^ Yes, I did and they just reported: "SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio" This is something that I already know and it's not of much use to me, unfortunately.

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What do they report for the MBoard?

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^ ASUSTeK Computer Inc. P4P8X Rev 1.xx It seems that it is not ASUS P4P8X EAY like the sticker on the board says? I will try to find SoundMax drivers for P4P8X Rev 1.xx

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Damn, there are no drivers for this one anywhere on the net. :(

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It's got the AD1985 audio codec chip. The #5 download here: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/fil... should work. It's probably best to go to add/remove programs and uninstall any previous attempts before installing.

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Do as DAVIDCAPS advises. Boot to Safe mode and remove all instances of the sound chip and reboot to standard Windows.

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@DAVEINCAPS, I did what you adviced me (actually I've done this many times before - remove the old instances in Safe Mode, then install a fresh driver). Your driver didn't work. I get the following error message during installation: "Driver not found! Reboot your system, and run this setup again." This is the standard message that I get every time I try to install an SoundMax driver that is inappropriate for my chip. The message is pretty strange, especially the "Driver not found!" part. What the heck do they mean by "Driver not found"? Isn't the installation actually supposed to INSTALL the driver, not search for already installed one??????? Holly hell, I wish I could find my lost CD but I can't. :( This would save me a whole lot of trouble. Do you have any other tricks in your sleeve, guys? This is getting hopeless.

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Is the driver in zip format or with an exe Extension?

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The one that DAVEINCAPS suggested is an *.exe file. It is a full installer but it can't install anything because of the error that interrupts the install process. The one that I am using (and it works for 1-2hours, then stops working) came as a pack in a *.zip file. I use the Windows XP Device Manager to point to the *.inf file and install it. The lost one on the original CD was a full installer (*.exe) that installed the SoundMax program together with the SoundMax driver. It worked like a charm. I am looking for this driver but I seemm not to be able to find it.

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If an exe file yields errors when you try to run it you may need to update the Windows installer file to 3.1. Get that file from the Windows Update site. Take this for what it is worth. Whenever I receive any CD with improtant files on it the first thing I do is to burn a copy of it. Then I use that copy to install the software. That way you have a backup copy that you know works. That doesn't help you now but possibly in the future. I had a driver that wasn't fully compatible with WinXP for a TAD. It exibited the same symptoms you are experiencing. I think the file you are using may be for a different sound chip of OS. One way to fix this issue if the installer update doesn't help would be to Email Soundmax with a request for the correct driver pack. You would need to provide the Exact numbers off the sound chip. I think your issues are linked to your system being cluttered up and not updated. Possibly improper procedure when applying the drivers. Try downloading regcleaner and running it. This program should be safe to use on your system and may clear away the reminents of all the past attempts. http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4...

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http://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mi...

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@OtheHill, I downloaded RegCleaner, used it and it f*cked up my whole system. I thought that it was safe to use like jv16 PowerTools (which I have and I use on a regular basis). Alas, the sh*t was not safe and it managed to delete many important and healthy registry strings in my registry. It caused even of my real time anti-virus scanner to stop working. And this is something which I considered un-stoppable until RegCleaner f*cked it up. Never use this thing anymore. There's jv16 - much fater, much better and much safer to use. I will have to re-install my whole Windows along with several important applications to fix this total mess. Anyway. @jam, I will try to download and use your driver as soon as I manage to re-install my OS for the 666-th time this month.

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regcleaner and JVPowertools were written by the same author and regcleaner is much more benign than JVPowertools. I don't know about YOUR system but I am running WinXPsp2 fully patched and Regcleaner does no damage to my system. Maybe your system was alrready f**ked up before you ran Regcleaner. If you have installed XP over and over again have you formatted each time?

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Yes, the bad part is that I like to format each time I reinstall and this means that I lose all the installed programs and have to install them too. It's such a pain in the *ss I did those multiple re-instalaltions because I thought that my Windows is causing my audio to crash. It seems that jv16 PowerTools is safer than RegCleaner. At least if you ask my freshly f*cked up system, hohohoho. :)

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Geez, just restore the registry. I don't know why people insist on running optimizers & various types of registry tools anyway...the vast majority of them are snake oil!

