then that mechanism would be more secure than a pure OS configuration change.) The best solution of all would be some sort of physical switch for the mic similar to the physical shutter that some webcams have, but I haven't seen those on laptops anywhere.
As for tape, it would be pretty easy to test the results of that for yourself given that applications to capture mic input are plentiful, but I suspect you'll find that while tape would certainly muffle/garble the mic input, it won't completely silence it because tape is not a soundproof barrier.