Recently a friend setup Skype on my Windows XP Professional computer. To talk over Skype I purchased a Logitech microphone headset. All seems to be working correctly, and I can hear other callers and also Windows system sounds (such as the Windows XP startup sound). However, other people cannot hear me. I have tried adjusting all the settings, and followed the Skype instructions, but still to no avail. Is it possible that I have faulty headphones?

Faulty headphones are a potential cause, but we will try some procedures to narrow down the problem to discover whether this is really the problem. First, you should try recording some audio in another application to determine whether the problem is specific to Skype, or whether no audio is being received from the microphone to the computer at all. Go to the ‘Start’ menu > ‘All Programs’ > ‘Accessories’ > ‘Sound Recorder’. Press the Record button (the red dot) and observe whether any audio is recorded. You can tell in real-time whether any audio is being received by looking for changes in the green-line waveform. Once you have finished recording, press the Play button to listen for any audio.

If Sound Recorder does record audio then it seems the problem is localised to Skype. In this case, we should check the Skype settings again for any potential misconfiguration. Open Skype and go to the ‘Tools’ menu > ‘Options’. In the window that appears, click the ‘Sound Devices’ section. For the ‘Audio In’ setting make sure this is configured to be the same device as the ‘Audio Out’. Once this has been done, close the window and test whether the problem persists. In case you don’t have any online Skype contacts to test the microphone, try using the Skype ‘echo123′ service. This is an automatic service which you can dial in Skype, and acts like an answering machine - allowing you to record a message which will be played back so you can check whether the speakers and microphone on the computer are working correctly. To use echo123, open Skype and then click the ‘Contacts’ menu > ‘Add a Contact’. Search for ‘echo123′ (without the quotes). The first search result should be the ‘Echo / Sound Test Service’. Be aware, other real users on Skype use the nickname ‘echo123′ so make sure you don’t accidentally select one of these users. Once you have located the Echo / Sound Test Service entry, right-click on the entry and select ‘Start Call’. It should automatically answer and a voice will guide you through the process for testing the speakers and microphone.

Should the microphone still not work with Skype, return to the Sound Devices section and change the ‘Audio In’ to another setting, and then test again. Repeat this until one of the settings works, or you run out of settings. Should none of the settings work, it seems that this is not the cause of the problem. In this case, change both the ‘Audio In’ and ‘Audio Out’ to the ‘Windows default device’ setting, which will set Skype to use the same devices as Windows is using for sound. If you reach this point and things are still not working correctly, please contact me again for further advice.

In the situation where you cannot record audio in Sound Recorder either, then the problem is system-wide as opposed to localised with Skype. In this case, we need to look at the Windows settings for the sound devices. Go to the ‘Start’ menu > ‘Control Panel’ and open the ‘Sounds and Audio Devices’ control panel. Click the ‘Audio’ tab and make sure that the ‘Sound playback’ and ‘Sound recording’ devices are set correctly. Next, under the ‘Sound recording’ heading, click the ‘Volume’ button. Make sure that the Microphone volume is set at mid-range and is not muted. Close the Volume Control and then click OK to close the Sound and Audio Devices Properties. Open Sound Recorder and Skype to test whether the problem still continues.

Should the problem continue, some headsets have mute buttons on an in-line control located on the cable running from the headset to the computer. If your headset has such a control, make sure that the headset is not muted. Finally, to check whether the problem is related to a faulty headset, try connecting the headset to another computer to test whether you are able to record any audio with the headset connected to another computer. If not, it seems that the headset is faulty and you should take it back to the place of purchase for an exchange or refund. If you are unable to find another computer for testing you may also wish to take the headset back to the store, as they should be able to test it on one of their computers to determine whether the device is faulty.