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Blue Snowball iCE suddenly unrecognized on Windows 8.1

Hello,

I've had a Surface 3 (not pro) for almost two months now, and my Blue Snowball microphone has worked perfectly fine until now.

For a while, I had a problem with a static background noise in all of my recordings. It didn't matter what microphone or program I used, the noise was always there. I tried installing the Realtek HD Audio Driver to fix the issue, but it didn't.

Today I fixed the static noise in the built-in mic by changing the microphone volume to 80 and the microphone boost to 0.0db. I plugged in the Blue Snowball to apply the same settings, only to find it wasn't recognized.

The light on the Blue Snowball is on, so it is plugged in correctly. All of the solutions I've found haven't worked. They include:

- Unplugging the microphone or restarting the computer. (I've done this multiple times, and it hasn't worked.)

- Uninstall and reinstall the microphone in Device Manager. (The Blue Snowball is listed nowhere on the Device Manager.)

- Use a different USB port. (This isn't an option for me as the Surface 3 only has one USB port.)

Additionally, the Blue Snowball does not show up under Devices & Printers or Sound.

I have a Windows 7 PC where the Blue Snowball works fine, so this issue only exists on the Surface.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Hi,

Welcome and thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community. 

I can understand how frustrating it could be when things go unusual. 
I will certainly help you.

It appears that the Blue Snowball Ice Microphone is not recognized in your surface 3.

Please share:
1. Have you made any changes to the surface 3 prior to the issue?
2. Do you get any error message/code when you connect the Microphone?
3. Does the issue occur with any other USB device?

This might be due to some incorrect audio settings or it might be due to the outdated audio HD drivers.

Kindly, follow the below methods and check.

Method 1: Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.
Hardware and Devices troubleshooter checks for common problems and makes sure that any new device or hardware connected to your PC is installed correctly.

 a. Press “Windows key + W”.

 b. Type “Troubleshooting” and hit Enter.

 c. Select “Hardware and Sound” from the Troubleshooter Window.

 d. Select “Hardware and Devices” under Devices option.

 e. Follow the On Screen instructions.

Method 2: Make sure that the Microphone is not disabled and is set as default.

Make sure that the microphone that you are using is not disabled and is set as default in the computer. Follow these steps to check this:

a) Right-click on the volume icon and select “Recording devices”.

b) Now, right-click on an empty space and select, “Show disconnected devices” and “Show disabled devices”.

c) Select “Microphone” and click on “Properties” and make sure that the microphone is enabled.

d) You may also check if the microphone that you are using is set as default.

Now, check the issue. If it is already enabled, then try the next method and check the issue.

Method 3: Update the Sound Card Drivers.

Step 1: Try updating the drivers from the Device Manager.

a) Press “Windows Logo” + “X” keys on the keyboard.

b) Click on “Device Manager”.

c) Search for the Sound Card from the device list and right-click on it and select “Update Driver Software”.

d) Follow the on-screen instructions and complete the installation of the latest driver.

e) If no driver updates are available, you may also search for the updated sound card drivers in the “Drivers” and “Driver Store” folders in the location “C:/Windows/System32” by selecting the option “Browse my computer for Driver Software”.

Step 2: If the issue persists you can also try to Update Driver Software from the Manufacturer’s website:

http://www.bluemic.com/snowball_iCE/

Hope it helps.

Let us know the status of the issue, we are glad to assist you further.

Thanks & regards,

Abdul Malik

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Question Info

Last updated October 9, 2021 Views 732 Applies to: