Well, thanks Mr Merlin, but no joy Im afraid! I followed instructions via the internet and got my girl to do what you SUGGESTED......no good im afraid!..BUT she did recieve an error message when trying to REINSTALL audio.

0x80004005.......I promptly went to Microsofts user pages and got a whole list of variations on a theme!!
Now Im totally lost!...her audio still SOUNDS like a cross between a demon with belly ache and a pig grunting!!

She does NOT sound like this normally, in case you were wondering! What the *censored* is the problem?? Hardware failure? Software/driver failure?   Exasperated boyfriend !Railman can you refresh this post......has to what you have tried........thanks m_2Merlin, thanks for your reply.
To REITERATE, I got my g/f to check her audio as per your instructions. She tells me her machine has only 1 audio device installed, so she could not change it. I got her to go into 'advanced' and run a 'diagnostic' but all it reurned was a fault report which was : 0x80004005.        I checked MICROSOFT's own site for a solution to this fault, but there are many variations. The only thing I can think, is that her driver/s are somehow kapput. She tried deleting and re installing, but no sucess.  try updating the sound......driver......type dxdiag in the run box.......this will tell you what sound  device is used.....have you re-installed the system lately??Merlin, Thanks once again. In answer to your question about re installing, I cannot give you a definitive answer on that. She lives in Detroit, I live in Dorset UK, so I don't honestly know. She is a bigger dunce than even me when it comes to the 'technical' side of these things, and I know she would forgive me for saying that!
Her audio on incoming is fine, its her microphone side of things that require a lump hammer!

Her mic has been changed repeatedly, and the last time she replaced it, her audio voice signal worked just fine .....for a few hours! Then back to the 'growling' !!!
Do you suppose she may be were wolf? It maybe the cars.....that are may there causing it

did she try another mic? did she try control panel click the sound icon.....voice test......??is the win9x or winxp....

another thing .....are you doing voip>>.http://www.fcc.gov/voip/.....via a webcam/mic....what program are you using...msn ..you could tell you g/f to download this >http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0a9b6820-bfbb-4799-9908-d418cdeac197&displaylang=en  it may work..Merlin, My apologies for not responding sooner.
Your latest information and link will, I feel, probably 'do the trick'     You asked about her (g/f) system. She is using XP, with a yahoo chat client server. More than that I cannot say, I have yet to 'meet' her 'puter!

I have to be very patient with her as she is NOT au feit with the inner workings.
But I think she will be able to install and download th nessesary file from Microsoft that you kindly recommended.
I will of course, avail you of the outcome, and thank you personally and on behalf of Jodi, for your help. ok give my reguards to .......poole.....