error mssage when trying to record windows 7

I just purchased a Samson microphone with a USB cord connection.When I press the record icon,an error message appearsthat says "ERROR MADE OPENING SOUND DEVISE .PLEASE CHECK THE IMPUT DEVISE SETTINGS AND THE PROJECT SAMPLE RATE ".
I don’t have a clue of what this refers to or what needs to be done to correct this proablum.This the second time I;m attempting to record.I down loaded Audacity at an earlier date and I was able to record ( I could see the bars moving as I spoke into the microphone ,but when I clicked on play,there was no sound at all.I have a desk top Dell with a windows 7 home professional operating system.I’m desperately trying to make a recording ASAP it’s for my sisters surprize 70th birthday.

Thanks
Jerry Weinberg

It may be all you need to do is set the project rate bottom left of the Audacity window to 44100 Hz, or unplug and plug back the cable, then choose Transport > Rescan Audio Devices in Audacity and select the USB microphone in the input section of Audacity’s Device Toolbar.

See http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq_errors.html#sound_device for more help with this error.


Gale