CMI8738 Driver installation blue screen

**Paul Cunningham** · May 14th, 2000, 02:09 AM

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**Yellow** · October 22nd, 2003, 06:21 PM

I am trying to install a CMI8738 card. Please read http://forums.windrivers.com/cgi-bin...ad.php?t=30837
that and see if you can answer my problem. A solution is greatly appreciated.

**TripleRLtd** · October 22nd, 2003, 08:33 PM

Welcome to windrivers Yellow!!
I hate to disappoint you but you have bought LOW end everything.
Biostar: low end (cheap mainboard)
CMI: generic sound chip and I bet you can't even determine who made the card itself.
There is an FCC number on the board, and, if you look it up to find the company, IF you can find it, it might sound like a garage somewhere in SE Asia.
This is NOT your fault.
You need to go and get a real/namebrand sound card from a company with a website that supports what you bought!!!
Creative SoundBlaster come to mind.
Youi say you need sound: right???
Well, if you need it, then get something that works.
We can play with this for days on end, but OBVIOUSLY youir card is bad:
causing BSOD's, etc.
Let's try a fresh approach now.

**confus-ed** · October 23rd, 2003, 05:42 AM

Originally Posted by TripleRLtd

Welcome to windrivers Yellow!!
I hate to disappoint you but you have bought LOW end everything.
Biostar: low end (cheap mainboard)
CMI: generic sound chip and I bet you can't even determine who made the card itself.
There is an FCC number on the board, and, if you look it up to find the company, IF you can find it, it might sound like a garage somewhere in SE Asia.
This is NOT your fault.
You need to go and get a real/namebrand sound card from a company with a website that supports what you bought!!!
Creative SoundBlaster come to mind.
Youi say you need sound: right???
Well, if you need it, then get something that works.
We can play with this for days on end, but OBVIOUSLY youir card is bad:
causing BSOD's, etc.
Let's try a fresh approach now.

So his original board is 'bad' & now his 'new' card too ? Sheesh, he's having a 'bad' time isn't he ? I wish somebody else would try another approach too !

I doubt very much that Yellow's luck is that bad !!

I suspect more likely its that lovely feature in later versions of windoze - WDM ! WDM=Windows driver model, a 'supposedly' improved method of implementing driver design, it'd be great but the windoze guys didn't implement it properly

So two approaches:-

1. Keep trying 'wdm style' drivers until one works .... Look at the CMI site here

2. Since WDM drivers are very often 'tricky' (they just don't work with particular hardware combos !) then force windows to use 'old style' VXD type drivers - VXD= Virtual eXtended Device & is the 'old' way, which generally does work (surprise! surpise !), so in safe mode, as we have a BSOD stopping us doing it normally, then either using a driver from my link or the cd that came with your s/c (hopefully) 'force it' by saying 'have {driver} disk' & point it to some drivers for 98/95 NOT w2k/xp ... these usually 'take' & hopefully all will be well.

I suspect this might also sort out the onboard too

Make sure all the old bits of the s/c are off in bios, I can see from the 'other' thread that you think you have, but very often the midi port (or the game connector, whichever you prefer) is controlled seperately in either another bios section or with yet another jumper, this MUST be off too (along with all the other bits of 'sound' like legacy emulation etc), or your new card may conflict.

The only thing I can find in TripleR's 'rant' to agree with (You didn't even need really need welcoming, having been 'kind of' here already

, but yeah welcome ! ), is why did you buy such a 'rubbish' additional card ? Its done now so ... mute point !

**Yellow** · October 23rd, 2003, 01:00 PM

Considering I built the whole thing for 368 dollars, its pretty good and fairly fast. I paid 7 dollars for the sound card! Thanks for the welcoming and I will try this idea.

**NooNoo** · October 23rd, 2003, 01:25 PM

I have a shedload of cheapie cm8738 cards - never ever had a problem with them - sblive value however, I wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

**Yellow** · October 23rd, 2003, 05:33 PM

I have tried the things you have told me to do, and those do not work.

**confus-ed** · October 24th, 2003, 04:02 AM

Noo can you not merge these threads ? I take it you can't as the other lives in a different forum ?

So, eventually ... lets try some other stuff ...

First I want to ensure that the onboard is definately off, not just the main bit, but all of it ....

So pull the pci s/c card, then tell me what's in device manager under 'sound video & games controllers' - if everything is 'gone' there shouldn't be anything, also check 'other devices' -this is where 'strange' (unrecognised) stuff goes if windows doesn't detect it correctly, look out for anything else 'peculiar' that appears mis -classified.

After that I want to know whether ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is ON or OFF in bios - this controls how resources and devices are 'organised' (that's not a very good description, but the gist) in windows.

When you say "..tried the things you have told me to do, and those do not work" - could you expound a little ? What didn't work - No sound -pressumably, or windows didn't want to 'take' the driver - i.e. my 'force it' approach failed, or it worked & showed correctly in device manager, but still no sound ?

Is this machine all patched up ? its been to windoze update & you've drunk several cups of coffee while it does its thing ?

Lastly, can I just clear up what steps you took to try & get the onboard sound working ... because I think whatever is preventing that working is stopping us here.

That's enough questions for now, once I've got your answers, maybe something might jump out at me, or perhaps with all that info, some other soul might see something I've miss-ed

**NooNoo** · October 24th, 2003, 07:54 AM

I tried, it got confus-ed

**confus-ed** · October 24th, 2003, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by NooNoo

I tried, it got confus-ed

It sure did

... btw who IS Paul Cunningham?

**halogore** · November 5th, 2003, 01:56 PM

I'm kind of glad I'm not the only one, Yellow. Here is some input though, the "cheap" motherboard isn't the culprit because I'm using a Gigabyte GA-7VA board. My sound card was made by Asound but it is the cmi8738/pci-sx chipset - 4 channel. Also the card worked perfectly in Windows 2000. I only get this problem with XP. I'll keep checking back to see if anyone can figure this problem out. Until then, I guess it's onboard or nothing.

John

**TripleRLtd** · November 5th, 2003, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by halogore

I'm kind of glad I'm not the only one, Yellow. Here is some input though, the "cheap" motherboard isn't the culprit because I'm using a Gigabyte GA-7VA board. My sound card was made by Asound but it is the cmi8738/pci-sx chipset - 4 channel. Also the card worked perfectly in Windows 2000. I only get this problem with XP. I'll keep checking back to see if anyone can figure this problem out. Until then, I guess it's onboard or nothing.

John

Welcome to you too halogore: John, to Windrivers that is.
You got the wrong impression and I brought it on myself considering Yellows "need" for sound.
I have used plenty of cheapie sound cards for people who don't want to spend $50-$100, and they work fine, especially for office setting where good sound is not needed.
So, have you tried confus-ed's recommendations yet?
There are plenty of possibliities there.
Do you get BSOD?
What error messages do you get, if any, or do you just get no sound?

**Silverman** · November 6th, 2003, 12:33 AM

I had a similar problem with a six channel cmi8738 but with a DFI AD75 board and XP Pro. I let XP search for the drivers on the internet and after about 30 seconds the card installed and all was good except it was identified as a 4 channel CMI card. It must have something to do possibly with the card manufacturers implimentation of the sound chip and a particular driver version. So you might want to try this approach after you cleanup your previous driver installs and you have internet access with the PC in question.