computer tech question - lap top

[henry0reilly]

I need to physically disable the microphones on a laptop without taking it apart or damaging it in any other way.

I know how to turn them off using the control panel settings that's not what I'm asking.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

You kind of painted your way into a corner there.

There is no way you can programmatically disable the mic that could not be undone via malware or gov hacking.

The only way to be certain would be to remove the mic physically from the laptop.

You could put tape over the mic port which would muffle the sound, but that's not 100%
Some people have filled the mic hole with super glue. But that would damage it enough preventing you from ever being able to use it again.

If this is coming from a position of "I don't want the fed to be able to listen to me"

Keep in mind they can hack your smart phone to activate the mic and camera. Also they have fake cell towers that trick your phone into connecting so they can monitor the calls.

Also they have laser microphones that can pick up sounds inside your house through your windows



More than likely the gov isn't interested in you though.

If this question comes from fear of typical malware and viruses. Then I'd suggest safe browsing practices, and perhaps moving out of Windows and into Linux.

 

[WebSnyper]

As was stated above, as far as I know, anything you do through software (disable the device in device manager, uninstall the device, even removing the driver, etc) could be undone through software.

When you say physically it pretty much would get into opening the case of the laptop.

Is there a reason, or just concerns? That may help us assist you a bit more.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

This gets me speculating. It might be interesting to research the actual wiring in the laptop. IF the internal microphone is electrically routed through the jack on the side, you could cut off the microphone with a dummy plug in that jack. I'm skeptical of that, though. Even if it is, there could be a feed taken off as well, for just such a purpose. You'll probably wind up wrenching it. You might be able to put a small switch in, as well.

 

[eldirector]

Not quite a physical disable, but... You could remove the driver for the audio device. At that point, the OS would be unaware that the mic (and likely the speakers) even exist. Essentially the same as physically removing it, from the OS standpoint.

Upside: easy and reversible.
Downside: the mic and speakers are likely controlled by the same device driver. You may lose all audio.
Downside: still done with software, so it COULD be re-installed. A lot harder, though. A ton more steps than just being sneaky.

Also, you MAY be able to disable it in the BIOS. Still not the same as physically removing, but now NO software can get to it. It simply does not exist. Re-enabling is notably more difficult to do remotely, and would require a reboot.

Google is your friend for steps on either of the above. Or duckduckgo, if Google is NOT your friend.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Dummy plug: via the OS you could still flip the setting to give priority to the built in mic, ignoring the plug.

Removing driver: software can easily seek out the driver and install it.

Disabling in BIOS: the OS can interact with the BIOS. At one point Dell had a tool you could run, and on the next reboot it would update the BIOS. So one could imagine a clever hacker/gov could run a tool that would ensure the mic was enabled upon reboot.

The only way to be sure would be to remove it physically.

But the you get it on the weeds with a speaker is a lot like a microphone. So one could make the case that a really clever knave could turn a speaker into a mic.


But now we are getting super paranoid.

 

[KittySlayer]

This gets me speculating. It might be interesting to research the actual wiring in the laptop. IF the internal microphone is electrically routed through the jack on the side, you could cut off the microphone with a dummy plug in that jack. I'm skeptical of that, though. Even if it is, there could be a feed taken off as well, for just such a purpose. You'll probably wind up wrenching it. You might be able to put a small switch in, as well.

A dummy plug was going to be my suggestion.

Belt and suspenders. Dummy plug, tape over microphone, disable from Control Panel. Check software settings periodically, particularly after updates.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Now one could write a powershell or batch script to turn off the mic and zero the mic volume. Then schedule it to run every X minutes then that could keep you kinda protected.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Dummy plug: via the OS you could still flip the setting to give priority to the built in mic, ignoring the plug.

Removing driver: software can easily seek out the driver and install it.

Disabling in BIOS: the OS can interact with the BIOS. At one point Dell had a tool you could run, and on the next reboot it would update the BIOS. So one could imagine a clever hacker/gov could run a tool that would ensure the mic was enabled upon reboot.

The only way to be sure would be to remove it physically.

But the you get it on the weeds with a speaker is a lot like a microphone. So one could make the case that a really clever knave could turn a speaker into a mic.


