Hello, hello, hello...Help!

[Loose rivets]

It was fine when I left it. I Skype for hours and the sound from my lapel mic that lies on the desk is superb. Until this morning.

Wife says family called. No sound from us.

Sure enough, mic is dead. BUT...the Skype symbol on the Taskbar has changed to a sheet of paper! WTF?

Fiddle with wires and threaten it with a new mic. At this moment, sound booms out. Okay, that's a sort of clue...maybe a fix, but no, the daftness continues.

After much cussing, I find that Skype is looking for a telephone connection for its sound. Reset. Works on test program. Fixed? Nope. :(

The mic is now live at all times. Right on the cusp of feedback. In XP I would have simply muted the mic. Now, it's lying there echoing my cussing. But get this.

It's putting a delay - an echo - on the sound. For all the world, it sounds as though another program is trying to, or is, using the mic. ProcExp is not showing anything obvious, and any ????'s i've disabled with no response.

Tapping the desk gives a diminishing echo of about three pulses.

This symptoms might just be coincidence, and misleading, but pushing the old credulity button somewhat.

Anyone any ideas what could have triggered this group of symptoms? Or who might be listening.:ooh:

[Loose rivets]

Well, I've answered one question myself. Skype, in their wisdom, change to the next sound sauce when one fails. Why? Why would I suddenly want my phone line to be an input? But still, you'd think that it would go back when the mic was put back, yes? Nope.

Okay, while I'm looking, I disable the mic input. Bad move that. I can't get a mic to work at all now. W7, which would find a driver for a toaster, doesn't even offer me one with re-boot and frenzied plugging of the mic. Just sits there with its arms crossed.:ugh:

How does one simply tell this :mad: thing to find and configure a mic? I used to be so easy.

[jimtherev]

You use the Skype interface? Yes?
You've used <Tools> <Options> <Audio Settings>?

Are there other options in the drop-down?

[green granite]

Control panel>sound>recording>microphone, you can update the driver from there.

[Loose rivets]

Yep, the driver had gone. My fault. But then I became concerned that I'd not written a word of my book today and took the coward's way out. I did a system restore.

All working - but the Skype logo on the task bar was still not there. Odd that.

As one who Hibernates most nights, the reboots, I thought, might just have kicked things back into life, given W7's propensity for finding drivers. I thought it might just do the trick. But can't win em all.

Anyway, one thing learned. Skype drops it's input source should it disappear for a moment.

It would have been nice to know just what occurred.

[Keef]

Have a browse of the Event Viewer. Lots of scary information there.

[Loose rivets]

Mmm...Windows update shortly before the issue, but didn't actually install itself until I went to shut (fully) down to reboot.

Nothing really shouting at me, except a cluster of seemingly minor things over the last few days - after a long period of exemplary behavior by Mr Window.

[green granite]

It's always a good thing to reboot every few days (personally I switch it off at night anyway) it gets rid of odd bits of crud or corruptions residing in memory etc.

[Loose rivets]

Wish I could re-boot myself.:(

[jimtherev]

Re-boot? Me, I'd prefer digital remastering. Get all the clicks & scratches out and brighten meself up a bit :)