As regards the headphones thing, I had a similar problem some time ago, Arthur. Try this:-
Right click My Computer (on Desktop), and select Manage.
Navigate to Device Manager > DVD/CD ROM Drives.
Select the drive you want to use headphones with, then right click it and select Properties.
Select the Properties tab, and untick the 'Enable Digital CD Audio' box.
You should then be able to use headphones with that drive, with Windows Media Player.
Not sure about the mic issue - where are you plugging it in? It maybe that the front connections on your case are not actually connected up inside the case.