Cannot install Sound Blaster Live! drivers

[Chris Redmond]

ASUS A7V600-X motherboard (VIA KT600 northbridge, VIA VT8237
southbridge, on-board audio)
Sound Blaster Live! (one of the first ones, "Value" I guess)
Windows XP Pro w/ SP2 and all updates

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 (ATA133)
Drivers installed, sound card working.
http://i32.tinypic.com/2aaiz45.png

Western Digital Caviar SE16 (SATA II jumpered to SATA speed for mobo
compatibility)
Drivers don't install properly.
http://i26.tinypic.com/1zozt48.png
http://i29.tinypic.com/257f4tx.png

I'm in the process of recreating my Windows installation on the second
drive. The
SB Live! drivers will not install properly. As you can see from the Device
Manager
screenshots, where it works it's listed as "Creative SB Live! Value" and
where it
doesn't it's "Creative SB Live! (WDM)" with a yellow exclamation point.

I've only come accross two suggestions. The first is to reinstall the
drivers, which
accomplishes nothing. The second is to move the card to another slot, which I
won't do because I don't see the point--if I'm not mistaken, that's for
resolving an
IRQ conflict, but there isn't one.

I've tried extracting the contents of LiveDrvUni-Pack(ENG).exe and using
Device
Manager -> Update Driver -> Advanced -> Don't search, but that doesn't show
"Creative SB Live! Value" in the list even after unchecking 'Show compatible
hardware.' I set Driver Signing options to "Ignore - Install the software
anyway"
but there's no change.

I've also tried enabling the on-board audio in BIOS and installing the ASUS
drivers for it, and installing the 4-in-1 drivers from ASUS, all except AGP.

Could someone please help? I can't afford a new sound card (and who's to say
those drivers would install?) and I can't settle for the on-board audio.
Thanks in
advance.

 

[conner]

Download Driver Sweeper
http://www.guru3d.com/index.php?page=driversweeper
Install it
Go to add remove programs and remove all the creative software
Don’t reboot
Run driver sweeper
Select creative- sound and remove.
Shutdown your computer.
Boot into safe mode.
Go to device manager under sound, video and game controllers and remove the
SB live devices. All of them labeled creative if possible
Reboot into normal mode

Cancel the new device found wizards so that the soundcard shows up in Device
manager but without the drivers installed. Windows sometimes will do this
other times you have to let it look and then fail.

Regardless just make it fail the new hardware found wizard.
Then run the driver install file you got off of creative.com.
Reboot.
Your sound should wor..
If the above method does not work, basically do the same steps but
physically remove the card. After the card is gone, run the driver cleaner
program again to make sure all the creative junk is gone. Shut down and
insert it in a different slot. Windows will see it as an entirely new
device. Skip through the new device found wizard and then install the
driver.
If all else fails www.newegg.com and get a new card or use the onboard.

 

[smlunatick]

ASUS A7V600-X motherboard (VIA KT600 northbridge, VIA VT8237
southbridge, on-board audio)
Sound Blaster Live! (one of the first ones, "Value" I guess)
Windows XP Pro w/ SP2 and all updates

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 (ATA133)
Drivers installed, sound card working.http://i32.tinypic.com/2aaiz45.png

Western Digital Caviar SE16 (SATA II jumpered to SATA speed for mobo
compatibility)
Drivers don't install properly.http://i26.tinypic.com/1zozt48.pnghttp://i29.tinypic.com/257f4tx.png

I'm in the process of recreating my Windows installation on the second
drive. The
SB Live! drivers will not install properly. As you can see from the Device
Manager
screenshots, where it works it's listed as "Creative SB Live! Value" and
where it
doesn't it's "Creative SB Live! (WDM)" with a yellow exclamation point.

I've only come accross two suggestions. The first is to reinstall the
drivers, which
accomplishes nothing. The second is to move the card to another slot, which I
won't do because I don't see the point--if I'm not mistaken, that's for
resolving an
IRQ conflict, but there isn't one.

I've tried extracting the contents of LiveDrvUni-Pack(ENG).exe and using
Device
Manager -> Update Driver -> Advanced -> Don't search, but that doesn't show
"Creative SB Live! Value" in the list even after unchecking 'Show compatible
hardware.' I set Driver Signing options to "Ignore - Install the software
anyway"
but there's no change.

I've also tried enabling the on-board audio in BIOS and installing the ASUS
drivers for it, and installing the 4-in-1 drivers from ASUS, all except AGP.

Could someone please help? I can't afford a new sound card (and who's to say
those drivers would install?) and I can't settle for the on-board audio.
Thanks in
advance.

You must install the drivers for the SB Live sound card from the CD.
Creative Labs does not provide the complete drivers on their web
site. They only have the driver updates that must find the previous
installed driver before updating the drivers.

 

[Chris Redmond]

Thank you for the replies!

