interesting problem

Callidor · 08-20-2006, 11:50 PM

well, a lot of the information i'm going to provide is probably unnecessary, but i'm not sure where exactly the problem originates, so better too much than too little i suppose

as of this morning i had 3 PCI devices in 3 PCI slots. in slot 1, a wireless network adapter, in slot 2 a sound blaster audio card, and in slot 3 a graphics card. this computer is my old dell mind you, and its falling apart at the seems.. when i turned it on, it seemed to not see the network card at all. this had happened before recently, and i figured i would just re-re-install it. the process i was going to use was: uninstall software, turn off computer, uninstall card, turn on computer, install software, turn off computer, install card. thats how it worked last time. well, i uninstalled the software, turned off the computer, and upon trying to turn it back on, i had no picture. i unplugged my monitor from my graphics card, into my integrated slot, and it worked. my device manager didn't see the graphics card, so i swapped its location. moving it from slot 3, to 1, (where the network card i just removed had been.) i had picture..so i was beginning to think something was wrong with PCI slot 3. i needed graphics and an internet connection pressingly, so i took the sound card out of slot 2, and put the network card in there. all was well (except of course i had no sound). so afterwards, i figured i would try to put the sound card in my mysteriously malfunctioning slot. much to my surprise, windows gave me a found new hardware wizard upon startup. it couldn't auto-find any drivers, so i went to sound blaster's website to look for some. the original drivers for the Live! card don't seem to still be there, so i downloaded "LiveDrvUni-Pack." i began the installation, and it told me it could not detect any sound blaster hardware on my system, and to ensure that it had been properly installed before i could install the software. Now, I'm not sure if this is because the PCI slot is indeed malfunctioning. Windows seemed to be able to detect it. I think it can't detect any sound blaster hardware because it doesn't have the original drivers to identify it as such. anyone have any suggestions, or driver download locations? sorry for the wall-o-text.

PC eye · 08-21-2006, 12:04 AM

You apparently downloaded the latest drivers for the newest card out. Which model Sound Blaster are you running? Sometimes you can find generic drivers like Omega if there are no originals found at Creative's support site.

Callidor · 08-21-2006, 12:20 AM

im not sure what model it is specifically..my device manager only identifies it as a multimedia audio controller. on the card itself it just says sound blaster Live!

so..thats the model i went to DL drivers for.

PC eye · 08-21-2006, 12:37 AM

How old is the card? That will give you an idea of what model it is. Was it the 24bit Live model? That came out right before the Audigy series. One site offering drivers for the SB Live is at http://www.softwarepatch.com/utiliti...tivelive3.html

Callidor · 08-21-2006, 12:44 AM

yup..thats the same thing i had downloaded earlier. once it opens the install wizard it tells me that it cant detect any sound blaster hardware, and exits =/

EDIT: if it does turn out that this PCI slot is having problems, i can't seem to figure out how to get my integrated sound working..im sure there is something besides this card, (though it did come with the PC.) i seem to have legacy audio controllers listed as functioning under sound/game controllers on the device manager. does that even mean anything? -.-

PC eye · 08-21-2006, 01:25 AM

The reason your sound card worked until now is due to having the onboard sound controllers disabled. You would remove the SB Live and then proceed into the bios upon the next startup to enable the onboard. Windows will then most likely prompt for drivers for a newly found hardware. At that time you put the cd that came along with the board in and browse through the driver folder until you reach the 2K/XP folder and open that. Once you press the enter Windows should immediate copy the needed drivers to the hard drive. You should then hear sound once Windows loads to the desktop if you have one assigned for the Start Windows in sounds in the control panel.

One possible driver set listed for "all sound blaster live" was seen at

Model All SoundBlaster Live!
Manufacturer SoundBlaster
Device Type Sound
Operating Systems Win2000
File Name SBLiveXPDrvUpdate.exe
http://members.driverguide.com/drive...driverid=46894

Callidor · 08-21-2006, 02:25 AM

hmm..problem's fixed. not sure exactly how..i just put everything back in their original slots and it started up fine. not sure what was going on with that PCI slot earlier

PC eye · 08-21-2006, 03:17 AM

Most likely the drivers were made active upon the realignment there. Windows redetected that hardware configuration and set them active. At least you know now it's not a hardware fault.

