Windows 10: Microphone issue not solved with latest driver update

Here's the stats screen copy/pasted

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CONCLUSION
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Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or pops. One or more DPC routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates.
LatencyMon has been analyzing your system for 1:28:01 (h:mm:ss) on all processors.


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SYSTEM INFORMATION
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Computer name: NOLAN-PC
OS version: Windows 10 , 10.0, build: 15063 (x64)
Hardware: ASRock, X79 Extreme6
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3820 CPU @ 3.60GHz
Logical processors: 8
Processor groups: 1
RAM: 32718 MB total


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CPU SPEED
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Reported CPU speed: 360 MHz
Measured CPU speed: 1 MHz (approx.)

Note: reported execution times may be calculated based on a fixed reported CPU speed. Disable variable speed settings like Intel Speed Step and AMD Cool N Quiet in the BIOS setup for more accurate results.

WARNING: the CPU speed that was measured is only a fraction of the CPU speed reported. Your CPUs may be throttled back due to variable speed settings and thermal issues. It is suggested that you run a utility which reports your actual CPU frequency and temperature.



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MEASURED INTERRUPT TO USER PROCESS LATENCIES
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The interrupt to process latency reflects the measured interval that a usermode process needed to respond to a hardware request from the moment the interrupt service routine started execution. This includes the scheduling and execution of a DPC routine, the signaling of an event and the waking up of a usermode thread from an idle wait state in response to that event.

Highest measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 4382.126182
Average measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 8.692033

Highest measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 4378.143982
Average measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 0.962694


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REPORTED ISRs
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Interrupt service routines are routines installed by the OS and device drivers that execute in response to a hardware interrupt signal.

Highest ISR routine execution time (µs): 58.370
Driver with highest ISR routine execution time: ataport.SYS - ATAPI Driver Extension, Microsoft Corporation

Highest reported total ISR routine time (%): 0.003657
Driver with highest ISR total time: ataport.SYS - ATAPI Driver Extension, Microsoft Corporation

Total time spent in ISRs (%) 0.008354

ISR count (execution time <250 µs): 628554
ISR count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 500-999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 2000-3999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time >=4000 µs): 0


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REPORTED DPCs
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DPC routines are part of the interrupt servicing dispatch mechanism and disable the possibility for a process to utilize the CPU while it is interrupted until the DPC has finished execution.

Highest DPC routine execution time (µs): 1171.274167
Driver with highest DPC routine execution time: ataport.SYS - ATAPI Driver Extension, Microsoft Corporation

Highest reported total DPC routine time (%): 0.024747
Driver with highest DPC total execution time: rspLLL64.sys - Resplendence Latency Monitoring and Auxiliary Kernel Library, Resplendence Software Projects Sp.

Total time spent in DPCs (%) 0.143725

DPC count (execution time <250 µs): 21125076
DPC count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time 500-999 µs): 17
DPC count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 5289
DPC count (execution time 2000-3999 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time >=4000 µs): 0


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REPORTED HARD PAGEFAULTS
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Hard pagefaults are events that get triggered by making use of virtual memory that is not resident in RAM but backed by a memory mapped file on disk. The process of resolving the hard pagefault requires reading in the memory from disk while the process is interrupted and blocked from execution.


Process with highest pagefault count: none

Total number of hard pagefaults 0
Hard pagefault count of hardest hit process: 0
Highest hard pagefault resolution time (µs): 0.0
Total time spent in hard pagefaults (%): 0.0
Number of processes hit: 0