Download Driver Sweeper

Unfortunately Driver Sweeper didn't help. One thing to note is that
the driver provider is Microsoft, not Creative. What's happening is
that I run the driver setup, it completes and asks to reboot, and
after Windows restarts, I get the hardware detected balloon tooltip
and Windows installs the Microsoft drivers, which don't work.
I never get the Add Hardware window.

I tried uninstalling my firewall. Windows Defender is disabled and
the anti-virus' background scanning is off. I don't think any other
software could interfere with the installation.

If all else fails www.newegg.com and get a new card or use the
onboard.

As I mentioned, I can't do either. On-board audio stinks and I need
EAX. This card works, so it would be pointless to buy an identical
replacement. I can't afford an upgrade card and I'd need a new set
of speakers too because this one doesn't work with new cards;
I also don't live in the US and local prices are higher.

You must install the drivers for the SB Live sound card from the
CD. Creative Labs does not provide the complete drivers on their
web site. They only have the driver updates that must find the
previous installed driver before updating the drivers.

I don't think that's the case. There are two driver downloads for
XP. The first is 6.17 MB and the listed as "an update patch, it is
not a complete driver installation." The one I got,
LiveDrvUni-Pack(ENG).exe is 23.32 MB and the description says,
"This package can be installed independently [...]" Under
requirements it doesn't list another driver package.

The drivers for SB Live! on CD are for Windows 9x only. I installed
them anyway. They came with a dire warning that installing "on
Windows NT 4.0" could result in the system not starting. As
instructed, I didn't reboot and installed the driver download to
update. No change. After rebooting, I get the hardware detected
balloon tooltip and Windows installs the Microsoft drivers.
After uninstalling and rebooting again, Windows didn't start--Safe
Mode, System Restore, back to square one.


I'm really confused now. Why would the drivers not install on the
same operating system and the same hardware? Some software
or setting that's getting in the way? If so, what?

 

[smlunatick]

Thank you for the replies!

Download Driver Sweeper

Unfortunately Driver Sweeper didn't help. One thing to note is that
the driver provider is Microsoft, not Creative. What's happening is
that I run the driver setup, it completes and asks to reboot, and
after Windows restarts, I get the hardware detected balloon tooltip
and Windows installs the Microsoft drivers, which don't work.
I never get the Add Hardware window.

I tried uninstalling my firewall. Windows Defender is disabled and
the anti-virus' background scanning is off. I don't think any other
software could interfere with the installation.

If all else failswww.newegg.comand get a new card or use the
onboard.

As I mentioned, I can't do either. On-board audio stinks and I need
EAX. This card works, so it would be pointless to buy an identical
replacement. I can't afford an upgrade card and I'd need a new set
of speakers too because this one doesn't work with new cards;
I also don't live in the US and local prices are higher.

You must install the drivers for the SB Live sound card from the
CD. Creative Labs does not provide the complete drivers on their
web site. They only have the driver updates that must find the
previous installed driver before updating the drivers.

I don't think that's the case. There are two driver downloads for
XP. The first is 6.17 MB and the listed as "an update patch, it is
not a complete driver installation." The one I got,
LiveDrvUni-Pack(ENG).exe is 23.32 MB and the description says,
"This package can be installed independently [...]" Under
requirements it doesn't list another driver package.

The drivers for SB Live! on CD are for Windows 9x only. I installed
them anyway. They came with a dire warning that installing "on
Windows NT 4.0" could result in the system not starting. As
instructed, I didn't reboot and installed the driver download to
update. No change. After rebooting, I get the hardware detected
balloon tooltip and Windows installs the Microsoft drivers.
After uninstalling and rebooting again, Windows didn't start--Safe
Mode, System Restore, back to square one.

I'm really confused now. Why would the drivers not install on the
same operating system and the same hardware? Some software
or setting that's getting in the way? If so, what?

A few years ago, there was "mentioned" that some SB cards can have
their PCI "identification" chip "reprogrammed" accedentally in some
computers. Once this info is "corrupted," you will have problems
installing the correct Creative drivers. I do recall that Creative
Labs / Sound Blaster has a "web forum" web sight and you might get
better answers directly there.

 

[Chris Redmond]

A few years ago, there was "mentioned" that some SB cards can
have their PCI "identification" chip "reprogrammed" accedentally
in some computers. Once this info is "corrupted," you will have
problems installing the correct Creative drivers.

It sounds unlikely that the card would work in the other XP
installation in that case. Then again, I have no idea what's going
on.

I do recall that Creative Labs / Sound Blaster has a "web forum"
web sight and you might get better answers directly there.

All right, I'll give it a shot. I posted here
http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/board/message?board.id=soundblaster&message.id=113520


Thank you for trying to help. I'll keep an eye on this thread
for a while, just in case anyone has any other suggestions.