Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Advanced MB Software

Question

I got Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Advanced MB Software with My Inspiron 1420 pre-installed with Vista. when I downgraded to Xp, I'm not able to install creative application.   Where I can get a Xp compatible version.   I'd like to say Vista = Waste.

c63ab0b21ac244c · Answer

Call Dell or search Creative's site for compatiable ones.

Bo_Scott · Answer

The XPS M1710, aside from the cool LEDs on the case, has been a disappointment as a gaming laptop. I give it a thumbs up for a bright screen and good native resolution, but the video card is unstable with America's Army (Whom I work for) and COD-4, among others.

What's worse, Is the fine print. I PAID extra for reative AUDIGY sound thinking I would get an upgraded sound card...I GOT sigma-tel on board Audio with Creative Drivers...which doesn't float well at all. So I paid for "premium sound" Only to get a CD with basically unsupported software on it. I uninstalled the software when I kept getting the MB_dummywindow error, and America's Army, and COD4 and other games would freeze up. Uninstalling and Re-installing the Creative software brought the same problems back. thing is, the Sigma tel on board sound is miserable for first person shooters...where sound is critical. This conflict is a known issue, and DELL has not done anything to correct it. Do a search on these forums for MB_dummywindow error, and you will see what I am talking about.

I have an older (3 yrs or so ) HP 9440 with a single gig of ram and a 256 mb video card... matches the XPS step for step in FPS, and sports better sound...I can hear things with the Hewlett Packard I can't hear with the XPS.

I was once asked by a government agency I worked for what a good laptop would be for 3-D gaming platforms- and they bought 400 of the XPS M1710s. (Dell Federal sales reps at Fort Knox know what I am talking about.) I suppose they'll work for the casual user...All I can do is make sure that they don't buy any more.

This is NOT a passable gaming laptop, unless you are deep into solitaire. Dude...get an HP.

eskymi · Answer

Jeeps is this the same 1710 your are raving about here:

I develop and promote a popular 1st person shooter, and recently bought the XPS 1710 with a 2g processor, 2g ram, and the 512 Nvidia 7900. I have never been happier with an off-the-shelf computer. The display rocks, and I feel it is superior to the dual video card setup of the Alienware that a couple of my compadres have. They begrudgingly admit that the XPS has faster frame rates, and better resolution, even at the max video settings. I initially bought the 'notebook' (Shooot, it's a folding card table) for travel needs, but I actually have begun to look at this as my primary game system, simply for the display.

It handles the game astoundingly well, and I have had no issues with the system...And I've been beating on it pretty hard, since I've been on the road since I got it. My Desktop will be sitting idle quite a bit, until desktop monitors can rival the display I am lookiing at now.

Make up your mind

Bo_Scott · Answer

And that post was...what two years old? Turns out I did make up my mind. Took a while for Dell to develop me as a dissatisfied custoimer, but they did it. Hey, I was no computer Genius when I bought this thing. My opinion about the display stands, though. It's really pretty good. But there are now many competitors doing just as well if not better.

Good point. It was new then. Notice, I didn't say anything about sound. I didn't really realize the sounds I was missing until much later, particularly in-game. It took about a month for me to decide to uninstall the Creative software the first time...And that was well over a year ago. I guess I forgot why I did that, so I re-installed it after coming to the conclusion that I was at a severe disadvantage in gaming due to the inferior Sigma Tel Sound quality, and this overpriced piece of junk leaves me with limited options to fix that..

What really irritated me was that I paid EXTRA for this headache. It ticked me off to discover that. In essence, that's the heartache I have. Trust me when I tell you I impact more computer buying than the average person does in a lifetime.

The display and video, no issues...other than some occasional flickering if I minimize the game and so forth. It really bogs down if I do not run at native resolution, but that's any LCD setup.

So yeah, after a having some time to actually get through the marketing schemes and other stuff that Dell pulled on me, And getting a good education from a lot of gamers about Dell and in particular the XPS, You can say that I changed my mind. The more I learn about computers, the more I am unimpressed with Dell.

I noticed the plethora of computers you list in your profile...and how you Love Dell. I am sure they appreciate your loyalty. I see the same type of Marketing driven brand loyalty blinders on Harley Riders. So have at your Dells, and I hope they make you happy. Y'know, with a little more honesty, Dell could have kept me as a customer. But I won't deal with a company that hides behind fine print and misleading sales tactics.

What I did learn is to do my homework, and gt better information before pulling the trigger on a purchase of computers.

tcic10-99 · Answer

It's amazing you didn't find out about the sound problem for 2 years.... seems like when you wrote that glowing admiration for the computer, you would have checked it out.... hmmmm.... methinks thou dost protest too much....

Anyway... Good Luck with your new Apple....

Bo_Scott · Answer

No, No theyre not, which is what Dell is hoping you never come to understand.

tcic10-99 · Answer

Whatever....  HP, Apple, Gateway.... they're all the same.

Bo_Scott · Answer

Well, Live and learn. It wasn't until recently that sound became an issue in gameplay to the point where teammates were asking me "Hey, you didn't hear that?" that I started wondering what I was really missing. I was far from a computer expert (Still am) when I bought this computer, (and gave a positive review of the VIDEO DISPLAY which I still stand by.) and to be honest, sound wasn't a primary concern...I didn't know any better until I cactually sat down and did some side by side comparisons with the HP 9440 and a couple of other systems in regards to sound.

Apparently reading comprehension isn't your strong suit.

The Burr under my saddle is this: I PAID EXTRA for "Integrated Audigy Sound." What I got was incompatible and unsupported software wich causes errors both with the game and in system shutdown, and exactly the same hardware.

THe added irritation is that this is a known issue with Dell M1700s, and Dell could fix it, but they haven't addressed it. The sound card can support eax, etc., but the software drivers to make this happen aren't available. Sigmatel does not directly support the soundcard, leaving it to Dell to, and Creative laughs at you when you go to them for support, since you aren't using a Creative AUdigy soundcard.

That may be okay with the rest of you Dell lemmings, but paying extra money and recieving no value for it is irritating to me.

And FYI, I am not considering an Apple. Never said anything about Apple. Don't know where you got that, but if you are going to take issue with my posts, then at least try to stick to what I said.

Rezfer · Answer

Hello Musthafa,

I just downgraded too and have same problem as you had. I note that you posted this long time ago. Have you solved this issue?

I'd really appreciate that if you did, to tell me how to do it.

Thank you!!

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Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Advanced MB Software

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