Really weird mic problem in 10.04.1

[O. Sinclair]

This is Kubuntu 10.04 with KDE 4.4.5 on a Dell Vostro 3300 laptop

For reasons of me messing up my system I had to make a clean install. 
Prior to that I had the internal microphone as well as the external 
mic-input working, used it in Skype now and then.

Following the reinstall with x number of upgrades and all that internal 
mic is no longer working, neither is the mic-input using an external mic.

I have not messed with alsa-base.conf, I have not done anything really. 
Alsactl -v reports version 1.0.22 in both cases (I still have the old as 
a liveboot and mic still works when I liveboot the old install)

I can think of nothing that could prompt this behaviour. They are not 
muted in alsamixer or anything such obvious.

So I ask if anyone on the list have some ideas?

Kind regards,
Sinclair