Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Digital (Dell)

Recently I started a thread, here...


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/D...DRVPACK_LB.exe
http://ccftp.creative.com/manualdn/A...PCPatch_LB.exe
http://ccftp.creative.com/manualdn/D...Patch_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_B...ve.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