[Skybird74]

I have an HP laptop with a microphone in. I've never seen a laptop with a "line-in" in addition to the microphone in - do you know which models have both?

I went to HP re troubleshooting "recording". Below is what they had to say: (the microphone boost was already disabled - would enabling it help?)

Fixing feedback, noise, and static problems
If the Microphone Boost feature is enabled, noise can interfere with recording. Use the following steps to check for and disable the Microphone Boost feature:

1. In Windows XP, click Start, and then Control Panel.
   In Windows 95, 98, and Me, click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.
2. In Windows XP, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then Sounds and Audio Devices.
   In Windows 95, 98, and Me, double-click Sounds and Multimedia or Multimedia.
3. Click the Voice tab.
4. Click Volume inside Voice Recording or Voice Capture.
5. Click Advanced inside the Balance adjustment for the microphone. If the Advanced option window does not display, select Options and click Advanced Controls (Advanced Controls may not be available on some models).
6. In Advanced Controls for Microphone, select 1 Microphone Boost or +20dB Gain.
7. Click Close and close all Windows. Try recording again.