After one of the most frustrating days I've ever had with a computer, I now believe that anyone who has recorded analog in via a microphone input with a Windows machine has recorded only the left channel:
Apparently, the default is in mono.
Check this out from the Dell website, perhaps someone here can help, but I tried it and am still getting only the left channel recorded.
Ugh. I hate to admit defeat, but I'm defeated.
Recording LP's & cassettes should not be this hard.
(cut&paste from Dell begins:)
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?c=us&DN=1070855&l=en&opt=true&s=gen&~mode=popupHow do I improve the microphone recording quality on my Dell™ Inspiron™ or Latitude™ portable computer in the Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system?
Problem
When recording from an internal or external microphone in Microsoft Sound Recorder, the sound quality is poor.
Discussion
Sound Recorder defaults to the lowest quality setting, 8-bit format, for recording and playback of .wav files. If you set a higher quality, the setting reverts back to the lower quality setting after restarting the computer.
Solution
Configure the Recording Settings in Sound Recorder
Click the Start button, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment, and then click Sound Recorder.
The Sound Recorder window appears.
From the File menu, click Properties.
The Properties for Sound window appears.
In the Format Conversion section, set the Choose from dropdown box to All formats and then click the Convert Now button.
In the Attributes drop-down box, select a higher quality setting.
NOTE: The higher the quality setting, the greater the bandwidth in kb/sec, and the larger the file size. The highest quality setting is 48.000 kHz, 16 Bit, Stereo. You may need to experiment with the tradeoff between quality and file size, however, it is recommended that you at least select a setting that is 16-bit.
Click Save As.
The Save As window appears.
Type a name (such as Recording) and then click OK.
NOTE: Make note of the name that you save the settings as. This information will be used in the Edit the Registry section below.
Click OK two times and then close Sound Recorder.
Edit the Registry
NOTICE: The following procedure contains information about editing the Windows registry. Dell does not guarantee success or support these actions. Any use of the information provided herein, is performed at your own risk. You should make a backup copy of the registry files prior to executing any of the following steps. Incorrect use of the registry editor and editing the registry files can cause serious problems that may require a complete reinstall of your operating system. Dell assumes no responsibility, expressed or implied, regarding the consequences of any action taken as a result of the information provided herein.
For instructions on backing up the registry in Windows XP, refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q322756
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q322756 Click the Start button and then click Run.
The Run window appears.
In the Open: field, type regedit and then click OK.
The Registry Editor window appears.
Click the plus (+) sign next to each of the following keys.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Software
Microsoft
Multimedia
Audio
Click Audio in the left pane and then click Default Format in the right pane.
Click Edit and then click Modify.
Type the name that you saved the higher quality audio setting as in Sound Recorder (step 6 in the section Configure the Recording Settings in Sound Recorder) and then click OK.
Click File and then click Exit.
(cut&paste from Dell ends)