Audio issues after upgrading to Vista SP2 for Dell XPS 420

Gimpycow - Jeff here

I did some resaearch on your issue and it seems to be problem for other folks too. . I know this may sound like a "cop-out" but, do you have a good reason to go to SP2?

How new is your machine and do you have a "free upgrade" to Windows 7? If you are not having problems with your computer just don't upgrade. If you wish to upgrade then I will help you.

    jeff...

Hello Jeff,

First off, thank you for your reply!

I hear what you are saying and I am one that doesn't have to upgrade if it is not broke to begin with.  That being said, Directx11 is being released to Vista and it is only available through SP2 I believe.  Now I realize there aren't any games to take advantage of Directx11 yet and I realize that my 8800GT does not support directx11 but...I had hoped to keep up the service packs and patches of Vista so when the time comes to buy a new video card for a future cutting edge game, I am ready. 

As for a free upgrade to Windows 7, I don't have one and don't even know how one is eligible for that.  My machine is over a year old now...not sure exactly how old though w/o looking for my receipt.  I wasn't planning on upgrading to Windows 7 unless there was a pressing need.  I have a feeling if this sound issue exists in Vista SP2, it will exist in Windows 7.

Of course another option would be to abandon the sigmatel onboard audio and just get a Creative vista certified sound card.  On the fence about that.

For now, I do plan to stay on Vista SP1 since I know I will be running into this sound issue in SP2.  However, I was hoping somebody had a fix for it so I could get totally up-to-date in Vista.  If there is not a fix for the sigmatel audio, I am hoping somebody is working on one and I would just wait it out. 

Do you know of a way to get the sigmatel audio working properly under Vista SP2?  Just curious.

Thanks,

Gimpycow

It sounds more like the applications, e.g. teamspeak, that are incompatible with SP2 rather than the Audio.  There was no change for the Audio from SP1 to SP2. 

Did you try uninstalling one of the applications, restart the PC then reinstall it?  Also, try running the applications in a compatibility mode for earlier Vista and see if that allows them to work.    There were major changes in Vista SP1 and SigmaTel, in most cases had to be uninstalled then SP1 installed and then SigmaTel reinstalled.  But SP2 was basically "uneventful" and very few had problems with anything in SP2.  

Gimpycow,

      Hello - Jeff again

       I agree with your practice of staying up-to-date. I do the same. My research indicates that Del has provided new drivers for the sigmatel audio for SP2.

      Please search for it on the Dell site. I do recommend you go to SP2. I did, and had no problems.

  Please let me know..

        Jeff

G.P.   I'm assuming we're talking 32-bit here, or are we talking 64-bit? I should have asked up-front. If it's 32-bit then...

I checked out the Dell Support Drivers and Downloads and found the following...you stated that your driver was dated 05/2007

OH...forgot to mention that I did try running Teamspeak in compatibility mode and also with admin privs.  Nothing helped.

One other thing I forgot to mention, I am pretty sure that after installing Vista SP2, the sound icon in the lower right hand task bar that lets you easily modify the volume was not showing for the sigmatel drivers.  However, after uninstalling Vista SP2, it came back and then I was able to get into all of the speaker and application options and set up the sound properly again.  I do know that after installing SP2 and then uninstalling SP2, I had to reconfigure all of the speaker and sound options.  After doing so, the VOIP in all of my applications worked again. 

Fireberd - I did try uninstalling and reinstalling Teamspeak after installing SP2 but that did not work.  Like you, I had initially thought it was an individual application but I am pretty sure that is not the case.  I am fairly certain it is something to do with sigmatel and Vista SP2. 

Jeff and Fireberd - One thing I did not try was uninstalling and reinstalling the sigmatel drivers after installing SP2.  I think I read in another forum that somebody tried that and it did not work.  When I purchased my Dell new, I think SP1 was already installed.  I hesitated since the newest drivers Dell had were only a month older than the ones that I have and SP2 was not released in 6/2007.  I wonder though if just uninstalling and reinstalling the latest Dell Sigmatel drivers AFTER installing SP2 would do the trick.  It is the only thing I can think of other than just waiting for new sigmatel drivers, purchasing a creating XFi sound card or just not upgrading to SP2.

Does anyone have the sigmatel high def drivers and Vista SP2 and can get the VOIP in Teamspeak (or BF2 or Steam) to work properly?  If so, did you have to do anything specific or did it just work after installing Vista SP2?

Finally, yes...I do have 32 bit Vista.  I did not want the headaches of 64 bit Vista just so I could install more than 4GB of memory which I would never need...   :)

Thanks,

Gimpycow

I ran into a similar problem with my XPS 420 with both the initial set up (Vista SP1) and when I installed SP2. It took two installations of the Sigmatel drivers (with reboots) to get the sound and mic working both times.

Roger that.  Not sure when I am going to give this a shot though so if anyone else has the sigmatel high definition audio, upgraded to Vista SP2 and can use TeamSpeak or another VOIP without issue....let me know so I know if going down this road is worthwhile.    :)

Since you tried the software, go for the new drivers.  I would uninstall the existing SigmaTel drivers, restart the PC and then install the new drivers.  When you restart the PC after uninstalling, Windows will probably want to install drivers, do not let it - cancel that function and then install the new Dell drivers.

I just found this thread for a problem I'm still having on my XPS 420. I've just installed the new Sigmatel drivers Dell recommends but I'm still having my audio problems. I, too, associate my audio problems with my Vista SP2 installation.

My recollections are the same as yours - after SP2 installation, I lost visibility to my audio configuration software.

My sound card works with some software (iTunes, Raphsody) but not Spin it Again (audio recording software).