If VP fails right out of the gate with this message, there are two things to check:

1. There must be a sound card that has an active input on Windows 10 or higher. If, for example, a laptop has its built-in microphone disabled, this error will occur until either the microphone is enabled or a microphone is plugged into a sound card. Look in the Windows Control panel under Sound and verify there is an active input available; if the devices are greyed out Windows will prevent VoxPro from creating a record buffer.
2. Mic Privacy must be enabled in Windows 10 or higher. In Windows 10 it looks like this:
   
   In Windows 11 it looks like this:
   
   Also, in Windows 11, scroll down past the Microsoft Store apps and make sure that you allow desktop apps to access your microphone, as VoxPro is considered a Desktop App.