I do quite a bit of voice recording and have a fair understanding of how the mics work.

First of the mic input on your sound card provides a tiny bit of power to the mic. In simple terms it energizes the mic element. It is the difference between a dynamic and condensor mic.

If you want a really nice small mic take a look at http://www.reactivesounds.com/rp1.php This mic is small and will work with the mic input on a PC. The audio quality is great.

For sound recording take a look at Audacity. It is multi-platform and best of all is free.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

I intend to use my car computer to do voice recording. At least when I put the car back together.