Leaked Live!, Live! 5.1 and Audigy XP drivers

[Admiral]

Just found those drivers on warp2search.

SoundBlaster Live and Audigy Drivers for Windows XP/2000 they should work on the Creative's SoundBlaster Live , Live!5.1 and Audigy cards! they are dated 2002/8/30

FileConnect

Download

[Admiral]

As it turns out they also work for Win9x.

[DosFreak]

Look like the same as the latest Creative ones. (Even the same driver vers). Except this package has less files.....

I'll take the Creative one thankyee very much.

[thop]

the dont install for my live value

[Admiral]

Look like the same as the latest Creative ones. (Even the same driver vers). Except this package has less files.....

I'll take the Creative one thankyee very much.

"wdma_emu.inf" for the drivers from 17/7/2002:

Creative Technology Ltd.
; Copyright (c) Creative Technology Ltd, 1994-2001.
;
; Description
; This inf file contains the following device for Creative's audio card.
;
; Audio Device - PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0004&CC_040100
; - PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0002&CC_040100
;
; Modified Date: 18 March 2002
; Version: 3.0.0.11
;
;-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Version]
Signature="$CHICAGO$"
Class=MEDIA
ClassGUID={4d36e96c-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
provider=%CREAF%
LayoutFile=layout.inf, layout1.inf, layout2.inf
DriverVer =03/18/2002
CatalogFile=wdma_emu.cat

"wdma_emu.inf" for the new ones:

Creative Technology Ltd.
; Copyright (c) Creative Technology Ltd, 1994-2002.
;
; Description
; This inf file contains the following device for Creative's audio card.
;
; Audio Device - PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0004&CC_040100
; - PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0002&CC_040100
;
; Modified Date: 12 August 2002
; Version: 3.0.0.17
;
;-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Version]
Signature="$CHICAGO$"
Class=MEDIA
ClassGUID={4d36e96c-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
provider=%CREAF%
LayoutFile=layout.inf, layout1.inf, layout2.inf
DriverVer=08/30/2002, 5.12.01.0253
CatalogFile=wdma_emu.cat

---------

the dont install for my live value

They installed fine for my Live! 5.1, both in 98SE and XP Pro SP1.

[R.Carter]

Well, I think that the latest public drivers are the 8/26/2002 ones are the 253 version which is available from here

AUDDRVPACK.EXE
This is a Sound Blaster Audigy Series Driver Pack for Windows 2000 and XP.
Revision: AUD-WEBUP-W2-US
Date: 8/26/2002 Size: 12.16 MB

But this package is only intended for the Audigy cards.

Of course, since they switched to the new driver model it would be possible to create a package that also works for the SoundBlaster Live! series of cards.

I suspect that is all that this "leaked" driver is. They just took the 253 Audigy drivers and added the needed stuff to make them install them for the Live! cards.

[Wombat]

I doubt it. Gurm already said that the 8/26 drivers were older and buggier than the Compaq ones - and nobody's been keeping up with sound card drivers like Gurm.

[The PIT]

All I knew is that they needed two installs under a fresh Xp install to get the darn things working.

[R.Carter]

Originally posted by Wombat
I doubt it. Gurm already said that the 8/26 drivers were older and buggier than the Compaq ones - and nobody's been keeping up with sound card drivers like Gurm.

The header of the wdma_emu.inf in the AUDDRVPACK.EXE on Creative site is the following

;-------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Creative Technology Ltd.
;     Copyright (c) Creative Technology Ltd, 1994-2002.
;
; Description
;     This inf file contains the following device for Creative's audio card.
;
;  Audio Device - PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0004&CC_040100
;		- PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0002&CC_040100	
;                    
;  Modified Date: 12 August 2002
;  Version: 3.0.0.17
;
;-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Version]
Signature="$CHICAGO$"
Class=MEDIA
ClassGUID={4d36e96c-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
provider=%CREAF%
LayoutFile=layout.inf, layout1.inf, layout2.inf
DriverVer=08/12/2002, 5.12.01.0253
CatalogFile=wdma_emu.cat

The file ctaud2k.sys is version 5.12.01.0253-1.31.0130.

I've no idea what is that third party driver package since I've not bothered to download it.

Based on the version numbers in the INF, it would seem to be just a repackage job on the 8/26 drivers.

[mutz]

...I'm a sucker for every update.

Since I installed this one I get <<no-string>> in the surround mixer loudspeaker dropdown. Wierd...

[Gurm]

Well, I qualify my earlier reports...

The new Creative drivers and the Compaq drivers are... sort of neck-in-neck. Overall I think the Compaq's are still better. However, there are SPECIFIC bugfixes in the Creative drivers for several SPECIFIC games/apps.

I'll give these new leaked ones a shot this weekend though. Been out of commission for a while (sick as a dog, eyes all messed up, ick!).

- Gurm

[Gurm]

Additionally, the correct install order for these would be...

1. The big pack (from the recent Compaq suite, would be MY recommendation) to get the EAX control panel, surround mixer, soundfonts, and diagnostics (plus the remotecenter for those of us with Platinum or Platinum eX models).

2. Install these drivers over the top as an update.

- Gurm

[az]

This is an excerpt from the new readme file

2. DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT(DRM) TECHNOLOGY
-----------------------------------------
Microsoft's Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a technology which
enables the copyright owner of an intellectual property (for
example,
a digital audio file), to control how the listener uses the file.

To protect against unauthorised duplication, Sound Blaster Live!
shuts down its digital output when encrypted files are played
back through a Microsoft DRM supported audio player (for example,
Creative PlayCenter).

Sorry if this has already been posted.

AZ

[Indiana]

Sounds like yet another reason to avoid Creative whereever possible...

[Victorian]

Originally posted by Indiana
Sounds like yet another reason to avoid Creative whereever possible...

It's got nothing to do with Creative. It's a Microsoft issue. I suspect every sound card will have to conform to the Microsoft DRM scheme regarding encrypted files. You just have to make sure you don't use files encypted in such a manner.