Problems with Creative Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ 5.1

[Udimet720]

Hello...

I have a Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ 5.1. I'm having two problems with the card that I need help with.

1) When my computer starts up, the 16-bit emulation loads. This causes my computer to pause for about 30s. Since I don't really use this at all, I'd like to disable it. But, I've been having some difficulty doing so. I tried disabling it from the device manager and from the system configuration utility (autoexec.bat). However, in both cases, when I restart my computer, the changes are lost. How can I disable the SB16 emulation?

2) When I view certain web pages, I get this crackling noise. Typically, this happens when I view webpages with lots of pictures (e.g. ESPN.com). As I scroll down (using my mouse), it makes crackling noises until the pics at the top of the page are off screen. Then, if I scroll back up, the popping starts when I hit the pics again. Any thoughts?

Thanks. 🙂

- David

P.S. For convienence, here's the specs on my rig:

CPU: AMD Athlon 1000MHz @ 1260MHz
Motherboard: Soyo K7VTA-B (VIA KT133)
Memory: 639 MB of Crucial PC133
Video Card: ATI 64MB DDR ViVo (ATI Radeon)
Hard Drive: Quantum 40.0 GB @ 7200 RPMS
Monitor: Envision 910e 19
DVD Manufacturer & Model: Creative 12x
CDR/CDRW Manufacturer & Model: Plextor 8/4/32
Storage Interface: IDE
Sound Card: Creative MP3+ 5.1
Internet Provider: Quik Internet
Internet Connection Type: Dial Up
Internet Connection Speed: 115.2K
Operating System: Windows 98se

 

[jmorrell]

First of all, did you try to disable the 16 bit emulation, or did you try to remove it? If you tried to REMOVE it, it WILL come back at every reboot. If you DISABLE it in device manager, it will NOT reinstall itself.

If you still have problems after disabling the 16 bit emulation, I suggest you remove the Soundblaster drivers entirely, then reinstall them WITHOUT the 16 bit emulation (just uncheck the "load DOS driver" option). Make sure you clean up the registry before you reinstall the drivers to ensure nothing is left after the uninstall that might cause problems.

 

[jmorrell]

Forgot about the crackling problem: This is a known problem with the KT133 chipset. There is a fix for it, but I don't recall what it is because I don't have that chipset. Just do a search on the forums, and you should find the answer. Also search the regular AnandTech site - seems to me there was an article about it at one time.

 

[Udimet720]

jmorrell,

Thanks for your suggestions. I believe I tried both deleting and disabling before. But, I will try it again along with the reinstall option.

- David

 

[DAPUNISHER]

The SB sound problem is usually resolved by upgrading to latest 4in1's, SB drivers, and updating the bios to latest release.

 

[cookieman]

Hi!

I don't know it the Soyo has the same bios as Abit.

But in case of "yes":

In bios put the
"PCI delay transaction" -> OFF
"Delay Transaction" -> OFF.
"PCI Read caching" -> On.

Also install the latest 4-in drivers, and get a newer bios if you have an older one (older than ZT version for Abit board).
Put the card on the 4-th PCI slot. That's the one best suited for SB.
Also try to put the NIC card as far as possible from SB. The two must not share the same IRQ!

Also read the unoficial Abit FAQ. It probably has some answers to your problem.

I had some issues with my SB128 a long time ago, but I got over it with the newer bios and drivers.
Cheers,

 

[Udimet720]

cookieman,

thanks for the suggestions. I found "PCI delay transaction" and disabled it. What does that do anyway. The Sb and NIC are right next to each other. But, they do have different IRQ's. So, for now, I'm just gonna leave them. But, I'll watch out for that in the future. I haven't had any problems using my NIC as far as I can remember. Also, when you said "4th PCI slot", which one was "1st"? Top or bottom? The crackling seems to have disappeared after I got rid of SB16 emulation. So, seems like my computer is liking me more. Yippee.

 

[cookieman]

Hi!

Glad to hear that!

The PCI slots are numbered from the AGP slot. The first is the most close to the AGP slot.
The SB16 emulation is useless anyway, so removing it you did the best you can. For me this wasn't the issue because I instaled the WDM drivers for my card and that do not contain the SB16 emu 🙂

The "PCI delay transaction" I do not know if I could explain it to you, but I know that the KT133 (or the SB) isn't handling this properly. It can even hang because of this.

It is best for the SB to not share IRQ with any other device (especialy not with the NIC). But I think you are ok now.

I still recomend you visit the link I provided in my earlier in my post. Just in case you notice something strange with your setup. It helped me big time!

Cheers,