Unable to play MIDI files after upgrading to Windows 7

The Audigy 2ZS has two "hardware" MIDI synths and what is used, in conjunction with whatever media player you are using, to play MIDI files.

We have seen Windows 7 problems with the current SoundBlaster Xfi cards and I wonder if there is an issue with the older Audigy 2ZS sound card.  Have you checked the Creative (SoundBlaster) support site for an updated driver?   That would be my first thought on why you can't play MIDI files.

If you have a "7.1" sound card are you sure it's an Audigy 2ZS? I thought that was only 5.1?  The Dell downloads only list two different optional SoundBlaster Xfi sound cards, not the older Audigy 2ZS.

Thanks for the reply Fireberd. It's definitely a 7.1 and listed in Device Manager AND the Creative Console as Creative SB Audigy 2ZS (WDM). Oh, I installed this myself. It was not the original Dell one.

I tried the latest driver from the Creative website but that made no noticeable difference.

I even looked online to see if there was a MIDI player that could be downloaded, installed and used but I don't think that is what I need. I think I need to either get this sound card to work or get a new one.

I can see that Windows 7 is going to be a bit of a challenge. I also just had to update my graphics card drivers to run Second Life. That upgrade worked but the makers, ATI Radeon, warned that they don't really support Windows 7 with this card.

I may have to either buy a new computer with Windows 7 preinstalled, and presumably working, or maybe get a new sound card and hope that works.

Ah well, I guess we are all really just Microsoft's R&D department.

Any more suggestions gratefully received and the drinks will be on me next time we meet if we get it solved.

I'm not sure what is happening with your system.  On my new Windows 7 64bit Professional install (a clean install on a new hard drive), I have not installed any extra MIDI Synths (yet).  I started Windows Media Player and accessed a Band in a Box MIDI file on the Vista 32 bit hard drive (attached to same PC) and it played the MIDI file without problems.  I have to assume the Microsoft wave table MIDI Synth program is automatically loaded and the Windows Media Player automatically defaults to the wavetable MIDI synth.

I assume the 9200 has the Integrated Audio (on the motherboard audio).  Since there is problems with the "old" Soundblaster card, remove that and enable the integrated audio in the BIOS and then install the sound drivers for that and see if you can play MIDI.   That will get the potential problem with the SoundBlaster hardware MIDI synths out of the way. 

The Vista SigmaTel (integrated audio) driver is HERE  .  That should work OK with Win 7. 

"Ah well, I guess we are all really just Microsoft's R&D department." How is that a fair statement. You had a perfectly good working system and you chose to upgrade it to the latest generation of operating system. MS is not responsible for oem drivers, that is the responsibility of the oem whether it be ATI, Creative or Dell. If you want the latest and greatest then you must be prepared to pay for the priveledge which has historically been the case.

Thanks again Fireberd. Actually the problem just got a lot more odd. The MIDI files I have on my computer and those on some websites will not play. I get the message saying the files are either corrupt or the codec that was used to compress the files originally is missing.

I have no idea what codec or program might have been used as I simply downloaded these files from the internet about 5 years ago and they have always worked until yesterday.

I have now found similar MIDI files online tonight and these play just fine in WMP. The ones on my computer all have the file extension .mid and the new ones I found have exactly the same one. Odd huh?

I am not overbothered about this but it would be nice to have an answer and to be able to listen to the sound clips.

As to my comment about us being the R&D, which seems to have upset another member, well we are and the public always must be for any new product. I have no problem with that and if we all waited  until a product was absolutely perfect then we would have to wait forever for anything new. And it works too. It is only by the computer-using public finding faults and reporting them that we get the Microsoft Service Packs and other updates. I just meant that I will be relying on the excellent resources that this forum always brings to bear on so many problems with great success. And yes, I also know I had a working system and chose to upgrade, but isn't that what Microsoft wanted me to do?

Keep up the great work folks, I look forward to hearing from you again soon.

If it's a codec problem, download the K-Lite Codec pack.  That has practically any codec for audio or video that is ever needed.

I seem to have sorted it out. (At last!)
I checked the locations of ALL the .mid files on my PC. (MIDI Sequence files)
I found that each of the faulty ones was duplicated. One was the expected size, between 5 and 45 Kb but the duplicate was only 1 Kb.
I moved all the short ones into a quarantine folder and then reloaded the web sites that I was having trouble with when playing midis. They all now work.

I have to say that the websites themselves were ones I built myself so the files were uploaded from my XP and Vista computers over the last 8 years or so.

Somewhere in the upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 these duplicates appeared.

Thought I would post this just in case anyone else ever has a similar problem with their own files and websites.

Thanks for the followup info.  And that it's resolved.