I have a nice Logitech 120 headset that has great microphone quality, but it and any other microphone I plug in to my computer are not detected at all. The speakers in the headset work fine, but the microphone doesn't work. It has separate jacks for the headphone part and the microphone part.
My computer dual-boots with Windows XP 32-bit as well as Windows 7 64-bit, and everything works fine under Windows XP, so it's not the microphones or the hardware.
I tried updating my audio driver, but it appears to be up to date, and I tried using XP's audio driver under Windows 7, which didn't work at all.
Windows XP handles some audio functions differently than Vista/Win7/Win 8. Thus the reason the XP drivers do not work.
First thought on the Win 7 drivers, use the Intel provided drivers for your motherboard, as a first choice. I had an older Win 7 PC with an Intel motherboard and only the Intel provided drivers worked correctly.
Please post a screen shot of the Sound Panel/Recording Section.
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
My Own Build
OS
Windows 10 64 bit
CPU
Intel i7 6700K
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero
Memory
16GB Corsair Dominator
Graphics Card(s)
Intel CPU Graphics
Sound Card
RealTek
Monitor(s) Displays
27" Dell S2719dgf
Screen Resolution
2560X1440
Hard Drives
1 TB Samsung 850 EVO SSD for Win 10 Pro
500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD for Win 10 Insider
2 TB drive for backup
PSU
EVGA Supernova 750G2
Case
BeQuiet Silent Base 600
Cooling
Deepcool Captain 120EX
Keyboard
Microsoft Wireless 2000
Mouse
Microsoft wireless
Internet Speed
100 MB/sec (Cable)
Antivirus
Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes
Browser
Edge/Firefox
Other Info
Cakewalk (Sonar) by BandLab and Studio One 4.1 Pro recording studio software. MOTU 896Mk3 Hybrid recording interface, Frontier Tranzport wireless control unit, Behringer X-Touch Control Surface.
Five USB connected optical drives for CD Audio production using Nero BurningROM
Here's the Recording section of the Sound panel. Keep in mind the microphone listed there is one built-in to a USB webcam I use, but I disabled it because it has a horrible quality.
Both Show Disconnected Devices and Show Disabled Devices are enabled.
Great. Win 7 is basically "Vista Improved" and uses the same drivers.
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
My Own Build
OS
Windows 10 64 bit
CPU
Intel i7 6700K
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero
Memory
16GB Corsair Dominator
Graphics Card(s)
Intel CPU Graphics
Sound Card
RealTek
Monitor(s) Displays
27" Dell S2719dgf
Screen Resolution
2560X1440
Hard Drives
1 TB Samsung 850 EVO SSD for Win 10 Pro
500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD for Win 10 Insider
2 TB drive for backup
PSU
EVGA Supernova 750G2
Case
BeQuiet Silent Base 600
Cooling
Deepcool Captain 120EX
Keyboard
Microsoft Wireless 2000
Mouse
Microsoft wireless
Internet Speed
100 MB/sec (Cable)
Antivirus
Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes
Browser
Edge/Firefox
Other Info
Cakewalk (Sonar) by BandLab and Studio One 4.1 Pro recording studio software. MOTU 896Mk3 Hybrid recording interface, Frontier Tranzport wireless control unit, Behringer X-Touch Control Surface.
Five USB connected optical drives for CD Audio production using Nero BurningROM