x-fi installation

[kingdomwinds]

are there any steps i must do in bios or in xp before installing the x-fi sound card? I dont have the card yet but i ordered one.

 

[BFG10K]

Add/remove programs for your old sound card's drivers and also disable your onboard sound in the BIOS if you have one.

 

[kingdomwinds]

do i have to run driver cleaner after uninstalling the audio drivers? If so would that be nvidia stereo under driver cleaner?

 

[Puffnstuff]

If you've already got a creative card then be absolutely sure to remove all of the software that was installed with it before installing the x-fi. I forgot a few things when installing my x-fi and had trouble until I located and uninstalled everything from my audigy2. Once it was all out I was able to install the x-fi with no problem.

 

[kingdomwinds]

I only have onboard sound that uses drivers from the nforce4 driver package. I was just wondering if driver cleaner would be necessary because it would delete all my nforce4 drivers.

i just got logitech x530 5.1 speakers and im blown away in the diff in sound quality from my old 2.1 speakers. Will x-fi enhance my sound even more?

 

[igowerf]

You don't even need to disable the onboard sound if you don't mind have two soundcards installed. Just make sure to set the x-fi as your primary card in the Windows audio settings once you install it.

I use two sound cards because I regularly have stuff output to the TV. MPC is set to output to my onboard sound while my Creative card outputs to my speakers. Basically, all videos will play on my TV via overlay and onboard sound, and all games/mp3s will play on my desktop speakers.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: kingdomwinds
do i have to run driver cleaner after uninstalling the audio drivers? If so would that be nvidia stereo under driver cleaner?

Having two audio devices does not hurt, it can be helpfull. I like the Idea because you can hanve your speakers pluged in to one and have headphones pluged in to the other sound device. This keeps you from having to unplug and change the control panel settings every time you want to use one or the other.

 

[kingdomwinds]

I just got the x-fi here. The manual is not very clear. Does the x-fi xtrememusic need any connections from the psu? Also do i just install the drivers from the cd first then update or just install the latest ones?

 

[kingdomwinds]

crap i just installed the xfi and the drivers and it is sharing the same irq as my 7800 gtx graphics card on IRQ 18. What should i do? I heard that they should not be on the same IRQ

The x-fi sits in the bottom most pci slot, which i was told has its own irq channel

 

[kingdomwinds]

someone please help

 

[kingdomwinds]

this sucks. I have posted this issue in many other forums but have not gotten a solution.

 

[SnoMunke]

Just let it share the IRQ...mine does the same thing and I have never run into any problems....

 

[Googer]

Update your BIOS, there is a knows conflict between nFORCE 4 and the X-Fi. The problem lies with nVIDIA but it your motherboard maker responsibility to provide BIOS the fix.

 

[Ghouler]

^not that it is bad idea, but he does not need to do that.
If there was this conflict he would not even get that far.
Also: nForce4 mobos and X-Fi come both with updated bios now as far as I know.

@kingswings
Having IRQ 18 means you are using virtual IRQs. That should not be a problem. If it is, then:
1. you may use another PCI slot.
2. if this does not help disable onboard stuff that you are not using in Bios.
Coms, parallel ports, onboard sound - it all takes resources
3. should that not help you may consider reinstalling ACPI Uniprocessor to ACPI Advanced Configuration and Power Interface - thru windows device manager.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Originally posted by: kingdomwinds

I just got the x-fi here. The manual is not very clear. Does the x-fi xtrememusic need any connections from the psu? Also do i just install the drivers from the cd first then update or just install the latest ones?

The only time you need to hook power up is to the front control panel which requires it otherwise the pci slot takes care of the card.