Soundcard features lost but I have sound

I have Windows XP Professional with Soundblaster Audigy II ZS. When I reinstalled Windows some weeks ago I had no trouble with the various features accessed from an icon in the system tray.

For the past few days I have been unable to access most of the features ie the EAX console, graphic equaliser etc from the icon in the system tray so I did a repair reinstall from the Creative Soundblaster installation CD just now but now when I click the icon in the system tray it says "the audio device supported by the application cannot be detected". I cannot even use the basic volume control.

I do have sound and device manager says all is working properly. Windows Media Player and my MP3 ripping devices are working correctly with access to volume.

I used System Restore to roll back to before I did the repair reinstall but I still cannot use the icon in the system tray.

For some weeks my second CD/DVD drive is reluctant to play music. Could this be because I created a second data drive recently and the drive letter has been replaced ie data drive 2 now has the drive letter that belonged to CD/DVD drive 2?

Autorun has stopped working.

I have other issues with my computer and part of the same problem I don't know. I have done a full defrag, cleanup and online virus check which found a downloader trojan. Please see my thread in Windows XP called "where is my topic" http://forums.windrivers.com/showthread.php?t=80479 as I feel this is all related.

If you use control panel add/remove to remove the creative software, then reboot and reinstall, does that clear up the problem?

If you type sndvol32 into start run, and click ok, can the active mixer device start?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NooNoo

If you use control panel add/remove to remove the creative software, then reboot and reinstall, does that clear up the problem?

If you type sndvol32 into start run, and click ok, can the active mixer device start?

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I had already uninstalled and reinstalled my Creative Soundblaster software before I posted and it di8dn't work.

I typed sndvol32 and it worked and I can use the mixer but what I want is my Soundblaster control panel console.

So it's just that the software can't connect to the hardware, despite the hardware being there... I suspect when you uninstall the software it doesn't uninstall properly leaving previous setup files around which the new installation uses rather than creating new ones.

You could try disabling the sound card, then uninstalling...

How do I disable the soundcard? Sorry I cannot remember things. It's not just compouters, I keep putting things away and forgetting where they are and forgetting what I was going to do a minute later, doctor says it's stress and grief.

OK, right click my computer, select properties, select hardware tab. Click on device manager button, go down the list to sound, video and game controllers and expand the entries... disable the creative sound card (not the other codecs and stuff, just the card entry) by right clicking the sound card, and selecting disable. OK and restart the machine.

OK Noo done that and now have no sound which proves the computer was using my Creative soundcard and not the onboard sound - what do I do next please?

uninstall the creative software and reboot. Go into program files and make sure that the creative software folder has been deleted. If it hasn't, delete it and reboot and check it's gone.

When the creative folder in program files has gone, enable the sound card and run the installation again - do not select the repair option (in fact, if the repair option is offered, it proves creative uninstallers don't uninstall properly).

Let me know the result.

I uninstalled from Add or Remove programs and found a whole lot of stuff still in Program files, rebooted but I can't delete it, told access is denied. I am the only User of this computer so it won't be a logged on as Administrator issue.

I looked at Device Manager and the Creative card is only shown as disabled not uninstalled.

I need to get rid of the old stuff before reinstalling, right? How do I force it off? I will try reinstalling over the top of the old stuff and see if that allows me to uninstall and reinstal again.

I hate things that don't delete when asked - grrr! :mad:

OK assuming you have hidden files showing - what are the file names in the folders? Do they appear in task manager?

There are a few processes you will need to kill in order to delete this folder..
I don't have you particular card, but files such as
devldr32.exe
CTSysVol.exe
CTHELPER.EXE
will appear in task manager... you need to end process first


You also need to go into msconfig start up tab and uncheck anything to do with creative as well.

On your creative cd you may have a file called CTZAPXX.EXE - double click this, it will remove all the driver files.

If you do this in safe mode, you will have less problems deleting files since they won't be in use.

The rest of the file names etc I found on the Creative Forums.... Not all of them may apply to you.

Check the registry for
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Creative Tech
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Creative Tech
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Creative Tech
HKEY_LOCAL_Machine\Software\ASIO

remove the entries if found

Now go on a search and destroy if found mission for the following

C:\Windows\System32\Data
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Data *(64-bit only)
C:\Windows\CTDCRES.DLL
C:\Windows\System32\cttele32.dll
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CTOSS2K.SYS
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CTSFM2K.SYS
C:\Program Files\Creative (delete whole folder)
C:\Windows\CTXFIRES.DLL
C:\Windows\CTPRES.DLL
C:\Windows\Updreg.EXE


These two are patterns for file names.. where the * is you will find a whole bunch of numbers and letters...
C:\Windows\{*.BAK
C:\Windows\{*.CDF

This is similar but the file name begins bmx rather than {
C:\Windows\System32\BMX*.rfx

Noo before you, posted I found an uninstall option on the Creative installation disc so I used that. There were a few files left in Prgeam Files that would not delete buyt then the New Hardware device thing came up and found the files on the disc.

I have got sound but where is the icon that is in the system tray which should allow me to use the mixer and other things?

