So, I know this isn't to do with GOG, and that I could probably ask this elsewhere, but I can't be bothered to sign up to yet another forum, and I don't particularly wan't to go through Microsoft's generic answers, so:
I am trying to record some sounds through my microphone. This, for some reason didn't work. Also, Cortana doesn't work either. I then tried using the webcam... not working either. They are all integrated into this laptop, so it's not that they aren't plugged in. Looking in Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Recording, I can see that the default device (connected to the ATAPI Connector) is enabled, and turned set to 100. Application exclusive control doesn't affect it. Going through the windows troubleshooters, there seems to be no problem. When I try to 'Set Up' the microphone (despite being already set-up, you can set it up to your voice again) it is detecting no sounds whatsoever. Windows says that it running the newest drivers for this hardware. The device controller for microphone is 'Realtek High Definition Audio', same as with the speaker, but the speaker works. Realtek Audio is running, in Task Manager, under Services. As is Windows Audio, under Services. In Details (also in Task Manager) there are four entries for 'audiodg.exe', all in Local Service. One is running, description is Windows Audio Device Graph Isolation. The other three are suspended, and the
description for them is just audiodg.

Info:
Webcam and Microphone Not Working
HP Compaq 15a
Windows 10 64-bit
Audio Controller: Realtek High Definition Audio

I have probably given you a lot of unnecessary information, and missed out important stuff, so just ask if you need me to get anything else.

I know this is going to be a really cruddy answer but....

This is one of those I would rather be sitting right in front of it to see what is occurring questions.

Is there a geeky teen near where you live that you can hand the computer to and ask them to look at it?

Serious suggestion.

When you say Cortana is not working, do you mean as in the search in general or is it not pulling answers from the web or the taskbar or the popup thingie or something else?

Has any of this worked previously on this Windows 10 install? Was this an upgrade from like 7?

Can you pull up device manager and make sure none of the icons are showing errors on their icons?

The thing is, I'm that geeky teen, but I couldn't work it out. When you say 'hey cortana', it pops, but it isn't, because it can't hear me. If i click on cortana's mic button, and try to say something, it also doesn't hear. All seem to be working fine.

When I half close the screen, the speaker gets interference, and I noticed that when I speak, I could hear myself through the speaker, but with high pitched background noise. Hey cortana actually works like this. I think perhaps i bumped the laptop, and now the speaker/webcam wire is twisted with the speaker wire.

Sorry this isn't any help but if it makes you feel any better, I never could get the internal microphone on my Windows 7 laptop work either even though I am the kind of person others come to with their PC and phone problems.

Then again I am not even 100% certain it has an internal microphone, but I always assumed it should have one. In my recording devices section, I just see two "Microphones" with the same generic description ("High Definition Audio Device"), and one of them is marked as "unavailable".

I am not even sure if there is an actual internal microphone, or does it always require one to use the microphone plug-in with an external mic? But since it has an integrated web camera, it would feel odd it wouldn't have an integrated microphone.

Anyways, I stopped trying to get it work and just use an external microphone if I need to make a video call or an online video interview or whatever. I usually use an USB headset which has a mic, it works fine (I prefer USB headsets over normal analog headsets).

Try to look up the audio drivers for your audio device and reinstall them.

A few years ago, one of my moms was one of the families that discovered their school system had turned on the cameras on their school issued laptops without permission. Since then, we just suggest to folks to go into device manager and shut everything off and uninstall them.

edit: I don;t believe this is them (I'm away from my notes.) but it's something similar:

https://www.computerworld.com/article/2521075/windows-pcs/pennsylvania-schools-spying-on-students-using-laptop-webcams--claims-lawsuit.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbins_v._Lower_Merion_School_District

We just suggest them add the camera and microphone separately.

Yeah here there have been the warnings of some malware opening people's webcams without them noticing etc., which is why practically everyone here seems to put a piece of tape on the camera by default. I guess they remove the tape only if they intend to use the camera.

I haven't taped it thought so it may well be someone is watching me writing this in my underwear. Oh well, I hope they enjoy the view (I'm about to go to Saturday sauna within 30 minutes, that's why I am in my underwear already).

I used to do that but too many folks stopped me at the libraries and asked why it was there. Many of them would not believe such a thing would be possible.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I have already tried re-installing the drivers, and I dont think it is malware because the programs that use the webcam all just say something along the lines of 'Please plug in a webcam', but if malware was using the camera you would think i could use it too. Timppu - they did both used to work, it is a recent think (i think. I'm not actually sure when it stopped working because I hadn't had to use them for ages.

Aha! Just while is was posting this, I wondered if, like the microphone, the webcam worked while the screen was half closed. It does! But when I reopen the screen, the light next to the camera turns off again, and the camera program just says 'No webcam is found'.