Hi Michelle, and welcome to the Captivate user-to-user
community!
Please dont' be offended by this suggestion, but if you run a
search (which everyone should always do before posting a problem -
to see if that issue has already been solved) you will find a host
of threads and discussions involving microphones, especially the
"works for some, but not many" findings for USB mouse(s). Bottom
line, it might very well be the USB connection.
HOWEVER . . . it might just as likely be the
type of microphone on the other end of that USB plug. The
"white noise" you mention actually sounds like you are speaking
into an omni-directional microphone (omni = all), instead of a
uni-directional mic (uni = one or single). An omni mic is picking
up sounds from all directions, making it better for the center of a
table in a company board room, while a uni-directional mic is
picking up sound only from the direction it it "aimed", making it
best for "boom mic" purposes where all background noise is muted.
Go ahead - tell me your mic
is a uni-directional mic, and that you already knew all that
and I should go fly a kite (there IS a thunderstorm outside right
now).
Anyway, my suggestion is to change microphones, making sure
you have a "boom" style (headset type) and that it is
uni-directional in function. Let us know if this helps. If it
doesn't, I'm going to just go throw myself off the tallest curb I
can find . . .