But now we are getting super paranoid.

That was my thing with the dummy plug, that there would be some feed off the side some way that it could get to. That was why I emphasized "if" so hard. There's also nothing magical about the BIOS. That's just a collection of little software bits that are provided below the OS level for orderly access. If the .gov has microphone hardware interface mandated, it's just the matter of a few bytes of code to bring it up and hook into the audio stream, no need to ask the BIOS "mommy may I". Even if it's not quite standard, there are only a few chipsets they'd need to account for.

 

[henry0reilly]

Thanks everyone. This isn't a matter of paranoia, I know that at some point audio will be monitored. I'm pretty sure simply shutting down the software* won't be effective. A drop of super glue in one of the mic holes might be overlooked but if it's in both then "they" will know I did it on purpose.

*And I don't have admin privileges to remove drivers and such.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Ooooh, is this a work laptop, and you are concerned about spying?


You may still have access to set up a scheduled task. If so, you an go the scripted route to ensure the mic stays disabled as much as possible.



***Edit

Did some reading, doesn't look like you can do it via script.
Sorry.

 

[eldirector]

*2 - Is this a work laptop?

If so, don't monkey with it. You agreed to use it in this configuration.

Side note: if it is just corporate IT "spying" on you (listening and/or recording per your agreement), then disabling the mic is enough. Trust me, no corp IT jockey cares enough to do much more than push a new config and see if that works.

 

[KittySlayer]

How about some white noise? An earbud or small speaker right at the microphone to overwhelm any sound the corporate spies are trying to pick up on. A little heavy metal to lull them to sleep.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

How about some white noise? An earbud or small speaker right at the microphone to overwhelm any sound the corporate spies are trying to pick up on. A little heavy metal to lull them to sleep.

I would go the Lawrence Welk route.

 

[4651feeder]

Have you considered another approach as the solution?
View attachment 77031

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

Some laptops have an external mic jack.
They look like the earphone jack.
Purchase a cheep mic and cut the wires.
Just make sure they do not short together.
When desired to do so.
Just push the dead mic plug into the mic jack.
That totally disables the internal mic.
All my old laptops had a external mic jack.
My new "ACER" only has a earphone jack.
You could place a cotton ball held by a bandage over the mic hole.
Just do not compress the cotton ball to much.
Then make several sound recording as tests.

 

[BugI02]

I was thinking make a small groove in a cube of closed cell foam such that it can slip over the microphone and make a reasonably tight seal. Done right you wind up with an inch or so of an efficient sound deadening material over the pick up in a module that slips on and off easily

If you're sitting in cubicle world and you have a desktop wired company phone, be advised it's not difficult to listen in on you with that even when it is still in the cradle

 

[henry0reilly]

Thanks again for all the replies. With further research into the specific laptop I've discovered that the audio jack does have dual function both speakers and external mic. There is a light in one of the keys that indicates the mic is not on. Whether that light will function accurately when the powers that be want to monitor is still an open question.

 

[schmart]

I'd be cautious assuming that plugging something into the microphone jack will physically disable the internal microphones. Although it used to be the case where plugging something into a headphone jack activated a mechanical switch, it doesn't seem to be the case with the Dell computers at work. I can go into the software settings and select any microphone or speaker combination I want, even different speakers or microphones for different sound events. i.e. playing music goes through speakers, a phone call goes to headset w/ mic, etc. In the past couple iterations, windows has gotten quite clever in how it handles sound.

If you are really concerned, I'd either be far away from the laptop when having confidential conversations, or have it powered down (sleep or hibrnate would be fine).

--Rick

 

[KittySlayer]

Whether that light will function accurately when the powers that be want to monitor is still an open question.

If you are really concerned, I'd either be far away from the laptop when having confidential conversations, or have it powered down (sleep or hibrnate would be fine).

So what happens when the Powers that Be decide today is the day to listen to Henry? They fire up their spying device and don’t hear anything and start investigating. Maybe you hide your subterfuge and they don’t discover your blocking technique. Then the next day they try to listen to you and don’t hear anything. They can hear everyone else except you don’t you think they’ll get suspicious?