Found this on the dell forums...
There are alot of sound options that can be enabled for the SigmaTel sound that are not enabled by default in dell computers. Some options I have found are: a 3D Depth control, a level meter for the master volume, and a seperate headphone contol (I used to always have to turn the system volume way down when listening with headphones). Also there is an option to turn on Mic playback, which will allow you to listen to an external radio that is plugged into the mic-in on the system speakers. The process involves changing the registry, so I would not recommend this to a novice. Always be careful when editing the registry: if you are not...
Before you start: these options may not be avalible on all dell computers. however, if you see the option on the registry editor, that usually means these changes will work.
1: In the start menu, click on the "Run" icon.
2: Type in "regedit"
3: In the registry editor, under "Edit", click "Find"
4: Type in "3DDepthEnable", checking all the boxes.
5: Now the screen is showing all the keys that have to do with the built-in sound.
6: FInd keys listed as "3DDepthEnable", "DiasableHeadphone", "DisablePeakmeters", and "DisableMicFromPlayback".
7: To switch these options on or off, double-click on the key: you will see a text bok that says "edit binary value". To change it, make the last two digits either 00, or 01 (00 means off, 01 means on).
*Be careful: if the key says something like: "DisableHeadphone", by setting the value to zero, you will be turning it on ( it will be "not off", a double negative)
8: Once you have changed the values you wanted, exit the program and restart the computer.
9: When you open the sound mixer, your changes should be applied.
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Also, it seems that the microphone doesnt work for the Sigmatel audio system...so...
Dell ships the Inspirons with the ability to monitor the input at the mic jack turned off. On most models mic monitoring can be restored by altering the value of the registry subkey 'DisableMicFromPlayback' in Windows XP.
Users of Inspiron 1100, 1150, 5150, 5160, 6000, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 500m, 600m and 700m found the key.
Users of Inspiron 4150, 4700 and 8100 did not find the key in their registries.
A user of Inspiron 600m reported that he found the key only by using the direct Registry path.
(An 8600 user reported that he also set the value of the key 'EnablePoPBypass' to 0.)
Please post any additional or different findings.
(This Registry edit was originally posted in a basic form by dilleyo, and jk79 later added more detailed instructions. I have put it into a step-by-step format for those of us who need it this way. If you are already familiar with editing the Registry skip down to the direct path at the bottom.)
1. Go to Start menu and click on Run. Type 'regedit' without quotes and click OK to open the Registry.
2. At the top of the list, highlight My Computer.
3. Under the Edit menu, select Find.
4. Type in 'DisableMicFromPlayback' without quotes and click 'find next'.
5. Highlight DisableMicFromPlayback. Right click on it and select Modify.
6. Highlight 01 and change to 00. Click OK.
7. Exit the Registry and restart the computer.
Next, configure the system mixer:
1. Open Volume Control by right clicking on the speaker icon on the taskbar, or go to Start/Control Panel/ Sound & Audio Devices Properties/Advanced (button).
2. Under the Options menu, select Properties.
3. Under show the following volume controls check the box next to Microphone. Click OK.
4. A mic control appears in the Volume Control. Make sure the mute box is unchecked.
5. If your external audio source (a stereo or tv tuner etc that you have connected to the mic jack) has a way to control its volume level, turn it down to control excessive volume.
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And finally...it seems that the external microphone output...is noisy as all hell due to a design error which messes up mic input horribly. If you find that the audio for the 6000 isnt enough for you, I would recommend getting a USB headset. I've personally found that this headset is great. You get much clearer sound both in and out of the notebook by completely bypassing the lackluster sound options for the 6000 and other similar notebooks.
I just got this headset in the mail and I love it. The Logitech 300 sounds crystal clear and if I ever want to send a voicemail with Yahoo 7 Beta or talk to my loved ones with Skype or Yahoo, I tested it out and my friend in New York immediately asked me how I got my microphone to sound so clear. For 20 bucks, I dont even need to have to put up with the 6000's crappy audio any longer and highly recommend it.