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PER CPU DATA
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CPU 0 Interrupt cycle time (s): 102.068646
CPU 0 ISR highest execution time (µs): 58.370
CPU 0 ISR total execution time (s): 3.492257
CPU 0 ISR count: 610043
CPU 0 DPC highest execution time (µs): 1171.274167
CPU 0 DPC total execution time (s): 40.753005
CPU 0 DPC count: 18303972
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CPU 1 Interrupt cycle time (s): 41.617181
CPU 1 ISR highest execution time (µs): 39.341667
CPU 1 ISR total execution time (s): 0.020827
CPU 1 ISR count: 3031
CPU 1 DPC highest execution time (µs): 1111.50250
CPU 1 DPC total execution time (s): 0.709306
CPU 1 DPC count: 126406
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CPU 2 Interrupt cycle time (s): 47.051066
CPU 2 ISR highest execution time (µs): 28.698333
CPU 2 ISR total execution time (s): 0.001904
CPU 2 ISR count: 187
CPU 2 DPC highest execution time (µs): 946.7150
CPU 2 DPC total execution time (s): 4.988724
CPU 2 DPC count: 719149
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CPU 3 Interrupt cycle time (s): 51.656084
CPU 3 ISR highest execution time (µs): 16.556667
CPU 3 ISR total execution time (s): 0.000494
CPU 3 ISR count: 340
CPU 3 DPC highest execution time (µs): 146.235833
CPU 3 DPC total execution time (s): 0.917849
CPU 3 DPC count: 158409
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CPU 4 Interrupt cycle time (s): 42.284859
CPU 4 ISR highest execution time (µs): 21.52250
CPU 4 ISR total execution time (s): 0.013748
CPU 4 ISR count: 14953
CPU 4 DPC highest execution time (µs): 984.065833
CPU 4 DPC total execution time (s): 5.578512
CPU 4 DPC count: 723457
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CPU 5 Interrupt cycle time (s): 32.992652
CPU 5 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 5 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 5 ISR count: 0
CPU 5 DPC highest execution time (µs): 144.834167
CPU 5 DPC total execution time (s): 0.549084
CPU 5 DPC count: 84187
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CPU 6 Interrupt cycle time (s): 42.591231
CPU 6 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 6 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 6 ISR count: 0
CPU 6 DPC highest execution time (µs): 910.836667
CPU 6 DPC total execution time (s): 6.339794
CPU 6 DPC count: 774000
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CPU 7 Interrupt cycle time (s): 39.914920
CPU 7 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 7 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 7 ISR count: 0
CPU 7 DPC highest execution time (µs): 165.470
CPU 7 DPC total execution time (s): 0.884759
CPU 7 DPC count: 240802
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ataport.sys suggests you have ATA hard disc mode instead of AHCI. Changing to AHCI is suggested from this post
[Help] DPC latency seemingly caused by ATAPORT.SYS, possibly others : techsupport

Here is our forum tutorial on how to change to AHCI. No guarantee it will fix the problems but a start.
Enable AHCI in Windows 8 and Windows 10 after Installation Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

 

Ok. Most of those things were already set right, but there were a few in the registry that had the wrong value. The BIOS already had the SSD at AHCI, so that didn't change. I'm still having the microphone problem.

 

Going back to your post about only having rear microphone jack. Considering your System Specs I find It hard to believe the case does not have a front panel mic jack. ??

 

Apart from the rear I/O panel, I have a DVD burner, Blu Ray burner, Rosewill all-in-one card reader with USB 2.0 and 3.0, a USB 3.0 panel, and on top is a USB 2.0 and Firewire port.

 

What is the case you have? I still find it hard to believe there is no audio jacks. I've looked at a lot of cases (I build my own and have built several for clients) and don't recall seeing any without the audio jacks.

 

It's an Xcilo. It didn't have a front audio panel. The only ports it has are the USB and FireWire on the top.

 

OK chalk up one for the case. I've looked at a lot of cases, never came across this brand, and this is the first one I've seen without front (or top) audio jacks.
Back to the problem. Has the mic ever worked properly with this PC? Is there anything accidentally plugged into the audio header on the motherboard?

 

It worked perfectly until I upgraded to Windows 10. Initial research showed that it was hopeless apart from waiting for Realtek to fix it, so I waited. I recently looked into it again, found out that they fixed it with their latest drivers, so I upgraded, and it still doesn't work. Nothing is plugged into the audio header. The only hardware changes I have made since upgrading to Windows 10 is replacing and increasing my RAM, but I had the problem before I did that.

 

Other than a hardware problem, at this point, the only other thing I can think of is a corrupted Win 10 upgrade. Possibly a complete, clean, reinstall of Win 10 would fix it. This is extreme but may be needed.

 

That's what I was afraid of. I guess I'll try that.

 

If you have another hard drive (or SSD) use that for the clean install. Keep your current hard drive in case that doesn't fix it.

 

So a clean install didn't fix it.

 

I would do it this way, bearing in mind onboard audio is reliant upon it being designed properly and isolated on the MOBO.
1) Install any MOBO system drivers.
2) Install MOBO manufacturers driver.
3) Go to Windows 10 Settings, increase the level of data collection, then go to Windows updates and see what happens. Make take sometime.
Specifically do not install 'latest driver'.

In the Microphone Properties > Levels, vary the Mic gain and Mic Boost, whilst speaking close to and far away from the Microphone such that output levels are broadly the same.
Does the Audio to fuzz ratio change.

A way around this maybe to buy a PCI-E Sound card and use that instead, it maybe more isolated.

 

Ok, all drivers are installed, all updates are installed, and the microphone is always fuzzy. I'd really rather not spend a bunch of money on a sound card, but it's not looking like I have much choice on that, right?