Yes — this is usually fixable.
The error
“Line in (High Definition Audio) cannot be opened for recording” normally means
Windows or another app is not making the Line In device available to your recording software.
Since it
used to work, the most likely causes are:
- the wrong recording device is selected
- Line In is disabled in old Sound settings
- another app has exclusive control of the device
- the audio driver changed/reset
- the software is trying to open an input format the device no longer accepts
1) First check: make sure “Line In” exists as a recording device
On Windows 10:
- Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar.
- Click Sounds.
- Open the Recording tab.
- Right-click inside the list and enable:
- Show Disabled Devices
- Show Disconnected Devices
- Look for Line In (High Definition Audio).
If you see it
- Right-click Line In.
- Click Enable.
- Click Set as Default Device
- Click Set as Default Communication Device
- Click Properties
Then continue below.
If you do not see it
That points more to a
driver/device issue. Skip to
Step 5.
2) Turn off exclusive control
Still in
Line In Properties:
- Open the Advanced tab.
- Uncheck:
- Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device
- Give exclusive mode applications priority
- Click Apply
This is a very common cause when older audio-recording software suddenly stops opening the input.
3) Set a simple recording format
Still in
Line In Properties:
- In Advanced, change the default format to one of these:
2 channel, 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality)- or
2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality)
- Click Apply
For vinyl/album transfer,
44.1 kHz / 16-bit is a good first test.
4) Make sure Windows privacy settings are not blocking recording
- Open Settings
- Go to Privacy
- Click Microphone
- Make sure:
- Microphone access for this device = On
- Allow apps to access your microphone = On
- your recording software is allowed
Even though it says “microphone,” Windows often uses that privacy control for recording inputs generally.
5) Check the driver in Device Manager
Because your machine is older and uses generic
High Definition Audio, Windows Update may have swapped drivers.
- Press Win + X → Device Manager
- Expand:
- Audio inputs and outputs
- Sound, video and game controllers
- Tell me what is listed there
You may see something like:
- High Definition Audio Device
- Realtek High Definition Audio
- or another vendor name
If it says only “High Definition Audio Device”
That often means Windows is using a
generic driver, which may expose Line In poorly.
In that case:
- Right-click the audio device
- Choose Update driver
- Or better, install the proper ASUS / Realtek audio driver for the motherboard if available
Your motherboard is
ASUS P7P55D-E PRO, so the onboard audio is likely
Realtek.
6) Test whether another app is holding the Line In device
Before launching your album software:
- Close anything that might use audio input:
- voice/chat apps
- browser tabs
- audio editors
- screen recorders
- Reboot the PC
- Launch only the recording software
- Try again
7) Verify Line In actually has signal
In
Sound → Recording → Line In → Properties → Listen:
- Check Listen to this device
- Click Apply
- Play audio into the Line In source
If you hear it through the speakers, the hardware input is alive.
If not, the issue may be cable/input selection rather than software.
After testing, uncheck
Listen to this device to avoid echo.
8) If the software lets you choose another input name, try that
Some older programs fail with one device label but work with another, such as:
- Microphone
- Stereo Mix
- Line In
- Primary Sound Capture Driver
If your software has an audio input dropdown, try
Primary Sound Capture Driver first as a test.
9) Best next step
Please reply with:
- What recording software you are using
- What appears under Sound → Recording
- What appears under Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers
- Whether Line In is visible, enabled, and set as default
If you want, I can also give you a
short exact checklist to follow in order without any extras.
