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W500/Win7: How to disable mic when lid closed
W500/Win7: How to disable mic when lid closed
Fortunately, by an only mildly embarrassing accident, I discovered that the mic was still enabled on my closed (but running) W500. The transmitted audio was muted but still audible.
I use three closed-lid W500 ThinkPads with a variety of OSes on them, and use a KVM to switch the audio output and video to a single large monitor and speakers. For meetings that require the mic, I plug in a headset. Recently I plugged the headset into the wrong laptop, yet the other folks still heard me faintly. Apparently, even though the video is muted when the lid is closed, the mic and speakers are not.
This has a number of security ramifications, so I tried to find where I could disable the mic when the lid is closed. Win7 allows the processor to "do nothing" (not sleep, hibernate, or shutdown) when the lid is closed but there's nothing that will control the mic or speakers. Even the Lenovo Power Controls app has nothing to address this.
Is it possible to disable the mic when the computer is running with the lid closed? (Besides sticking a dummy mic plug in the headset port.)
Thanks,
-Chip-
I use three closed-lid W500 ThinkPads with a variety of OSes on them, and use a KVM to switch the audio output and video to a single large monitor and speakers. For meetings that require the mic, I plug in a headset. Recently I plugged the headset into the wrong laptop, yet the other folks still heard me faintly. Apparently, even though the video is muted when the lid is closed, the mic and speakers are not.
This has a number of security ramifications, so I tried to find where I could disable the mic when the lid is closed. Win7 allows the processor to "do nothing" (not sleep, hibernate, or shutdown) when the lid is closed but there's nothing that will control the mic or speakers. Even the Lenovo Power Controls app has nothing to address this.
Is it possible to disable the mic when the computer is running with the lid closed? (Besides sticking a dummy mic plug in the headset port.)
Thanks,
-Chip-
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Re: W500/Win7: How to disable mic when lid closed
Not sure software wise but you could prpbably splice a reed switch in and PNP transistor to the mic lines and highjacking the magnet for the lid sensor to mute the mic.
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The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.
The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.
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Re: W500/Win7: How to disable mic when lid closed
Maybe only switch it ON when you need it?
And when finished, switch it OFF?
On either of your W500, right-click on the Speaker icon in the taskbar notification area, select Recording devices.
Right-click on your microphone and hit Properties, in the Microphone properties window go to Levels tab.
Here you can mute/re-enable the microphone.
And when finished, switch it OFF?
On either of your W500, right-click on the Speaker icon in the taskbar notification area, select Recording devices.
Right-click on your microphone and hit Properties, in the Microphone properties window go to Levels tab.
Here you can mute/re-enable the microphone.
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.
PS: the old Boardroom website is still available on the Wayback Machine.
Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.
PS: the old Boardroom website is still available on the Wayback Machine.
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Re: W500/Win7: How to disable mic when lid closed
I tried using nirsoft programs to disable my T500's microphone and achieve functionality similar to the hardware Mic Mute button supported by CS09 and newer Thinkpads. I was unsuccessful to derive any such functionality using their programs, I think the T500's sound driver does not support it.
I made the Thinkvantage button open up the Sound > Recording Devices window so I can use the mouse to disable / enable the Microphone.
I made the Thinkvantage button open up the Sound > Recording Devices window so I can use the mouse to disable / enable the Microphone.
Re: W500/Win7: How to disable mic when lid closed
OK, the consensus seems to be that there is no mechanism in Win7 that ties the audio to lid closure. Windoze is far from my favorite OS so I had hoped it was just unfamiliarity, and someone would provide desultory instructions.
I found a sub-mini jack in my electronic components stock. I'll have to unplug it to use the headset but that's a pretty good failsafe anyway. It's not elegant but it works.
Thanks all,
-Chip-
I found a sub-mini jack in my electronic components stock. I'll have to unplug it to use the headset but that's a pretty good failsafe anyway. It's not elegant but it works.
Thanks all,
-Chip-
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Re: W500/Win7: How to disable mic when lid closed
can you set the recording device to audio in instead of microphone, if thats an option? it worked on my T43.
Dell Lat CP MMX-233 64mb 40gb W2k
600 PII-266 416mb 40gb WXP
T23 PIII 1.13ghz 1gb W7
Precision M4300 X9000 8gb 160gb WUXGA Ultrasharp fp W10
T530i 15.6" i7 16gb fp W10
UXGA:
A30p PIII 1.2 1gb W7 (IDTech)
T43p 2.26 2gb fp W10 (Sharp)
Lat C840 P4-2.5 2gb 60gb W7 (Ultrasharp)
600 PII-266 416mb 40gb WXP
T23 PIII 1.13ghz 1gb W7
Precision M4300 X9000 8gb 160gb WUXGA Ultrasharp fp W10
T530i 15.6" i7 16gb fp W10
UXGA:
A30p PIII 1.2 1gb W7 (IDTech)
T43p 2.26 2gb fp W10 (Sharp)
Lat C840 P4-2.5 2gb 60gb W7 (Ultrasharp)
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Re: W500/Win7: How to disable mic when lid closed
I don't think T500 has that option. Audio controls are not extensive in the T500.
Re: W500/Win7: How to disable mic when lid closed
No, but it's a helluva portable CAD machine.
-Chip-
-Chip-
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