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2....cid=44344&fp=F
There are alot of sound options that can be enabled for the SigmaTel sound that are not enabled by default in dell computers. Some options I have found are: a 3D Depth control, a level meter for the master volume, and a seperate headphone contol (I used to always have to turn the system volume way down when listening with headphones). Also there is an option to turn on Mic playback, which will allow you to listen to an external radio that is plugged into the mic-in on the system speakers. The process involves changing the registry, so I would not recommend this to a novice. Always be careful when editing the registry: if you are not...
Before you start: these options may not be avalible on all dell computers. however, if you see the option on the registry editor, that usually means these changes will work.
1: In the start menu, click on the "Run" icon.
2: Type in "regedit"
3: In the registry editor, under "Edit", click "Find"
4: Type in "3DDepthEnable", checking all the boxes.
5: Now the screen is showing all the keys that have to do with the built-in sound.
6: FInd keys listed as "3DDepthEnable", "DiasableHeadphone", "DisablePeakmeters", and "DisableMicFromPlayback".
7: To switch these options on or off, double-click on the key: you will see a text bok that says "edit binary value". To change it, make the last two digits either 00, or 01 (00 means off, 01 means on).
*Be careful: if the key says something like: "DisableHeadphone", by setting the value to zero, you will be turning it on ( it will be "not off", a double negative)
8: Once you have changed the values you wanted, exit the program and restart the computer.
9: When you open the sound mixer, your changes should be applied.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, it seems that the microphone doesnt work for the Sigmatel audio system...so...
Dell ships the Inspirons with the ability to monitor the input at the mic jack turned off. On most models mic monitoring can be restored by altering the value of the registry subkey 'DisableMicFromPlayback' in Windows XP.
Users of Inspiron 1100, 1150, 5150, 5160, 6000, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 500m, 600m and 700m found the key.
Users of Inspiron 4150, 4700 and 8100 did not find the key in their registries.
A user of Inspiron 600m reported that he found the key only by using the direct Registry path.
(An 8600 user reported that he also set the value of the key 'EnablePoPBypass' to 0.)
Please post any additional or different findings.
(This Registry edit was originally posted in a basic form by dilleyo, and jk79 later added more detailed instructions. I have put it into a step-by-step format for those of us who need it this way. If you are already familiar with editing the Registry skip down to the direct path at the bottom.)
1. Go to Start menu and click on Run. Type 'regedit' without quotes and click OK to open the Registry.
2. At the top of the list, highlight My Computer.
3. Under the Edit menu, select Find.
4. Type in 'DisableMicFromPlayback' without quotes and click 'find next'.
5. Highlight DisableMicFromPlayback. Right click on it and select Modify.
6. Highlight 01 and change to 00. Click OK.
7. Exit the Registry and restart the computer.
Next, configure the system mixer:
1. Open Volume Control by right clicking on the speaker icon on the taskbar, or go to Start/Control Panel/ Sound & Audio Devices Properties/Advanced (button).
2. Under the Options menu, select Properties.
3. Under show the following volume controls check the box next to Microphone. Click OK.
4. A mic control appears in the Volume Control. Make sure the mute box is unchecked.
5. If your external audio source (a stereo or tv tuner etc that you have connected to the mic jack) has a way to control its volume level, turn it down to control excessive volume.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally...it seems that the external microphone output...is noisy as all hell due to a design error which messes up mic input horribly. If you find that the audio for the 6000 isnt enough for you, I would recommend getting a USB headset. I've personally found that this headset is great. You get much clearer sound both in and out of the notebook by completely bypassing the lackluster sound options for the 6000 and other similar notebooks.
I just got this headset in the mail and I love it. The Logitech 300 sounds crystal clear and if I ever want to send a voicemail with Yahoo 7 Beta or talk to my loved ones with Skype or Yahoo, I tested it out and my friend in New York immediately asked me how I got my microphone to sound so clear. For 20 bucks, I dont even need to have to put up with the 6000's crappy audio any longer and highly recommend it.
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2....cid=44344&fp=F
