Help with getting Skype to work

I have done everything I know to do.

1. Called the special number to record my voice
2. Checked all the settings and checked my connections

But... when I play back what's suppsoed to be my voice all I get is nothing but an electronic hum.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Tools - Options - Audio Settings ... choose your Microphone in the dropdown menu

Are you using a laptop?
- Are you assuming that the laptop has an in-built mic?

If you are then you might want to double check - although in-built mics are reasonably common on laptops they're not fitted to all.

One other thing to do: try testing the mic through another application, for example:
Start|Programs|Accessories|Entertainment|Sound Recorder

I had, and still have, the same problem in my apartment, but in reverse: the other person can hear me but I can hear perhaps every other syllable from them. The internet connection is free and supplied to the whole apartment building. BUT, the bandwidth is intentionally kept low enough so people cannot talk through Skype or Yahoo. Your girlfriend might check to see if her internet connection is sufficient to support Skype. If she has a laptop she could try a different location. At the office using the same laptop I have absolutely no problem using Skype. Good luck!

really? I wouldn't have thought bandwidth would have been a problem since Skype only uses between 3- and 16 kilobytes/sec for a call and 0.5 to keep the connection open when you have no active calls.

Disclaimer: I would not describe myself as cutting edge when it comes to technology. However, the Verwaltung in my apartment building told me they had intentionally blocked the use of Yahoo or Skype. And indeed, Yahoo Messenger will not load when I'm at home. Skype will run, and the chat and video features work fine, but as mentioned I can barely hear about half of what the other person says. I hope these symptoms can help those better capable than I of making a proper diagnosis.

sounds more like they blocked the website/server rather than limiting the bandwidth.

Sounds to me more like they are skewing the QoS (quality of service) on the line so the UDP packets needed for VoIP are being shuffled and arriving out of order. For a data connection this is no problem, but for a voice connection it will cause massive drop-outs (even a 1% packet loss can significantly degrade a conversation). It's a common trick on public WiFi networks, such as in hotels.