Thrilling thread of the day......(computer ?)

So I have a HP Elitebook laptop(windows 10) that belongs to the company I work for. I use a headset off the laptop to conduct business, and the other day I noticed the muted mic light(f10 key) was on, and the mic is not working. I've tested the headset to make sure it is good, and looked at all the sound settings and no where does it show the mic is muted. Just the light on the f10 key. I think one of my kids may have helped here touching the keyboard. I've talked to my IT department and they have no clue. Also talked to some local friends, and no help there either. Does anyone know how to unmute the mic via the keyboard? I'm hoping the power of the beeb can save me. I'm getting way behind at work. Thanks in advance!

 

So holding down the Fn (function key) and pressing F10 does nothing? Quick google search shows all kinds of solutions for this that are all over the board. I don't have one so no other solid ideas. I've seen everything from windows updates breaking it to BIOS to driver updates, etc.

 

Dave, yeah fn + f10 does nothing. Looking at the keyboard, you would think that would work. I've googled it before I called my IT. I think they may replace the laptop which seems absurd, and that will take long enough to really put me in a bind.

 

Check to make sure it's not disabled in the BIOS maybe?

Also... I have an Win10 Elitebook and it's F8 so make sure you're hitting the right key. (-shrug- worth a shot)

Also, is it enabled in the OS (Win10 settings) then for the application, and finally un-muted IN the actually application (i.e. Zoom has it's own unmute as well). Any of these muted will keep the mic off.

 

Look in the sound card settings as well as the BIOS or Windows settings. I have a Dell that I had to search high and low to allow me to use the headphone jack, and I finally found it in the sound card settings, not Windows settings. I did not have to get into any BIOS stuff.

 

I've tried everything mentioned except BIOS. I can't access it since I'm not an administrator.

 

Do other bluetooth devices work with the laptop?

 

Can you still use the laptop, but dial in to any calls you may have? (laptop + phone)

Also saw this if you have DTS
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Noteb...ons/F10-buttom-with-orange-light/td-p/6690826

 

Our company also runs HP laptops. Recently a coworker has an issue with their speakers/output not working. Everything appeared to be in order so the typical IT solution was to offer a new machine or re-image. Fortunately someone thought to reinstall the sound card driver which resolved the issue. Good chance you don’t have the ability to install the driver yourself but would be a worthwhile attempt if you aren’t finding anything obvious.

 

Did you try turning it off and back on again? That will be $20.

 

Yep, I even sang some Barry White songs to it. lol

 

No dts. I've looked at every setting and app I can find and everything looks good. I should have mentioned, the headset is usb and I have to use Cisco Jabber for the phone app. The mic on my headset is not picking up, and neither is the internal mic on the laptop. Other than that, everything works as it should on the laptop. I can even make and answer call, I hear them but they don't hear me.

 

They can hear you, they just stopped listening.

 

@Jack Brock

RED COSTS MORE!!!

 

If we are talking about the laptop's internal keyboard, look to see if there is an updated driver for the system. That would be on either the HP or Microsoft site. Check both.
Mapping of things like mic on/off to function keys is a function of the keyboard driver and/or the sound drivers.

 

But I want Candy Apple, so there isn't as much red. lol!

 

Check Settings|Microphone Privacy Settings and make sure “Allow apps to access your microphone” is On.

 

Does the mic fail to work if you try to test/use it directly in the sound settings? Using no additional software layer like Cisco?

 

Yes

 

Hmmm... I also read above that both the internal MIC on the laptop and the headset MIC do not work. So, it's unlikely that it is a bad headset (my next idea). The "privacy" setting suggested above is a good idea too.

The next single point failure is the sound device in the computer itself. As suggested earlier, re-installing the drivers for the "sound card" might be worth a shot. If you cannot due to privs, your IT guys should be able to do it remotely. I've also had success in removing devices in device manager and letting them be "recognized" again. I'd try this with both the headset and the sound card. Again, if you have the privs.

Another long-shot is that there is some group policy being set by your IT folks, but they would obviously know that and really wouldn't have a reason to do so, so that is unlikely.