Vista - Need Regedit Help for Unmuting Mic Problem in Vista (Realtek)

Hi, I've been doing some research and apparently this is a common problem: there is no sound from the speakers while using the built-in microphone (or any musical device plugged into the front panel mic input jack), although it does record (audible upon playback only, not in real-time), and there is no available option to unmute the mic. In other words I want my speakers to function as monitors.

I've found some solutions in forums like this, but none that work for my setup. I have a Toshiba Satellite A305-S6858 running Vista Home Premium x64, SP1, using Realtek HD Audio driver 6.0.1.5772.

First, I've already tried all the easy fixes:
-In "Sound>Playback>Speakers Properties>Levels", there are only volume sliders for "Realtek HD Audio output" and "PC Beep", nothing else. Both set to full volume.
-In "Sound>Recording>Microphone Properties>Levels", the "Microphone" and "Microphone Boost" sliders are set at full volume and the microphone is enabled.
-In both the playback and recording tabs, "Show Disabled/Disconnected Devices" are both selected. Changing default recording device from "Microphone" to "Stereo Mix" had no effect, so I put it back to mic.
-I've also looked through literally every other sound-related menu page for anything relevant, with no luck.
-I upgraded my Realtek audio driver to the latest available, but it made no difference.

From what I gather, the only way to fix this is by editing the registry (I've already created a backup system restore point just in case I mess something up). Here's a screenshot of what I believe is my audio driver in Regedit. The path is:

"Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0001\Settings\Drv5722_DevType_0268_SS1179ff1c"



Can anyone please tell me what I need to change? Based on suggestions that worked for other systems, I've already searched the registry for the following with no luck: "MicV," "MonR," "DisableMicFromPlayback," "DisableMicSelect," "EnablePoPBypass," "EnableInputMonitor," "EnableIntSpkrMute."

Sorry for the long post, just trying to be specific. Help is truly appreciated since I NEED to use my laptop for recording and performing music, and all my expensive music equipment/software is worthless if I can't hear myself while recording! Thanks!

Long post appreciated

but my understanding is to avoid feedback loops the speakers are disabled when you plug in a mic. Same thing happens in a recording studio except the speakers are in a another room.

Have you tried using headphones while recording?

Thanks for responding. Yes, I've tried using headphones while recording. The most annoying part of this is that it was never an issue with my old XP computer (or Win98 before that even...). It was just a matter of unclicking mute in the sound mixer. Why I no longer have that option anywhere is a mystery to me...

And not that it matters much since it's not working, but feedback loops haven't been a problem in the past, since I mainly used the mic input as more of a line in for musical equipment like keyboards, guitar processors, synths, etc. rather than for an microphone.