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    Microphone problems with Mini 311 running XP

    Discussion in 'HP' started by JellyGeo, Dec 9, 2009.

  1. JellyGeo

    JellyGeo Notebook Evangelist

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    Greetings - I've searched NBR and I can't find any references to microphone problems on the Mini 311 using XP. I did a clean install of XP Pro SP3 (after slipstreaming Nvidia drivers) and everything works very well (I really like the Zune theme for XP!) except the microphone. All I get is static - I've un-installed and re-installed the drivers - no luck. Does anyone have idea how I might resolve this? TIA ...
     
    JellyGeo, Dec 9, 2009
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  2. JellyGeo

    JellyGeo Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm posting this update with some trepidation because, invariably, someone with little else to do will chastise me for resurrecting an old thread. That said, I have resolved the microphone issue and wanted to pass on this info. Even though my Mini 311 came with Win 7, I went to the HP site and ordered an XP Home SP3 restore DVD. It arrived today and I installed it on a spare drive.

    The HP Restore DVD proved to be an awful build - slow-booting and too much shovelware. Fortunately, the restore did put an SWSetup folder on the C: drive and I copied most of the folders from there to a thumb drive. Then I re-installed my slipstreamed copy of XP Pro, used the audio drivers from the HP Restore DVD, and the microphone (and everything else) works like a charm. One key point is that the audio driver in the SWSetup folder and the one offered on the HP drivers site are different. The audio driver from the SWSetup folder installed a little app called Speaker Phone Companion - I'm not dead sure what it does but I think it minimizes echos between the speakers and microphone.

    Shame on HP for building and selling such a slow and crummy XP Home build for the Mini 311. It's a nice little system and now runs like a charm despite HP!
     
    JellyGeo, Dec 19, 2009
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