Hi Chris,

1. Microphone port - working and set as default
2. Line In - working
3. Digital In (S/PDIF port) - working
4. Stereo Mix (Software mixer) - Disabled 
    

If multiple microphones or line-in ports are available, select the port that you want to use. Click 'Set Default' to make this device the default audio input device.

Thanks you for your reply, however, I do not have Realtek High Definition Audio on my laptop. Instead, my audio manager software is IDT Audio (aka Dell Audio by IDT). This gives me a different set of options, like this:

As you can see, I can't simply select microphone as my default device, because it's also coupled with line in.

Hi,

I appreciate the concern. I just gave an example of Realtek. However, you can try the steps below and see if it works for you:

You can reinstall the sound drivers of your computer from the link: http://dell.to/U1t85m

Steps to download drivers:-

• Click 'Download file' to download the list to a folder you will designate.
• Click 'Save'. Then designate the folder you would like to save the files to.
• Once you have designated the folder you would like to save your files to, Click 'OK'.
• Selected downloads will automatically start downloading. Next is Installation.
• To start installation, Click Open folder. Right-click a downloaded file and select the option to ‘Run as administrator’.
• A small window will appear with 'Continue' and 'Exit' buttons, click 'Continue'.
• In the Select the folder where you want to unzip the files to window, click OK.
• If a message appears asking to create a folder, click 'Yes'. If a message appears asking to overwrite the folder, click 'Yes to All'.
• In the All files were successfully unzipped window, click OK.
• A new window will appear, follow the prompts that appear to finish the installation.
• Restart your computer.

Once the computer restarts, disconnect the unplug the microphone.

• Open the 'Sound' properties. 
• Navigate to 'Recording' tab.
• Right click and check the option for 'Show Disconnected Devices' (As an example image is shown below. Options may vary depending on the device connected).

• Once you check the box to show the disconnected devices. select the 'Microphone/ line in'
• Set as default.
• Click Apply/OK
• Restart your computer and see if it works. 

Please reply with the findings. 

Thank you again, and yes, this works as I expect it to, so there's no need to reinstall. Let me rephrase my query:

Every time I plug in a microphone, I need to wait for this menu to pop up on the bottom-right of my screen, and select Mic. If I do not do this, my microphone won't work. Sometimes, this is a problem for me, because I have games and Skype running in the background, and so this screen will take a while to appear.

What I would like to know is if there is a way to get the mic working without having to select it every time from this menu. It seems as if Line in is the default input device, and I've been unable to find a way to change this.

Hi Tris812,

Uncheck the option "Enable Jack monitor when device has been plugged in". Save changes and restart your computer. Check if the issue still persists. 

Hi,

I tried your suggestion, with both mic and line in selected, but after the restart, although the annoying popup didn't come, I couldn't hear any noise at all from the mic (I turned on the 'Listen to this device' option, and also checked on Skype to see if it was picking anything up). :(

The only way to fix it is to open up the IDT pc audio control panel, and recheck "Enable jack monitor when device has been plugged in"... Back to square one.

Thank you for your continued patience,

Chris

Hi Chris,

It is working as designed. We have tried changing the options. Usually, it detects the device connected on the jack and that is why you are getting pop up for it. 

You can try one more setting and then see if it works:

• Open IDT audio control panel.
• Navigate to 'Microphone/Line in' option.
• Go to 'Recording Tab'.
• Select 'Microphone/Line in' as a default communication device. 

 (click on image for enlarged view)
 

That is interesting; my IDT audio control panel looks nothing like that. Should it? Here's a picture of mine:

In case I've not mentioned it already, my laptop is an Inspiron N5110. If my laptop is running outdated software, I would be willing to install the new version, if you would be kind enough to lead me there. :)

Also, after trying with the tickbox checked and unchecked, I get exactly the same effect as before, when I tried in the popup menu. That is to say that with the detection enabled, I get the popup menu and the option to select Mic, and without I get no popup menu, and a non-functioning mic.

Thanks,

Chris

Hi Chris,

It is working as designed. I have provided the link for the latest sound driver on the previous post. Even in this control panel, you can try and change the settings of 'Microphone/Line in' and choose it as a default recording device. Save the settings and then restart your computer. 

See if it works. There is another work around that you can try. Go to control panel and uninstall the IDT application and restart the computer. Computer will pick up the generic sound drivers. Then try changing the settings of microphone/line in and see it works.

Please reply for further clarifications. 

Thanks Chinmay for your feedback to Chris.

But after owning several of these laptops in recent years with IDT, i can clearly say that with either set of drivers installed (the ones you supplied, or the ones Chris is using from his downloads page), neither work.

To re-iterate exactly what Chris is saying:

When you plug in a mic into the MIC port on the laptop, this image or one similar to it appears:

http://en.community.dell.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/550x0/__key/communityserver-discussions-components-files/3513/7713.Capture7.PNG

The IDT drivers, either the ones you supplied or the ones Chris has, both, have an internal hardware setting (most likely an amplifier that is turned off/on depending if you have LINE in or not).  By default, the hardware must leave this off - which allows it direct compatibility with LINE IN options (previous laptops do not allow LINE IN, only mics).

Now with this cool-new IDT Audio functionality that we can insert LINE IN devices into the MIC port, #fun, Chris and me and 1000s of others have a problem:

"IDT Drivers/Audio/Hardware defaults to LINE IN mode, not MIC mode, for the mic input."

If you uncheck the box that you told Chris to do, it will always default to LINE IN mode - no matter what drivers you have (confirmed with Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8).

Therefore, you HAVE to have that checkbox enabled to auto-detect the device being plugged in - which it does nothing of sorts (no auto-detecting).  It just pops up the image above and asks you to select which one is plugged in.

It is quite annoying, and I have missed dozens of phone calls because when i rush to plug in my headset (Google Voice/Skype), I have to wait 2 - 5 seconds for that freakin' popup, then click MIC to switch.

It has nothing to do with the control panel's Recordings, which was your first post above (great post, and I've been doing that for a decade with 100s of devices).  Unfortunately, that is not the answer to this question.

The issue is with the IDT Audio hardware/drivers, and how they default to LINE IN, and not MIC mode for the MIC 3.5mm jack.

If anyone knows of a registry hack to force the IDT Audio drivers to always default to MIC and not LINE IN, it would go a long way to helping us.

Do note that the latest versions of IDT Audio drivers for this chipset has changed: there are now separate MIC and Line IN devices in the Windows' Sound & Audio -> Recordings tab.  But what happens is that the drivers enable/disable one or the other depending on which option you select in that pop-up I showed above.  You cannot force the MIC to be enabled if configured for LINE IN, and vice versa.  You have to wait for that freakin' popup, and select MIC.  It really is a driver issue from IDT to OEMs.

This also affects a wide range of laptops, not just Dell.  it also affects HPs with IDT Audio as well.

One could argue it is IDT's newest audio hardware and their drivers they supply to the OEMs.  Any way to provide feedback through Dell's Engineers -> 3rd Party Relationship Manager -> IDT Business Manager -> IDT Engineers -> IDT Driver Developers for OEMs?

^- yeah, an impossible task...