Microphone switching from internal to headphone microphone when I don't want it to

[AnthonyAuggie]

So I bought this new laptop yesterday after using my previous one for about five years. I noticed that unlike my old laptop, this new one (the OMEN) only has one headphone jack, combining the headphone and microphone ports. I only have the earbuds that you get with the iphone which has a built in microphone, so when I plug them into the computer the microphone settings default to the earbuds, meaning that the internal microphone of the laptop itself is no longer being used. I tried going into recording devices but the only two options I have are microphone array and stereo mix. I've done as much as I can think of to get the internal microphone to be default but nothing works. I'd really prefer to use the internal microphone and not my earbuds, as the earbuds are lower sound quality then the internal (I checked the internal microphone by unplugging the earbuds). Is there any way to switch the default to what I want or do I need to spend more money on new headphones?

TL: DR How do I get the microphone to still default to the internal microphone, even if I plug in headphones that have a built in microphone?

Thanks for any help.

[DavidSMP · Accepted solution]

Hi @AnthonyAuggie,

Thanks for taking an interest in the HP Support Forums. After reading your post I see that you require assistance with issues regarding the Microphone issues.  It will be a delight to assist you here.

Superb analysis and brilliant diagnosis of the issue before posting. Kudos to you on that score. 🙂

For better clarity and to assist you better I would require more information regarding this

• Please provide the computer’s model#
• Did you try the tap test in audio settings for the microphone?

For a start please try these steps:

• Right-click on the speaker icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar.
• Then please select recording devices. Please select the Headset Mic option
• Then tap the Lid near the top gently several times next to where the webcam is located and check if the microphone bars respond to the taps and receive inputs.
• If they do then it should work with a driver uninstall and reinstall.
• Please make sure that the headset Mic is set to default and enabled in properties option.

Then please perform these steps from device manager.

• Right-Click on start button> click device manager> expand sound video and game controllers>then select the sound drivers and right-click on it and uninstall the audio drivers. Check the box that says delete the software for this device.
• Then restart the computer and update the bios, chipset and audio drivers from this link: http://hp.care/2syreDe  please select the country and follow the on-screen instructions.

Then check if this does the trick for you.

If the issue continues, then,  check if the internal Microphone is working and perform the relevant steps from this link: http://hp.care/2fGPvnh  to troubleshoot the issue.

You also need to check with another pair of earphones that has a Microphone to isolate the issue, between the Microphone and the earphones,

If the issue still continues, then the problem is hardware related and the computer needs to be serviced by contacting Hp technical support.

HP Technical Support can be reached by clicking on the following link: http://hp.care/2r9wSvP

• Once the support page opens please select the country in which you're located. Next, enter your HP model number on the right.
• Next, choose the 'Contact Support' tab at the top and scroll down to the bottom of the 'HP Support- Contact' page to fill out the form provided with your contact information.
• Once completed click the 'Show Options' icon on the bottom right.
• Lastly, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select 'Get phone number.' A case number and phone number will now populate for you.

They will be happy to assist you immediately.

If the unit is under warranty, the manufacturer’s warranty should take care of it for you.

Please perform all these steps patiently as it is critical to resolving the issue. The trick is to remain patient,.Going by your technical expertise and competence I am sure you will be able to perform these steps without breaking a sweat.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes. To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help. If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution” as it will help several others with the same issue to get it resolved without hassles.

Take care and have a blessed week ahead. 🙂

Cheers!

[AnthonyAuggie]

Thanks for the help!  I uninstalled the drivers and restarted my computer and that seems to have fixed my issue already. The recording devices now shows two microphone options and testing with them shows that one is for the internal microphone and the other is the headset. Now I can actually choose which gets used, where before I couldn't. While I don't quite get why uninstalling the drivers helped (I assumed that it would basically just put me back at the starting line, otherwise I would have tried before), it most certainly did help.

Not that it matters now but for future reference in case anyone has the same issue my model # is 2FY68UA#ABA.

[AnthonyAuggie]

It turns out that updating the drivers after restarting ended up just bringing the problem back. Instead of multiple microphone options it is back to the "array" I mentioned in the original post. I  updated using the HP Support assistant (the link you posted recommended it) and just updated all the drivers that apaprently needed updating, once they finished updating is when the problem came back. The Support Assistant created a restore point right before it started so I restored to that and it went back to what I wanted but within a few minutes it seems that it re-updated or something and went back to array once again.

Slight update while writing: I after disabling audio drivers to figure out which one seemed to govern the input/outputs I figured out it was Realtek High Definition (HD) Audio Driver that controls them. I figured out I could roll back to a previous version (which I did) and it's name is now just High Definition Audio Device. This also successfully brought back the microphone options I wanted. If keeping it on this version isn't a big deal then I'll probably just have it stay like this and not update the driver, since the newest version seems to cause the issue. If there's something I'm missing though, I appreciate any further suggestions.

[DavidSMP]

Hi @AnthonyAuggie,

It has been a fabulous experience working with you.  I thank you greatly for accepting this as a solution.  You've been simply amazing with your technical expertise and thanks again for giving me the privilege to share this platform with you. 🙂

I hope the unit works great and stays healthy for a long time.

To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help.

Please take care, stay healthy, keep smiling big and do have a blessed year ahead. 🙂

[NickAnde]

I was having the same exact issue with the same laptop, my reaction exactly with some crazy steps for what seems like such a simple problem.