frustrated

I aam just about ready to shoot this program. I got a really cool drum thing down from session drummer which is a mystery. And now can't record from the guitar to the audio track. I know the help files are incorrect just like session drummer, but I have tried all of them anyway. I think it would be really cool if MC had put correct help files in the program. Robo your instructions on session drummer were great but do not match MC's instructions. Anyhow the meter on the audio track just bounce around 54. If I raise the record volume I just get this big roar of static. Nothing comes out the comp speaker and when I try to play guitar it does not read anything on the meter. I have followed the help files on input metering and input monitoring and nothing works. I even reinstalled MC. Does anyone know if they have ever made a manual that is correct that is attainable?

Epi Les paul, I have had it thru an M audio, audio buddy with the green and red lights on it. I have had it straight into the computer. I have come out of the pre amp out on my amp. All ways the input meter would just hover at the lower levels or some type of roar. Playing on the guitar would make no difference on the meter.
I have a dell laptop, XP, 1600 MHz, 1.00 GB ram, 1.60 GHz, SigmaTel sound card. Thats about all I know how to find out. I plug my source from above into the mic jack. In my recording control, in have been selecting stero mix. The last few minutes I am trying it with the mic selected. I got the input meter to move but cannot hear my guitar when I arm the track with out some kind of delay, I'm guessing 1 second. Then in some configurations the drums would have an echo.
I hope this helps. Thanks

What Greg said - especially plugging into line in - and then make sure that you have the line in selected as the recording option in your sound card mixer - SEE THIS THREAD IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW.

Then, OPTIONS>AUDIO>GENERAL Tab. Under the Mixing Latency tab make sure you have 4 buffers and slide the latency slider all the way to the fast setting.

There are a lot of Laptops with only mike inputs out there, and unfortunately that can be problematic, as the mike input as a built in preamp and if you push it with a heavy load like a guitar and a preamped interface it can really distort. I suggest getting a PCMCIA interface like http://www.musiciansfriend.com/rec/navigation?N=100001+309131+4294966930&page=1 or if you can afford it http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Recording/Computer/Hardware?sku=242513

As far as my tutorial being different from the manual, well my is from my actual process step be step, and there's is from the technical way to do it.