While Windows Vista may tout a “all-new and improved” audio stack with superb quality and resonance, it’s of no use if you don’t have the right sound card drivers for Windows Vista. The biggest problem with audio drivers for Windows Vista is with Digital Audio – most people can get their SPDIF or Digital outputs to spew analog sound – which just doesn’t work with hi-fi, digital speakers. NeoSmart Technologies has compiled a list of audio drivers for the most popular sound cards that experience trouble with Windows Vista, in hopes that our readers will find it useful.<\/p>\n
The last two entries do not support Digital Audio, and are simply a manner of finding the right drivers compatible with your chipset; making them at once the easiest to solve due to the lack of complications, and the hardest due to the large variety of AC ’97 implementations.\n<\/p>\n
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NeoSmart Technologies is now hosting the more-popular drivers on our own server.<\/font> If you find this guide helpful, please donate<\/a> to defray some of our bandwidth costs.. <\/strong>If you need more help, please use the forums<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n ————————————<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio Creative Sound Blaster Live! Series<\/strong> Creative Audigy I<\/strong><\/p>\n Creative Audigy 2<\/strong><\/p>\n Creative Audigy 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Creative X-Fi Series<\/strong><\/p>\n SigmaTel HD Audio<\/strong><\/p>\n SigmaTel Integrated Audio<\/strong><\/p>\n Realtek High-Definition Audio<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Generic AC ’97 Solution<\/strong> It is possible to obtain both digital and analog audio simultaneously from a single Realtek audio device by downloading and extracting rtkhdaud.dat<\/a> to C:\\Windows\\System32\\Drivers\\\n <\/p>\n ————————————<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n Enjoy! Assuming you followed the steps above in the order outlined, and you don’t have a home-brew sound card you should be pumping that music and shaking the house, in Vista-defined audible bliss!\n <\/p>\n Do not post support requests below, they will<\/em> go unanswered. Don’t be lazy, post in the forums<\/a> instead.<\/strong><\/p>\n While Windows Vista may tout a “all-new and improved” audio stack with superb quality and resonance, it’s of no use if you don’t have the right sound card drivers for Windows Vista. The biggest problem with audio drivers for Windows … Continue reading
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<\/strong>Microsoft Windows Vista build 5308 uses Windows Update (herein called WU) to get the latest drivers for the SoundMAX chipset. These drivers stutter, hiss, snap, crackle, and pop, nonstop and do not have support for digital audio. This is an improvement over 5270 where you had to find your own drivers, AND it was impossible to get digital audio.\n<\/p>\n\n
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This applies to all Live! products, including OEM Dell, Gateway, HP, etc. editions, 24-bit, 5.1, and the rest. Vista 5308 may or may not find drivers on Windows Update, but even if it does, they will not support Digital Audio.<\/p>\n\n
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This will not<\/em> provide digital <\/em>audio. As far as we know the only AC ’97 implementation that gives digital audio is the SoundMAX outlined above. As previously mentioned, this in only a matter of finding the right drivers. Here we will provide you with some links to the most likely compatible drivers as well as how to get them to install.<\/p>\n\n