USB Headset problems

I currently have a Acer Aspire 5100

I seem to always have problems with the sound card and using external microphones with the external ones sounding fuzzy.

However, I have an interesting problem with a Microsoft Lifechat LX-3000. I followed all instructions to install the headset, and I can't get audio to come out of it other than the system click sounds that pop up when I hold down a button. Everything else comes out my external speakers. Unplugging the external speakers causes the same effect with the built-in speakers.

I've gone into audio properties and switched both input and output devices to Lifechat drivers, and the microphone still doesn't work, I can get MSN sounds and itunes to come out of my headset, and other applications play out of my speakers, and the microphone lets me record on sound recorder, but won't let me talok on MSN or any other audio chat.

Does anyone know what could possibly be wrong?

 

Maybe you should do this :
Start -> Control Panel -> Sound and ... -> Audio tab -> set the correct devices
Also check the volume settings.

 

Setting the correct devices would cause the afformentioned problems. My main concern right now is the microphone not working after i've set the input device to both "liechat". I figured it might have been the Realtek audio card or accompanying software causing the problem, because I had a problem with it before with my built-in microphone.

 

Run the Audio Tuning Wizard in MSN?

 

Well I fixed the audio problem, but the microphone problem remains. Would I need to disabled the built in microphone for the usb one to work? It always picks up off of that one right now.

There is some software that came with this laptop called Realtek HD Sound Effect Manager, and there are more options in there. However, I cannot select the usb headset soundcard for either input or output. Could that be causing the problem?