08-20-2006, 11:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
Callidor Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Posts: 74	interesting problem well, a lot of the information i'm going to provide is probably unnecessary, but i'm not sure where exactly the problem originates, so better too much than too little i suppose as of this morning i had 3 PCI devices in 3 PCI slots. in slot 1, a wireless network adapter, in slot 2 a sound blaster audio card, and in slot 3 a graphics card. this computer is my old dell mind you, and its falling apart at the seems.. when i turned it on, it seemed to not see the network card at all. this had happened before recently, and i figured i would just re-re-install it. the process i was going to use was: uninstall software, turn off computer, uninstall card, turn on computer, install software, turn off computer, install card. thats how it worked last time. well, i uninstalled the software, turned off the computer, and upon trying to turn it back on, i had no picture. i unplugged my monitor from my graphics card, into my integrated slot, and it worked. my device manager didn't see the graphics card, so i swapped its location. moving it from slot 3, to 1, (where the network card i just removed had been.) i had picture..so i was beginning to think something was wrong with PCI slot 3. i needed graphics and an internet connection pressingly, so i took the sound card out of slot 2, and put the network card in there. all was well (except of course i had no sound). so afterwards, i figured i would try to put the sound card in my mysteriously malfunctioning slot. much to my surprise, windows gave me a found new hardware wizard upon startup. it couldn't auto-find any drivers, so i went to sound blaster's website to look for some. the original drivers for the Live! card don't seem to still be there, so i downloaded "LiveDrvUni-Pack." i began the installation, and it told me it could not detect any sound blaster hardware on my system, and to ensure that it had been properly installed before i could install the software. Now, I'm not sure if this is because the PCI slot is indeed malfunctioning. Windows seemed to be able to detect it. I think it can't detect any sound blaster hardware because it doesn't have the original drivers to identify it as such. anyone have any suggestions, or driver download locations? sorry for the wall-o-text. __________________ Laptop Sager NP5793 T9300 Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz, 4GB RAM, Nvidia 8800M GTX, 250GB 5400RPM, 3dMark 06 score: 9168 Desktop Alienware Area 51 3500 2.8GHz Pentium4, 2.5Gig DDR2 SDRAM @533mhz (2x256 + 2x1gb), Nvidia Geforce 7950 GT 512MB, Sound Blaster Audigy SE

08-21-2006, 12:20 AM	#3 (permalink)
Callidor Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Posts: 74	im not sure what model it is specifically..my device manager only identifies it as a multimedia audio controller. on the card itself it just says sound blaster Live! so..thats the model i went to DL drivers for. __________________ Laptop Sager NP5793 T9300 Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz, 4GB RAM, Nvidia 8800M GTX, 250GB 5400RPM, 3dMark 06 score: 9168 Desktop Alienware Area 51 3500 2.8GHz Pentium4, 2.5Gig DDR2 SDRAM @533mhz (2x256 + 2x1gb), Nvidia Geforce 7950 GT 512MB, Sound Blaster Audigy SE

08-21-2006, 12:44 AM	#5 (permalink)
Callidor Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Posts: 74	yup..thats the same thing i had downloaded earlier. once it opens the install wizard it tells me that it cant detect any sound blaster hardware, and exits =/ EDIT: if it does turn out that this PCI slot is having problems, i can't seem to figure out how to get my integrated sound working..im sure there is something besides this card, (though it did come with the PC.) i seem to have legacy audio controllers listed as functioning under sound/game controllers on the device manager. does that even mean anything? -.- __________________ Laptop Sager NP5793 T9300 Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz, 4GB RAM, Nvidia 8800M GTX, 250GB 5400RPM, 3dMark 06 score: 9168 Desktop Alienware Area 51 3500 2.8GHz Pentium4, 2.5Gig DDR2 SDRAM @533mhz (2x256 + 2x1gb), Nvidia Geforce 7950 GT 512MB, Sound Blaster Audigy SE Last edited by Callidor; 08-21-2006 at 12:47 AM.

08-21-2006, 02:25 AM	#7 (permalink)
Callidor Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Posts: 74	hmm..problem's fixed. not sure exactly how..i just put everything back in their original slots and it started up fine. not sure what was going on with that PCI slot earlier __________________ Laptop Sager NP5793 T9300 Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz, 4GB RAM, Nvidia 8800M GTX, 250GB 5400RPM, 3dMark 06 score: 9168 Desktop Alienware Area 51 3500 2.8GHz Pentium4, 2.5Gig DDR2 SDRAM @533mhz (2x256 + 2x1gb), Nvidia Geforce 7950 GT 512MB, Sound Blaster Audigy SE

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08-21-2006, 12:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,226	You apparently downloaded the latest drivers for the newest card out. Which model Sound Blaster are you running? Sometimes you can find generic drivers like Omega if there are no originals found at Creative's support site.

08-21-2006, 12:37 AM	#4 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,226	How old is the card? That will give you an idea of what model it is. Was it the 24bit Live model? That came out right before the Audigy series. One site offering drivers for the SB Live is at http://www.softwarepatch.com/utiliti...tivelive3.html

08-21-2006, 01:25 AM	#6 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,226	The reason your sound card worked until now is due to having the onboard sound controllers disabled. You would remove the SB Live and then proceed into the bios upon the next startup to enable the onboard. Windows will then most likely prompt for drivers for a newly found hardware. At that time you put the cd that came along with the board in and browse through the driver folder until you reach the 2K/XP folder and open that. Once you press the enter Windows should immediate copy the needed drivers to the hard drive. You should then hear sound once Windows loads to the desktop if you have one assigned for the Start Windows in sounds in the control panel. One possible driver set listed for "all sound blaster live" was seen at Model All SoundBlaster Live! Manufacturer SoundBlaster Device Type Sound Operating Systems Win2000 File Name SBLiveXPDrvUpdate.exe http://members.driverguide.com/drive...driverid=46894

08-21-2006, 03:17 AM	#8 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,226	Most likely the drivers were made active upon the realignment there. Windows redetected that hardware configuration and set them active. At least you know now it's not a hardware fault.

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