I have a HP laptop, and the internal mic has never worked? is there an upgrade i need? also, is the sound card automatically in the computer or is that something extra? i thought since it had the internal mic it automatically worked???

Changes in software, settings, or drivers can cause a microphone to stop working. Before performing any of the solutions in this document, test the equipment. After testing the equipment, select the document section that applies to the issue and follow the instructions. If the microphone recently stopped working, it may be necessary to use the Microsoft System Restore feature to correct the problem. Windows Troubleshooting Windows troubleshooting can automatically fix common problems with your computer, such as audio recording. Although it may not fix every problem, it is useful to run Windows Troubleshooting first before you manually correct problems. To run Windows Troubleshooting, follow these steps.

1. Click Start , enter troubleshooting in the search field and select Troubleshooting from the list.
2. Under Hardware and Sound, click Troubleshoot audio recording and then click Next when the Recording Audio window opens.
3. Select the device you would like to troubleshoot and then click Next .

1. Test the microphone on a known, working portable tape recorder, another computer, or a device that accepts the microphone connector.
2. Click Start , enter sound in the search field and select Sound Recorder from the list.
3. Click Record and speak into the microphone. Save the file to an easily-accessible location, such as the desktop.
4. To play back the recorded sound, open the file using Windows Media Player.
5. If the recorded sound does not play back, continue to the next section of this document.
6. If the microphone successfully records the voice, test the record function on the computer. If the microphone does not work properly on another computer or on a tape recorder, try using a different microphone.