my system crashes when i use my soundblaster on my KT6 delta LSR

[jc_max20]

(English is not my native language, so sorry for the mistakes)

Hi, i just bought a KT6 Delta LSR (integrated 5.1 sound) and i want to use my good old soundblaster live! 5.1 but when i disable de integrated sound and plug my sound card the system, in the middle of windows operation (windows always boot), all of a suddden crashes or simply the sound freezes and stay in the same sound over and over again and then the whole system hangs and i have to reboot the system.

I have no idea of what could be causing the problem...

When i use the integrated sound it works fine and in stranges cases (for example: when i'm connected to the internet for more than 30 minutes) the system hangs, but with the sound card would not work 15 minutes ok.

I'm using Windows XP Pro and the amps of the P.S. are like this

3.3V - 22A
5V - 32A
-5V - 0.3A
12V - 16A
-12V - 0.8A
5V SB - 2A

and the brand of the PS?? i don't know....where can i see it?

it says model: LPM2-20 and SER NO: 0207130407

i don't see a brand anywhere


Hope you can help me.... Thanks

[Peter M]

Soundblasters have always been plagued with PCI and driver issues when not paired with Intel chipsets. Just retire it, and help yourself to a really good sound card - like those recent ones with VIA's own Envy24 chip on.

[BipolarBill]

I have two questions:

1. Did you reinstall Windows "fresh" when you installed this motherboard?

2. Did you install the VIA "Hyperion" (4in1) drivers?

[jc_max20]

To Peter:

Man i don't have money to buy a new sound card, besides, it was working just fine on my good old ASUS A7VE (which also uses VIA chipsets), thanks anyway.

By the way, i live in Colombia and it's very difficult to find sound cards other rhan creative's, and expensive... i thougt creative was a good brand i also got a Creative PC-Cam 550, which is cheap and good.

To BipolarBill:

Yes, i reinstalled windows fresh when i installed the mobo, then came the problem and i downloaded and installed the VIA "Hyperion" (4in1) drivers but the same problem keeps bugging me :x , i don't know what to do.... but thanks anyway.

PS: i also downloaded the last bios version and nothing changes...

Any other suggestions?

[Imperion1]

Are you sure you're disabling all of the onboard audio options?
Such as AC97 Audio, Game Port Address, Midi Port Address, and Midi Port IRQ.

[jc_max20]

I'm not sure about that, i mean, i disabled the audio but the others i'm not quite sure, i'm gonna take a look at that, it would be very helpful if you can tell me how to do it.

Thanks!!

[Imperion1]

They're in the bios.
Set them to Disabled.

Read your manual.

[jc_max20]

I did all you said, i disabled the audio on the bios, and this mobo doesn't have any game/midi port.

I have downloaded all the latest drivers (sound card, video card, bios, via's 4in1 and also core center) and i still have the same problem.

PS: I noticed that in core center the value for the +12V is 11.56. could this be the problem?

[BipolarBill]

Originally posted by Peter M
Soundblasters have always been plagued with PCI and driver issues when not paired with Intel chipsets. Just retire it, and help yourself to a really good sound card - like those recent ones with VIA's own Envy24 chip on. Need he say more?

[Imperion1]

Have you tried the card in PCI slots 3 or 4?
The only time I have had trouble with my X-Gamer Live 5.1 on any of my motherboards with a Via chipset, is when the card is in PCI slots 1,2,5 (or 6 if the board has 6 PCI slots).

Before switching slots, uninstall the Creative drivers first.

[jc_max20]

yes, is in slot 3.

I guess i'll have to use my onboard audio....

Thanks to everyone.

[jc_max20]

Hi, i have noticed something.... it seems like the sound card has nothing to do with the problem, because i also have my system hanging when i use my modem (which is also a pci device), so i guess that the problem is someway related to the pci bus, can anyone help me???

The system works fine when i don't use the sound card or the modem, if i put some music it hangs before the first song ends, and with the modem it takes like 30 miutes to freeze, and i have to reboot.

Wish someone can help me.

[Imperion1]

What version of the Hyperion (4 in 1) drivers are you using?
You might either need to update to newer or try an older version.

[jc_max20]

i'm using version 4.49, which one would u suggest?? thanks!!!


What brands of PSu are good?? i have no idea about this...

Thanks in advance

[BipolarBill]

Good affordable PSUs are available from Antec, Enermax, Fortron, Sparkle, Vantec, Zalman and Thermaltake.

[Imperion1]

Have you had the same problem with any of the older Hyperion drivers?

[jc_max20]

Originally posted by Imperion1
Have you had the same problem with any of the older Hyperion drivers?