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Have no idea how to restore the registry. The "System Restore" function on my Windows is disabled and I also disabled the Backsum function in RegCleaner before running the cleanup scan. :) Seems tha this is the first time in my life when I will be needing a restore/backup function of any sort. Anyways, I will just re-install Wondows. By the way, I found the right driver for my chip - the package that also installs the SoundMax program with its alternative mixer panel. Funny, the Windows mixer panel crashed again (just like it used to crash with the other, bad driver) but the SoundMax mixer is working just fine and I am able to control the sound through it. Have no idea what the heck is going on here. :)

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Probably not fully compatible with the OS. Now that you KNOW what exact Soundmax chip you have you should be able to find the latest version at the soundmax site.

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Uuuuh... I don't know what exact SoundMax chip I have. I am just guessing that I have the right driver for it. And it is causing me troubles just like the other drivers I tried. :( It is still a little bit more stable but requires reinstallation from time to time. Damn...

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Huh "By the way, I found the right driver for my chip - the package that also installs the SoundMax program with its alternative mixer panel".

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Yes, I thought that it was the right one because it was an *.exe file and installed OK without being interrupted by errors. It also installed the SoundMax program just like the driver on the original CD, so for a moment I thought that it was actually that same working driver. I really don'tknow what the chip is. Actually, I still believe that this *IS* the right driver. There is just something wrong with my Windows OR with the machine itself (like somebody suggested in the first posts).

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"Uuuuh... I don't know what exact SoundMax chip I have" This is getting pathetic. Open the freakin case, find the sound chip on the motherboard & get the model number off it. Then you'll know exactly which drivers you'll need. According to the ASUS website, your board has the "ADI (Analog Devices) AD1985 SoundMAX 6-channel CODEC". And DAVEINCAPS got the same results by looking at Intel's site. It looks something like this: http://image2.beareyes.com.cn/2/lib...

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OK, I willopen the case. Chances are that this thing form your pghoto is indeed my codec/chip/whatever. The driver I am using at the moment (and it is semi-working) is AUDIO SOUND DRIVER SOUNDMAX WORKING 1985WDM_3630 It has 1985 in its name, so I guess it's the right driver.

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SoundMAX FAQ http://forms.analog.com/Form_Pages/... Including, excerpts: "1 .......... SoundMAX does not provide drivers or software directly to computer users. To download drivers, you need to contact your computer maker (or motherboard maker if your computer was built from parts). The websites for these computer and motherboard makers are given below." In other words, there are many different SoundMax chipsets. If the mboard manufacturer or the brand name system builder has SoundMax drivers available for your model, they are the right ones. "7 How do I install audio drivers? There are two ways to install the audio driver software for your computer. Best Install Method: Run the Setup Program The most effective method to install the driver software for your computer is to run the "Setup" program that comes with the driver software. Not the Best Install Method: Let Windows Find It If the audio driver software for your computer is not installed, Windows may find it and attempt to find the driver software. If you install the software using this method: You won't get any additional SoundMAX features if they are provided in the driver software. Windows might not actually find the driver software. You won't be able to use the Add/Remove Programs feature in the control panel to remove the driver software later on. " ...... To prevent previously tried SoundMax drivers which may be the wrong ones from interfering with the installation of the right drivers, Un-install any existing entries for SoundMax drivers in Add/Remove Programs before you attempt to install the right drivers.

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I FOUND THE PROBLEM!!! It is NOT caused by the driver! There is a Windows Audio service in Computer management (Right click My Computer >>> Manage >>> Services) that has to be set to "Started". For some reason, this service is constantly turning itself OFF and is causing the loss of Windows mixer and the loss of sound at all. If I manage to stop it from constantly shutting itself down, I will have normal sound on my machine. What may be causing this service to turn Off? Thanks!

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