Sound Blaster Live! Sound card

[Guest]

I recently re-formatted a Dell PC (2.8 ghz, 512 mb ram). I put a fresh copy
of Windows XP home on the machine. Everything works fine. Well, almost
everything. For some reason, XP does NOT like this sound card. The model # of
the card is CT4780. When I install the sound card and turn the pc on, XP
recognizes the new hardware and attempts to install the drivers. The computer
then freezes and the only thing I can do is shut it off. I have been
searching the internet and believe I have found the right drivers for my
particular problem. There is one problem. I can't install the drivers without
the sound card being recognized by XP. I try to stop the hardware wizard
before it freezes everything up with no luck. Sometimes the computer freezes
up before Windows is loaded. This pc is not mine, so I am trying to make this
sound card work. Is there any tricks I can try?

Thanks,

ngg

 

[Noozer]

I recently re-formatted a Dell PC (2.8 ghz, 512 mb ram). I put a fresh copy
of Windows XP home on the machine. Everything works fine. Well, almost
everything. For some reason, XP does NOT like this sound card. The model #
of
the card is CT4780. When I install the sound card and turn the pc on, XP
recognizes the new hardware and attempts to install the drivers. The
computer
then freezes and the only thing I can do is shut it off. I have been
searching the internet and believe I have found the right drivers for my
particular problem. There is one problem. I can't install the drivers
without
the sound card being recognized by XP. I try to stop the hardware wizard
before it freezes everything up with no luck. Sometimes the computer
freezes
up before Windows is loaded. This pc is not mine, so I am trying to make
this
sound card work. Is there any tricks I can try?

Install in safe mode?

Boot into safe mode and disable the "unknown" device?

 

[Guest]

Thanks. I will give that a shot tonight and let you know how it goes.

ngg

 

[RalfG]

If the SBLive! is in the first slot beside a VGA video card, swap the sound
card with one of the other cards in the computer. A modem would be my first
choice to swap with. SBLive! doesn't like sharing an interrupt with anything
and Slot1 is often tied to the same interrupt as the VGA slot.

 

[Guest]

It was not beside the VGA card. I tried it in the last 3 slots. Thanks for
that tip.

ngg

 

[Ghostrider]

It was not beside the VGA card. I tried it in the last 3 slots. Thanks for
that tip.

ngg

This is a relatively old Creative Labs SoundBlaster card from the
Windows 98 era. Just what drivers are you trying to install and from
where did you get them? Note that this is an OEM (Dell) SoundBlaster
card.

 

[Guest]

Yea, I knew it was older. I don't have the info in front of me, but I
searched all over the net last night and saw a post on a forum with the exact
problem I was having. The guy got Dell specific drvivers and that fixed it
for him. I was able to find that exact driver that he used. I am going to try
to boot into Safe Mode tonight and get that driver loaded. I plan on updating
my post.

Thanks. I appreciate all the info I am receiving.

ngg

 

[Guest]

No luck with safe mode. Windows loads drivers in safe mode, but when I reboot
out of safe mode, it locks up again. I tried a driver from driverguide. It
did not work. The driver that I think will work will not install on the pc
because it needs to see a sound card installed in order to complete. Well,
without the correct driver, a sound card does not show as installed. It is
like going around in circles.

Time for a new card!! I have wasted enough time. Thanks for all your help.


ngg

 

[laninahli]

No luck with safe mode. Windows loads drivers in safe mode, but when I reboot
out of safe mode, it locks up again. I tried a driver from driverguide. It
did not work. The driver that I think will work will not install on the pc
because it needs to see a sound card installed in order to complete. Well,
without the correct driver, a sound card does not show as installed. It is
like going around in circles.

Time for a new card!! I have wasted enough time. Thanks for all your help.

Hello dear friend,
F rst of all, my english is not so good. I had the same problem as
yours with my sound blaster audigy card last week.What I had happened
to me is : I wanted to install a new creative sound driver on the old
driver.I have searched a new driver in the net. I found it in the
driver guide web site.I also found a new one in the creative web site.
I downloaded them. Normally I wanted to update my driver. I installed
the new driver on the old one. When Pc restarted after installing the
driver , system said that the sound card did not set up correctly,
reinstall it. I tried again, the result was the same, the card did not
work. later I tried another thing. I opened the add and remove
programs section. I selected the sound blaster card and I ticked the
uninstall. The pc showed me the all sound cards components installed.
And then I chose only the windows driver not all components.And then
ticked next and pc uninstalled the driver and I restarted pc. As pc
opened it said that anew hardware was found and then t wanted me to
install the driver . I installed the new drivers which I had
downloaded.Pc restarted and Pc reopened The sound card began to run
perfectly.
Try it once as I told you perhaps it works
Good luck

 

[RalfG]

Creative tends to key their installers to look for the relevent sound card
or they won't install. The card only needs to be in the slot to be detected
by the Creative driver installer. Dell drivers might be like some HP drivers
and be keyed to detect a same-brand motherboard before they will install. Or
the driver you downloaded could be for a different version of SBLive! that
Dell provides. SBLive 5.1, or 24Bit etc., drivers aren't compatible with the
basic SBLive! cards and according to the number you gave earlier, yours is
an ordinary SBLive! Value card. I'd expect the only real difference between
Dell and the Creative driver downloads to be in the additional software that
is bundled with either driver.

Try re-installing the SBLive! Value driver (from Creative's download site)
clean. Disable on-board sound too if you have it. IIRC, IRQ10 is what the
SBLive! will try to use so see what else might be using that IRQ as well.