Computer microphone connectors: front vs back

[Rizon]

I just bought a headset with a microphone. I tried setting up the voice with the microphone, but it would barely recognize my voice. It was plugged into the FRONT jack on my computer. I thought my new headset was broken, so before I went to send it back, I plugged it into the BACK connector ... and it worked like a charm.

So WTF, is there different settings for these jacks, or is my front jack broken?

Problem is, I run 2 sets of speakers so I can't plug the headphones into the back too. The headphones work on the front jack, so that plug isn't broken. I'm about to splits the wires up and plug the headphones into the front and the microphone into the back, but I'd rather try to figure this out first.

[TargetPractice6]

Well the back jacks most likely go straight into the motherboard or sound card, where as the front jacks would need wires going from the front of the case to the mobo/sound card.

Just guess, but it could be that the wire going to the mic jack isn't connected at the right spot or something is wrong with the wiring itself.

[Rizon]

I ended up figuring this out a year ago ... but set my mic down earlier this year.

Now I have this problem again and can't figure it out.

Basically I cannot get an even recording volume out of my mic (although I did when I got it working a year ago). If I use my Voice Recording Default Device as my soundcard, it barely recognizes my voice. If I put the mic in my mouth and talk it does, but it echos. If I change the VRDD to "Logitech MIC" (which is not my mic), the mic picks up sound great .. in fact, so great that it picks up even my stomach gurgling. No matter how I change the recording volume settings, the Logitech MIC picks up too much sound, and the soundcard picks up too little.

Strange thing is ... if I use Logitech MIC, I can hear myself in MS Speech AND Sound Hardware Test Wizard, but it will not record a thing in MS Sound Recorder.

This worked a year ago, so nothing is broken. But there is some obscure setting somewhere that is causing this (it took me days to find it last time; there were something like 14 different settings that needed to be changed). And I give up.

[Rizon]

And yes, it works perfectly if I plug then into the rear computer connectors.