KT7AGuy wrote:

OK, I got the drivers uploaded here:

Sound Blaster Live! Install CT4830 CT4832 CT4760

They worked -- kind of! I was optimistic because the install disc was different from the other two I had tried. However, as the install neared the end, Windows once again asked me for the location of the "PCI Multimedia Audio Device." I hit cancel, and it found the driver for the "PCI Input Controller" (gameport).

After the install finished, I went into Device Manager to find a question mark next to "PCI Multimedia Audio Device." I couldn't find the driver anywhere on the CD or in Windows.

I was just about to give up and revert back to the previous disk image when I decided to look for the driver in this collection on Vogonsdrivers: Sound Blaster Live! Value/PCI 512/5.1 Sept 2001 WDM.

It found a Soundblaster Live! Value (WDM), so I went ahead and installed it. Well, everything is working great. No more truncated Windows start sound, and my games sound great.

I had tried to load those same WDM drivers before, following use of the other two install CDs. That's when I got the wrong sounds. So your install CD laid the groundwork. I'm not sure what WDM means or how the driver is different from non-WDM, however.

Thanks again!

When installing drivers, if Windows prompts for the location of something, you should try to point it to the location manually. When you do that, it will usually reveal the name of the file it is looking for. At that point, you can search the media whatever way you like to find it, then it is just a matter of pointing Windows to where it is located so that installation can continue.

Either way, I'm glad it's working well for you now.

You can read more about VXD drivers here and here.

Info about WDM drivers are here and here.

Long story made short:
VXD is the old driver model for WinME and older. WDM is the new driver model for Win98SE and newer.

Most folks tend to prefer VXD drivers for our legacy systems, but I've never had a problem with using WDM drivers.

An old user name Holering had a bunch of knowledge about getting SBLive cards working correctly.

More good info is here.

Also, I'll say this:

As many others have mentioned, the Win9x SBLive drivers just plain suck. If you have an ISA slot, I firmly believe that AWE64 is the way to go for Win9x systems. They just work with no BS. You can usually find the AWE64 Value cards on eBay for about $10. To my ears they sound 99% as good as the more expensive AWE64 Gold variants. Unless you're some sort of audiophile or midi-music composer, pop in an AWE64 Value card and enjoy your legacy games while being blissfully unaware of the SBLive driver hell you've avoided.

If you're running Win2K or WinXP, then the driver situation for SBLive is greatly improved. WinXP SP3 has drivers built-in for some of the SBLive models, including CT4830. If not, then the official Creative drivers work very well for all SBLive models, including SB0220: LiveDrvUni-Pack(ENG).

(This is the reason why I love my KT7A boards: ISA slot for the AWE64 card.)

Just a little clarification:
VxD drivers - SB16 emulation (from Creative-specific drivers, has issues with chipsets that do not support NMI)
WDM drivers - SBPro2 emulation (generic Windows support for any card using WDM drivers, works even on newer motherboards)

I didn't want to interrupt the install by manually searching for the driver when the window popped up; I also assumed that I wouldn't be asked to locate the driver if the install worked as it should. I decided to wait and use Device Manager to look for the driver on the CD and Windows.

I don't notice much of a difference between the AWE and the Live!, but I may not be running any games that use EAX. I'll have to look into that.

If I always boot into DOS to play DOS games with the AWE, should I even be concerned with VxD vs. WDM? Or do they have an effect on Windows games?

boxpressed wrote:

If I always boot into DOS to play DOS games with the AWE, should I even be concerned with VxD vs. WDM? Or do they have an effect on Windows games?

VXD and WDM are strictly windows drivers. They don't affect or work in DOS at all. SBLive uses emulation for DOS. See alexanrs comments above.

Yes, I meant to say do they have any difference outside of emulating either an SBPro or a SB16. Let's say I never need to emulate one of those and play only Windows games.

AFAIK they might have differences, but I have not tested it myself, as I usually settle for VxD drivers when using my SBLive on Win9x (as I like my pure DOS SB emulation to be consistent with the one in Windows).