dell xps m1330 internal microphone?

windows 7?

Vista

Is your mic set as the default device?  right click on the audio icon near the time and click recording devices.

It happened to me..... it says microphone but it just has the socket to plug in a microphone.... make sure that your machne came with a microphone....
Bits ...

The easiest way to test is to plug in a microphone....
Bits...

you would be able to see that from the recording devices window i mentioned earlier  it would tell you what devices are available and you would see the bar move if it detects audio

If yours is the model that comes with the webcam....look at the sides...To the left and right, there should be two slots - those are the microphone array receivers.

Right click the speaker icon and select recording devices.... if it says "No recording device plugged in" either you need to reinstall the camera and sound drivers or you don't have a microphone.....
You can download the drivers from here:
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&os=WLH&osl=en&catid=&impid=&SystemID=XPS_M1330
Bits ..

unless there's something in device manager missing, drivers are already installed and functional.  i doubt it's a driver issue

It could be a corrupted driver so no harm in trying to reload the drivers.

Do you have the dell diagnostic ? If not download the diagnostic for your
laptop from dell site.
Run the dell diagnostic to check the hardware status.

I had the same issue with the Dell Vistro 1510 running Vista.
Was advised  to change the webcam card but the cost is exorbitant.
So I decided to use the external mic its a cheap solution but not neat.

When I right click on the speaker icon on the bottom bar, and choose recording devices, there is a microphone there, but as a disconnected device.  There is a note that says device not plugged in.  I will try the diagnostic and reinstall the drivers.  There are slots on the screen next to the webcam.  I am wondering if this is a vista issue (vista not recognizing the hardware), or an actual hardware issue?

Thanks for all the comments!

I doubt it is a Vista or Hardware issue ... It seems more like a corrupt driver or an incorrect setting, it's very common. I'm sure if you delete the drivers for the webcam and sound from the device manager and download a fresh set of drivers, the problem will be resolved.

Bits ...

Plus, by installing the drivers again you get the added benefit that they will usually revert your settings to their default state allowing you to avoid the pain of checking setting by setting. Make sure to check in the BIOS in case there is a setting that disables the microphone.

Bits ...

If you connect an external mic the recording device will be identified.  This
happens on my laptop. I have tried installing the drivers with out any success.
There is no BIOS setting for the microphone. See what the diagnostic test reports to you.

Worst scenario you will need to to check the  webcam cable. Also the
other end of the cable which plugs into the MB.
Not sure  if it will help but that is the last thing that you should also explore.

The webcam connection is together with the LCD cable. A visual inspection of any disconnections of conductor  lines need to checked.

Swapping a similar working  webcam card is the easiest way to confirm where the problem lies.

Also note that the  webcam card has the mic and camera built in together and its part number is P/N JX185. Ebay is selling JX185 between 22 to 50 US dollars with postage by various people. Dell charges in hundreds for the same part.

Good luck !