A7N8X-E DELUXE nforce audio help plz!

[goatie]

hi, long time reader, first time poster. I recently built a new computer, with the a7n8x-e deluxe mobo, athalon xp 2500+ barton 512 ddr2700 kingston ram, and pulled my hd and cd-rom from my old case. I have gotten everything working beautifully except the microphone. my microphone sounds just fine in games like Counter-strike, but when i try to use it with windows applications like yahoo messenger, or netmeeting it sounds VERY staticy, and not consistent. i have tried every new driver 4.08 i believe. no, i didnt format when i re-installed, i pulled my old HD, but i did use my XP cd to repair windows once i got everything installed. is there something small and silly i am forgetting? anyone have any similar problems? should i be looking for a much older driver? any questions i would be more than happy to answer, im sure im not being terribly clear. any help someone can give me is MOST appreciated!!!!!