Yes, in fact i installed this version to see if that was the problem.... the chipset drivers

[Imperion1]

Well, looks like everything has been tried. Except for a new sound card. So it looks like you'll either have to use the built in sound (which is pretty good) or buy a new sound card.

[jc_max20]

OK, thanks to all the people who tried to help me..... i give up, don't know what to do.

Thank u guys i really appreciate it.

[sm8000]

Here:

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=14248

Send a PM (Private Message) to Billforce. He lives in Colombia, he may be able to help you. He might even be able to find you a new sound card!

[Billforce]

I might offer this suggestion. First of all it may be a lot of work for you but I do it as a routine. Take out all of the devices and cards....Start with a clean install of windows. When Win is loaded, install the setup that came with the M.B WITH the onboard sound disabled so it doesn't load the drivers for sound, NO updated drivers yet. This will establish the mini-port driver essential to irq assignment. Next before anything else, install your Creative card and drivers...next the video drivers then the rest. VIA irq conflicts are terrible but I love the chipset once everything is O.K.
I am almost positive that you are experiencing irq conflicts even though they may not show up as conflicts in device manager.
The clue is the sound continuing to make noise but is stuck on one note, absolute sign of conflicts.

[Peter M]

"IRQ conflicts", yeah right. Ever since W95OSR2 turned up, these are a thing of the past in the Windows world. Don't follow that advice, doing so is a waste of time.

jc_max, you're on the right track, but Billforce's conclusion is off.

It is the Soundblaster's well known PCI signalling issues that messes things up for EVERY device out there. (Remember how originally, on the chipsets that had the south bridge still on the PCI bus too, this caused IDE transfer problems?)

Throw it out already, and get a card from a vendor who knows how to make a PCI compliant card with PCI compliant drivers.

May I recommend something with a VIA Envy chip on? You'll know the difference when you see it.

[jc_max20]

Problem Solved!!!!!!!!

wow finally i got my system running like i wanted, with my soundblaster on!!!!

Here's what i did.....

In the BIOS setup there's an option under the "frequency voltage" menu that said spread spectrum, i disabled this option and that was all!!!!!

now my system is running normal....

Thanks to all the people who help me all this time, i hope this thread will help other people.

See you!:t

[Peter M]

Ah well ... another entry in the list of Soundblaster PCI problems. Spread Spectrum typically does 0.5 percent modulation, which is less than PCI specified tolerance range. So, PCI devices that crash with spread spectrum clocking active are actually broken.

Remember that when you build the next system!

[Billforce]

Originally posted by Peter M
"IRQ conflicts", yeah right. Ever since W95OSR2 turned up, these are a thing of the past in the Windows world. Don't follow that advice, doing so is a waste of time.


Well Peter, I guess I waste a hell of a lot of time for nothing correcting irq problems.....next time I'll just tell the MB and chipset that the GURU Peter says they can't conflict. But in fact they do...I JUST finished redirecting irq'a manually on a system that was in conflict. The offenders were the sound card and the modem. I guess someone for got to tell the MB.:t

[BipolarBill]

Lemme guess - was it a Creative sound card?

[Peter M]

Originally posted by Billforce
Well Peter, I guess I waste a hell of a lot of time for nothing correcting irq problems.....next time I'll just tell the MB and chipset that the GURU Peter says they can't conflict. But in fact they do...I JUST finished redirecting irq'a manually on a system that was in conflict. The offenders were the sound card and the modem. I guess someone for got to tell the MB.:t

Well, the PCI specification has had IRQ sharing capability MANDATORY at least since 1993 ... and AGP and chipset-integrated devices have to adhere to PCI rules as well.

Remember, whenever shuffling IRQs "solves" a problem, you're actually circumventing a substantially broken driver. The problem will come back haunting your user when you least expect it. And on an APIC enabled machine where interrupts aren't even routed but hardwired straight from the PCI system, you can't even do that anymore. See above for why. It's pointless - as long as everything that claims to be PCI actually is PCI.

The only solution is to not buy from vendors who after more than ten years of PCI still can't get it right.

[jc_max20]

Originally posted by BipolarBill
Lemme guess - was it a Creative sound card?

Yes is a creative sound blaster Live! 5.1

[sm8000]

Your problem is Creative's driver. Peter can explain it to you in better detail, but you're fine as long as you have things working. Should the problem recur, you're better off finding a new card.

[Peter M]

Well, just look at what I said in the very first answer post to this thread.

Originally posted by Peter M
Soundblasters have always been plagued with PCI and driver issues when not paired with Intel chipsets. Just retire it, and help yourself to a really good sound card - like those recent ones with VIA's own Envy24 chip on.

You have been warned right there and then. Nuff said. :t