Thank you, WC. I forgot to mention that I had tried using both MME and Windows Direct Sound, and the same “Error Opening Recording Device Error: 0 Success” pops up. I have even tried earlier versions on Audacity, and get the same results.
However…when I opened Audacity this a.m… in the area circled in red, something different happened this morning. When I clicked on the arrow circled in green, something new appeared in that browser window that read something like “Microsoft Maper”, and I clicked on it, and the problem seems to be solved, and I can still use the “Windows WASAPI” to record, rather than switch to MME or Windows Direct Sound. I do not know if this will work using microphones, as I have not tried it yet, but it will record directly from the computer with no problems. I didn’t memorize exactly what it said in the window circled in red, so cannot recall the other word that was part of the description, but I am pretty sure it had a third word in the title.
I find that I have to have the correct settings before I open audacity. If there’s ever an error message like the one you got, I close the program, check my system sound settings, and reopen it.