PC sound card / mic problem

[mike c]

Ever since I started using an external sound card (creative digital music LX) both my internal sound card (CMI 4 channel) and built in motherboard sound card’s mic do not work. During calibration, the mic would work, but when trying to use with yahoo messenger, no sound comes out. [yes, this a software problem]

I thought to myself that the internal and external sound cards MUST have a conflict with each other. So I removed the internal sound card thinking I would use the LINE IN connectors of the external sound card. But after learning that the creative soundcard does not support a mic (I emailed creative)

I now have 2 options:
1) not using the external sound card, opening up my PC AGAIN, installing the internal sound card again.
2) Buy a mic preamp and a new mic (yes im too lazy to open up the PC)

My question is, will a mic pre amp connected to the LINE IN of the creative sound card work?

[MDS]

A mic preamp should work with the line-in but you shouldn't go that route just yet.

Have you changed the card to use for recording in the sound applet (via control panel)? You should be able to select different cards for playback and recording. If the checkbox that says 'use only default devices' is selected and the internal card is not the default, then that card won't be useable for the mic or any recording. Try unchecking the use default devices checkbox and set the playback and recording device to the card you want to use for each. I used to have enabled both the motherboard down sound chip and an internal PCI card and they both worked together just fine.

There could be an irq conflict or memory address conflict between the cards but it is unlikely as they are configured by the bios. You can use the 'system info' applet to see what resources are assigned to each card and check for conflicts.

[mike c]

when my CMI sound card was installed, I could choose between the creative and the CMI sound card. if I choose the CMI, the mic works during calibration but not in actual use.

right now, there is only one choice ... the creative sound card. I can't find the built in motherboard sound stuff.

what is an applet?

[MDS]

'Applet' is a generic term for 'little application'. It is what Microsoft calls all the little configuration tools in the control panel. The Sounds and Audio Device properties applet is what you want to use - the Audio tab is where you set the device to use for playback, recording, and MIDI.

If the motherboard down sound chip is not visible in the sound applet, it may be disabled in the bios.

[mike c]

i see. I clicked "auto" (auto and disabled are the only 2 choices) in the bios but the option still doesnt appear in the audio applet.

[JeffD2.]

I remembered reading this thread a few days ago. I just installed a cheapie creative sound card and saw this this drop down list in the mixer application.
Maybe this is the conflict? Just a thought.....

[mike c]

jeffd2, thanks, my creative application is similar to that but ... thanks to MDS's suggestion to fix the bios ...

I changed the BIOS from disabled to auto ...
the computer detected a new hardware ... but this PC never had the motherboard's sound driver installed because I had the CMI sound card installed during purchase.
it kept showing the uninstalled driver in the device manager ...
so I downloaded the ASUS sound driver ...

in theory, the CMI sound card should have worked but there must have been something wrong with its driver (which I also downloaded from the net)

in conclusion: it works now!

thanks MDS and jeffD2!