Sb live 24 bit microphone problem

So i bought this card cause i had just built my new system and wanted great sound to go with the great graphics and power. It was cheap so i was like what the hell go for it. Ive played with every preference tab volume thingy and setting i can find but the recording volume is still way to low even with everything way up. i dont have booster or anything like that in any settings panel. The only way it recognises sound is if im playing loud music at top volume with the mic next to the headphone. Any help with a patch or something ive overlooked would be great. if you need more info let me know and ill post it asap. thanks in advance.
p.s. i have googled every possible variation on " mic not working on sb live 24 bit" including changing the names and everything.