That icon is part of the software (not really a driver) If you just allowed the sound card to find it's drivers, the software (some say bloatware) will not have installed... if you did run the entire install from the cd, did you turn off (as previously advised) the start up items for creative in msconfig? Check that they are enabled again.

re the partitions you created and your shortcut problems: you should have assigned the partitions letters yourself, but they can be re-assigned after the fact per:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307844

You said you started with;

A - floppy
C - OS hard drive
D - photo data storage
E - music data storage
F - cd
G - dvd

then created

A - floppy
C - OS hard drive
C1 - new partition
D - photo data storage
E - music data storage
E1- new partition
F - cd
G - dvd

which apparently has co-opted some names maybe like this:

A - floppy
C - OS hard drive
F - new partition
D - photo data storage
E - music data storage
G - new partition
H - cd
I - dvd

That would definately screw up shortcuts and some operations.

You can check those assignments in Disk Management and make a list like the above of what you currently have.

Once you have that list, post it and we can guide you through the change back.

:)

Noo I am totally confused about misconfig or whatever. I cannot follow too many words at a time because by the time I have read it I have forgotten and this was my problem when doing my MCP exams, by the time I had read the question I had forgotten what it was about. I have lost my short term memory, it's not dementia or anything, the doctor says it is stress and the shock of being told on the phone about my husband.

I have a sound icon in the tray now but it the default one. What I need is the EAX mixer etc that goes with the Creative sound card and I know these mixers etc were installed. There are five or six advanced options like graphic equaliser and acoustics etc I would have thought the icon would go in the tray automatically like it did when I reinstalled Windows.

I suppose I could do without the EAX console etc as I run my computer through my hi fi but there are some superb acoustics options I often use for different kinds of music.

CCT thank you but I find that far too comlicated to understand and I am happy with my drive letters as I said.

OK,
click start, run and type in
msconfig
click ok
go to the start up tab at the end
boxes that are NOT checked mean the program will not start
Are there any creative programs in there unchecked?
If yes, check them, click apply and ok and restart your computer.

Now do you get the eax tray icon?

If not, you can reach it through start, all programs, creative menu and there is probably an option to show the tray icons in there somewhere.

I explored the installation CD and had to instal the EAX console separately which it did and I have got the icon but when I click it can't find sound device but everything is working properly, sound is good and setup updated my drivers.

Back to square one. I tried typing misconfig and got windows cannot find misconfig.

Sorry I typed misconfig and meant msconfig but found everything on startup is checked. But as I said I have got the tray icon but why won't it recognise my sound card? Sound is working OK and is very good. It says "the audio device supported by this application is not detected" but I know from Device Manager and other things I am using the Creative card and anyway it has it's own ports on the back.

Have just tried to run the Creative diagnostics and as soon as I clicked start tests it shut down and a windows error reporting dialogue box came up.

The generic mixer control in control panel works fine and have enabled it in the tray but speaker/headphone choice does not work.

Ah it is a driver problem because I just tried the EAX console setup and it came back with "THX setup console cannot execute. Audio driver is incompatible. But I know I have the correct driver and Device driver says so too. Will see what Windows Update offers. Ah it offers me an update, let's hope this works.

I can get the surround mixer, speaker settings and THX console now but not graphic equaliser or EAX console and still cannot use the diagnostics. I know I have up to date drivers so I don't know what else. I am annoyed about not being able to use environment settings.

This is really driving me nuts!

This is a problem reported by a number of people on the creative forums... it appears that a creative (not ms) automatic driver update is the cause.

Which X-fi have you got, or was it supplied with the computer... if so, which make/model please?

Also please check the state of windows audio service, to do this

click start, run and type in
services.msc
click ok
scroll down till you find Windows audio
It should be a status of started and set to automatic.

Noo what is x-fi?

Windows Audio is set to started automatic.

it's the latest creative card... sorry, I thought you had one, what creative sound card do you have?

My card is nearly three years old and is the Soundblaster Audigy ZS. I have no hardware hi fi controls on the computer if that's what you mean. When I said hi fi I meant I link my computer to a spare input on my hi fi system.

try the updated versions of the applications

I am going to call it a day for now because I have run out of tinkerability but than ks for all the help Noo :thumbs2:

I can live without the inaccessible console functions because I can use my hi fi to set the sound I want.

OK, give us a shout when you want to tinker again.

Thank you Noo :thumbs2:

I downloaded and installed the relevant updates from the link you gave me and everything works OK now. Got all the mixer and console features.

Yet again Noo to the rescue, give the gal a round of applause everyone :mult:

Just the problem with the second CD/DVD drive refusing to load, wonder if it needs remounting or something?

Did you download that fix I recommended on the other thread?

I had forgotten Noo, thank you for the remin der and I will let you kn ow how I get on. Will it fix the CD-DVD drive that does not load at all? When you put a disc in the light comes on for a ferw seconds then goes out and nothing loads in Windows Media Player.

It may do, it depends what the problem is...start with that and we will see where it takes us.

That fix did the trick, can autoload both data and music discs now on both drives.

Thank you Noo.

my pleasure :)