Hercules Digifire 7.1 with bonus "no Sound"

[optimizer]

My Sound card sound went away after an SP2 upgrade. Hercules Digifire 7.1 Audio card. The install process is a bear/unknown at the best of times, but after SP2, and Hercules having another layer of updates – who knows ????????

I suppose the Driver folks might be useful in this arena, might even have been thru a Digifire issue. Giving you as much info as I can.

Here is what I have available for the purpose:

A Hercules Digifire 7.1 CD

Downloads from a few years ago:

CSCv609.exe

RegistryCleaner RemoveDevices.exe

New Download:

CSCv609.zip – unzipped into a folder.

RegistryCleaner RemoveDevices.exe



What I think is the Hercules procedure to install the drivers/software, although up to this point there is "no" official documentation that describes how to do a successful install on XP SP2, so it’s guesswork.

Uninstall:

Run the CSCv609.exe which uninstalls.

run the "removedevices.exe".

run the new removedevices.exe from your zipped folder:

reboot

Install:

Internet Cable out of wall socket

Try upgrade the "Unsupported CrystalSoundcard…" driver, pointing to the new unzipped drivers

Run the CSCv609.exe

It installs

It asks to install WDM – I point it to the new unzipped drivers

It asks to update the Game port – I point it to the new unzipped drivers

Results:

Trying the realplayer on a video – No sound - Video freezes after 3 seconds, and may intermittently stop and start.



I notice that the "Unsupported crystal Sound Card…" may exist before this install, but it doesn’t after the install software process.

I tried to upgrade the drivers on the "Hercules 7.1 device" once in the hope it was the problem. The Unsupported Crystal Sound Card device reappeared and all the Hercules device items disappeared from device manager.

I’m on XP Home – and this happened after SP2 installation.

I reactivated the BIOS Audio, game and midi, and Serial A (that I‘d deactivated when trying Noo Ferrit Confused Stickies, and moving the card slot)

AC 97 device is disabled.

Again – this still seems like it’s the WDM. I’m sure if I repeat the procedure of disabling it, and switching on the AC97, I’d have video and sound thru the regular old computer speaker plug at the front of the CPU Tower, like I did when I tried it a week or 2 ago after SP2, proving that something related to the sound card is the problem.



Sound and Game Controllers:

Audio codecs

Avance AC97 Audio - disabled

Hercules Game Port

Hercules Digifire 7.1

Hercules Digifire 7.1 WDM Interface

Legacy Audio Drivers

Legacy Video Capture Dev

Media Control Dev

MPU-401 Compatible MIDI Device

Standard Game Port

Video Codecs



DMA:

2 Standard Dloppy

3 ECP Printer (lpt1)

4 DMA controller



IRQ:

ISA

0 Sys Timer

1 Keyboard

4 Com1

5 MPU-401 compatible MIDI device

6 Standrd Floppy

8 Sys CMOS clock

9 MS ACPI compliant sys

12 ps2 compat mouse

13 numeric Data Processor

14 Primary IDE channel

15 Secondary IDE chan

PCI

9 Intel 82801DB/DBM SMBus Controller - 24-3

16 Intel 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host controller 24C2

16 Intel 8284G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics contrlr

17 Realtek RTL8139 family PCI Fast ethernet NIC

18 Intel 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C7

19 Intel 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C4

20 OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller

21 Conextant SoftK56 Modem(M)

23 Hercules Digifire 7.1

23 Intel PCI to UBS Enhanced Host Controller

[confus-ed]

Make sure the game port associated with the ac97 is also off in bios, you seem to have two entries showing up for 'game port' (one game port & one Hercules Game Port) when you should most definately only have one.

[optimizer]

Audio Codec and Game Port are now both disabled in BIOS.

I still have the same problem.

Here's the latest Device drivers config. Thanks.

Sound and Game Controllers:

Audio codecs
Hercules Game Port
Hercules Digifire 7.1
Hercules Digifire 7.1 WDM Interface
Legacy Audio Drivers
Legacy Video Capture Dev
Media Control Dev
MPU-401 Compatible MIDI Device
Video Codecs



DMA:

2 Standard Dloppy
3 ECP Printer (lpt1)
4 DMA controller

IRQ:

ISA

0 Sys Timer
1 Keyboard
4 Com1
5 MPU-401 compatible MIDI device
6 Standrd Floppy
8 Sys CMOS clock
9 MS ACPI compliant sys
12 ps2 compat mouse
13 numeric Data Processor
14 Primary IDE channel
15 Secondary IDE chan

PCI

9 Intel 82801DB/DBM SMBus Controller - 24-3
16 Intel 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host controller 24C2
16 Intel 8284G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics contrlr
17 Realtek RTL8139 family PCI Fast ethernet NIC
18 Intel 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C7
19 Intel 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C4
20 OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
21 Conextant SoftK56 Modem(M)
23 Hercules Digifire 7.1
23 Intel PCI to UBS Enhanced Host Controller

[confus-ed]

Somethings still not right, because normally you shouldn't get ..

..16 Intel 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host controller 24C2
16 Intel 8284G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics contrlr
17 Realtek RTL8139 family PCI Fast ethernet NIC
18 Intel 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C7
19 Intel 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C4
20 OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
21 Conextant SoftK56 Modem(M)
23 Hercules Digifire 7.1
23 Intel PCI to UBS Enhanced Host Controller

Until all the other IRQ's are used up .. IRQ's can only be 0-15 due to physical constraints of design, as there aren't registers big enough to keep track of any more, but windoze has this annoying habit of trying to sort out such conflicts itself via 'virtual IRQs' (those numbered beyond 15) & the long & the short of this is, that Plug & play isn't detecting your kit properly.

Now to fix this, I'd do a full backup of my data, flatten everything, & do a fresh install of windoze, initially only adding the very least amount of things I could to get windoze started & then add back each bit one at a time, testing as I went, before finally restoring my data (which is a pita ! but the most reliable method of getting matters working) - other folks might start with an attempt at a repair install (this gets plug & play to look at matters again & consider 'the whole' & not just some devices or the last added), then add any chipset patches which might apply, & lastly, a re-doing of sp2, but personally, I think that's likely to return you to where you are..

[optimizer]

So you don't thing Registry fixing or uninstalling and resinstalling USB etc devices would have much of an impact on it.


I actually logged on to post a question about re-installing.

You know Dual boot.
Is that useful for re-installing?
Could you partition to dual-boot, then remove the old OS and un-dual boot/partition?

Any experience / info / links / books on that?
I've heard the name PartitionMagic. Would it be any good for this.

Thanks

[Sandwich]

Confu-sed is right! There is perhaps a hardware issue and his method finds out what if any "physically removable" devices are bad. If windoze doesn't recogize them correctly they might be cooked.