Audigy 2, Clicks, Static?

Question

Hi

i have this pc for almost a year now.
Just a few days ago my soundcard started to make strange clicking noises. Sounds like some kind of static discharge.

The strange thing is it happens if i play sounds or not.

I tried different speakers and headphones all have the same problem so it must be a soundcard problem.

As far as i know i didn't install new drivers or software in the last few weeks.

I ran the Creative Diagnosis tool which noticed a error in the mixer-settings(probably because i deactived midi) and fixed it(diagnosis tool reactived the midi channel).

No change tho.

I am not a tech guy. so i don't want to open the pc. only if i had no other choice. But it looks like a hardware problem to me.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Eibwen

DELL-Cody · Answer

Please follow the steps below in order, moving from one to the next only if the previous step did not resolve the problem:

Environmental checks

Eliminate all power strips and UPS boxes and connect the speakers and computer directly to the wall outlet. Remove magnets and large electronic devices at the very least three feet away from the computer and speakers. Fans, neon lights, fluorescent lights, power transformers, and power poles should also be away from the speakers and computer. If there are any large electrical appliances on the same circuit as the plug that the speakers and computer are connected to, then you may want to try a different outlet.
Relocation

Relocate the speakers and computer to another room or location for at least 24 hours to confirm if the environment causes the problem.
Reseat the sound card

Open the case (with the system powered off and unplugged) and locate the sound card. If there is a screw holding it in, remove this screw. Pull the card out of the slot. Check for any significant amounts of dust, but do not directly touch the leads on the card's connector edge. Place the card back into the slot, ensuring that it is firmly seated, and screw the card back into place if there was previously a screw installed. Power the system back on, and check for sound card functionality.

If the sound card appears to be the source of the problem, and the problem is definitely not environmental, it appears likely that the sound card may need to be replaced. Please visit this link to submit a report. Ensure that you include a detailed description of the problem and all the troubleshooting that has been done to date to try to resolve the problem. Please note that there may be additional troubleshooting that the technician you contact may request you to perform.

EIbwen · Answer

Thanks for the quick response.

I tried different wall outlets and even moved my pc to another room same problem.
Today i had finally some more time to try and fix my problem.

To check what it could be i also booted to Linux using Knoppix. To my surprise no clicking at all even after a long uptime playing audio cd's and mp3's.

So i went back to Windows XP and reinstalled the latest Creative Audigy 2 Drivers. The Problem was gone for a few hours but is back again.

I found a way to temporary fix the static/clicking noises. Changing from 2 Speakers to 4.1 Speakers and back. This fixes the problem for a few minutes. An other way to fix it is to reboot but this is inexceptable because i would have to reboot every hour.

The noises are worst after i start listening to music or play games after a longer time with no audio ouput. Then i do the workaround described above and the noises are gone. They start again with loud but short clicks. After a while it starts to crackle like a fire.

I read somewhere that something like this could be caused by multiple programs trying to use DirectSound. I checked only running Winamp or even Windows XP event sounds like minimize or maximize can cause this problem.

Is there a way to do a clean Audio Driver reinstall without reinstalling the whole WinXP OS?
Do i need special Dell Audio Drivers for my Audigy 2 card?

Thanks.
Eibwen

Northbrook · Answer

I'm having the same problem, but I can't seem to figure out how to correct it. Mine usually starts after the computer goes to screensaver for a while and I come back. No sound, just crackling noise. Reboots don't automatically fix the problem. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I've noticed that the speaker settings also switch from 5.1 to 2. Fixing those doesn't automatically fix the problem either... I would be interested in following what advice you get from Dell. I've reinstalled drivers, changed screensaver settings but nothing works.

Dell 8300

Audigy 2

EIbwen · Answer

I opened up my pc and put the sound card in a different slot(lowest pci port, farthest away from the graphics card).

Reinstalled the drivers from the CD(not from creative site directly).

That seemed to help a bit for me. I still have a strange *click* now and then but not as bad as it was before. I can live with that for now. I just hope it doesn't get worse again.

I don't have any screensavers installed, but perhaps it has something to do with the power save modes?

Northbrook · Answer

I may try to move the sound card to a different slot.  Dell thought that the powersave settings might be a problem as well, so I turned them off.  It didn't help.

EIbwen · Answer

After almost a month were my soundcard was working it seems the clicking is back.

In normal operation(Windows, Listen to Music, etc) I still have the click noise now and then.

But I noticed that it is a lot worse on OpenAL based games with EAX enabled(Unreal Tournament 2004, Splinter Cell). So I checked the Creative homepage and found an updated driver that should resolve some OpenAL problems. I installed it but it isn't better.

I also noticed that the EAX-Console doesn't work anymore.

I played Unreal Tournament 2004 on Linux which doesn't seem to have that problem.

Looks like I have no other choice then to reinstall Windows XP.

Is there a way to completly reinstall the audigy 2 drivers without reinstalling windows?

Eibwen

Message Edited by EIbwen on 03-29-2004 11:30 AM

Locked Topics – Desktops General

Audigy 2, Clicks, Static?

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