Why doesn't skype want me to hear anything?

November 10, 2007 1:03 PM

Why does skype keep muting my sound and switching my inputs during calls?

I'm using skype, running windows XP on a Toshiba laptop and my sound keeps getting muted and my input source changed.

When I'm just using my built in speakers everything works fine. When I plug headphones and a mic into the standard inputs, everything works fine. When I plug my logitech USB headset in, skype starts messing with my sound settings.

I have the headset plugged in, everything's working. Sound is playing through them, the mic picks up my voice and records things. Everything's working nicely and then skype rings. I hear the ringing in the headphones. I press answer. Suddenly my master volume drops to 0 and my wave volume gets muted, and I have to unmute everything before I can hear anyone on skype. The same thing happens if I start a call. The moment I press call - volume to 0 and wave muted. WTF is going on?

Additionally the input select will keep randomly switching from USB mic to the standard input jack during the call, so I have to open up skypes audio settings and change it back to USB.

How do I get skype to just work normally with my USB headset? This is all getting rather annoying. I've searched google and the skype website, but I haven't found anything all that helpful.

Thanks :)

posted by Arbac to Technology (4 answers total)

Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel

Click on Sounds and Audio Devices

Click on the "Audio" tab

Check or uncheck "Use only default devices"
posted by fake at 1:16 PM on November 10, 2007

Response by poster: fake - that doesn't do anything :-(
posted by Arbac at 1:23 PM on November 10, 2007

I bought a Philips Skype phone a while ago and had the same problem - it knocked out my speakers, but if you picked up the cordless handset you'd hear the sound coming through there. The solution for me was indeed along the lines of what fake suggests - both Audio and Voice should show your regular sound card as a selection, and there's a checkmark on both tabs for 'use only default devices'.
posted by Flashman at 4:12 PM on November 10, 2007

I've had other bugs with skype in the past and they've been pretty responsive when you report them. I'm not exactly sure how the windows version works, but on Mac OS X skype you go to Help -> Report a problem.
posted by cactus at 9:46 PM on November 10, 2007