Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Digital (Dell)

Recently I started a thread, here...
13tperfhou5v0b1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Asking for help on a blue screen issue in Windows XP. I came to the conclusion that it was the bundled driver from the XP install disk for a Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Digital (Dell) that I had removed from an old Dell Dimension 4100 and installed in the problem home built PC.

To fix this, I removed the SB (Dell) and went with onboard sound.

Just for the record, in one message I wrote that I could not find later Windows XP drivers for the special Dell OEM version of this SB 5.1 on either Dell's or Creative's sites. But the most recent version is there on both sites.

I could not find the driver on Dell's site by going through there normal channel. But simply using there search feature, and searching in help & support, I found this...

http://tiny.cc/Whmpm
ftp://ftp.dell.com/audio/R69382.EXE
http://ftp.dell.com/audio/R69382.EXE



I forgot exactly how I found the drivers at Creative. I think I searched the web for 'CT4780' (printed at the edge of the card) and found a link or reference to a file name in a web based forum.

But here is the latest main driver package, and two patches for it, from Creative (note that by clicking on any of these links you are agreeing to the Creative EULA)...

http://ccftp.creative.com/manualdn/Drivers/AVP/7355/SBL5DL_DRVPACK_LB.exe
http://ccftp.creative.com/manualdn/Applications/AVP/7354/SBL5DL_PCPatch_LB.exe
http://ccftp.creative.com/manualdn/Drivers/AVP/8265/0x4F656EC1/SBL5DL_PCPatch_LB_3.exe

Here is the web page from Creative that lists the above three drivers and other supporting software...

http://tiny.cc/CwHOt

I think you can install either SBL5DL_DRVPACK_LB.exe from Creative, or R69382.EXE from Dell and then install its most recent patch, SBL5DL_PCPatch_LB_3.exe from Creative. I haven't tried any of this yet since the card is still in an anti-static bag on my table.

I also found that my original premise for wanting to use the card, that is full hardware acceleration, may not have been perfect either. Kony had mentioned 'soft processing' during the blue screen conversation. And according to Wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_Live%21#Sound_Blaster_Live.21_Dell_OEM

"This card, marketed as a Sound Blaster Live!, did not have the full capabilities of the retail versions of Live! It used a different audio chip, not EMU10K1 but EMU10K1X, that is noticeably smaller with fewer pins. The chip does not accelerate DirectSound in hardware, nor EAX. The sale of this board by Dell created some controversy because it was not obviously marketed as an inferior or cheaper product. The card can be identified by its part number (SB0200/0203)."

Until reading this I figured the Dell OEM version wasn't much different than any other SB 5.1. If I had known this I would have just went with the onboard sound from the beginning.

Eddie
.

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