My friend gave me a SHURE SM48S to up the quality of my vocals (since beforehand I was using a PS2 Guitar Hero mic). He also gave me a XLR to 1/4 Male Jack cable and a 1/4 Female to 3.5 mm Male adapter that was SUPPOSEDLY going to be able to plug into the 3.5 mm microphone jack of my laptop and at least work (maybe not to its full potential but at least pick up enough of a signal to record with). Well I plugged it all in and it my computer recognized the jack was occupied, as it said "External mic on left side", but it wasn't getting any input. If i turn the mic on or off, however, the input level will register that a sound was picked up, but still won't pick up anything else after that. My friend swears that it's either the cable or the adapter and not the microphone. (I believe him because i've heard about how durable these SHURE mics are). Personally, I wonder if I don't have a good enough power supply to run the mic.
If anybody can figure out my problem and help me get this mic working, I will be really greatful. And owe you a cookie.