Help with Voice Chat, client can't "see" mic

When using my Laptop, I cannot use voice chat when inside Second Life.

I am using a Toshiba Tecra M2, 1.6 Ghz, 1Gb RAM and Windows XP SP2.

I can use the windows sound recorder application.

When I boot the Second Life Client before I connect to the game, using Ctrl-P, I can access the voice chat wizard. I have set the devices to SOUNDMAX, which is all it offers me and when I test the microphone with the volume slider, the boxes appear and flash green and sometime red.

After connecting to the game, the blue title bar icon displays, but I do not get my white dot above my head and when I access the Voice Chat wizard, device driver dialogue, the slide bar is decorated with a "Please wait" text string, the boxes do not appear and so have no colour. The assigned button, either 'v' or middle mouse depresses the talk button, but there is no white dot that goes green when talking, and also no sound. I can't hear others talking to me.

I have tried this with both the builtin Mic, and an external pin connector mic, and a an externally connected mic and head set. I checked the forums which sugested that wireless speed can be marginal and offered a bunch of SL variable settings, however, I chose to test this theory by connecting via an ethernet drop cable to my router. (Still no success!)

My ISP is British Telcom to a UK address.

Also I have successfully configured my desktop system to behave correctly. The successfully configured system is an Alienware Aurora.

The fact that the wizard can see the audio drivers when outside the game suggest to me that its a bug in the client, however any advice as to how I can configure the laptop in anyway to make voice chat work, would be appreciated.

I am having the same problem and no one seems to be able to help me. VERY FRUSTRATED!!!

try the faq (https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Voice_FAQ). see if its of any help.

I have read the FAQ with great detail. I summarise,

The Client works, its your fault!

However, I understand that a new client has been published, I am going to download it in the next 24 hours. If this doesn't work, I am going to undertake a driver review.

I am sure we need to use the SOUNDMAX drivers.

Jude,

Do you have the same problem in that sound works in the lobby, but not in the game.

In have downloaded 1.18.2(1) and I can't connect to the game now. I have raised a trouble ticket.

The wizard when invoked using Ctrl-P uses the line modem device and the boxes go green using the builtin mic.

Now I am really embarrassed, I think I've fixed it.

I don't now how, but when I downloaded 1.18.2(1), it must have refreshed my firewall rules to block all. (Now that's not going to work is it.)

I tested it with my computer firewall off, behind an external firewall and it worked fine, so I have manually reset the firewall rules on my laptop, so not only can I connect from my laptop, but the sound seems to be working fine.

I use the soundmax drivers.

It looks like the changes in the new version have fixed the the detection problems I had with the microphone, and the changes in the firewall rules permit the new client to connect to the world.

If anyone from SL technical writing is reading this, I remind you, its a Toshiba Tecra M2, running Windows XP with sp/2. I use a Symantec Firewall.

So to the person who suggested I read the FAQ, thanks, it turned out to be good advice. Even my interpretation turned out to be right - it was my fault.

also keep in mind for those with firewalls, the voice program is not second life, it is it's own program

I think it is called voice.exe (at least that is what I have seen when windows gives me an error about it heh)