killadeathx :
I just installed a new motherboard/cpu and now my microphone sounds like im whispering to it. While before when i had my old motherboard, my mic worked perfectly and was pretty loud
I just got a new laptop with Realtek HD Audio Manager and had the same headache. While going through various forums and changing settings, I suddenly tried this : Uninstalled my Realtek HD Audio Manager from Device Manager, re-installed and restarted the system. Then right click on the manager (brownish speaker icon, bottom right hand corner) and choose "Audio Devices" ---> Playback ---> Click on the speakers (yes, the speakers!) and choose "Configure" ----> "Levels" tab ---> You will see an option there call Microphone, mute it and also set the volume to zero. Then Line-In volume to zero too.
This worked for me. If it doesn't work, please post and I will try checking my settings once more. Hope it help!