Topic: Why do creative drivers suck so much?

[Pugnate]

They have a simple task, yet can't seem to get it right. I have a Soundblaster 5.1 card and every other week it just automatically switches to 2.1 for no reason. I then switch it back and then inexplicably it happens again.

Sometimes the Surround Mixer settings just disappear. It is frustrating for two reasons. The first is that it can't be fixed without a reinstall, which means five minutes to uninstall, five to reinstall. The second is that it takes another five to reinstall the updates.

Anyone else have issues with Creative drivers?

Oh and has anyone tried the X-Fi series yet? Worth it?

[scottws]

I know what you mean.  Creative's hardware is decent, but their software is completely horrible.  It's been that way forever and I don't think it will ever change.

[Jedi]

Yeah I came across this myself. The software would switch from 7.1 to 2.1, they stopped doing it and I didn't do anything about it, but I had a funny feeling it was a game or an app that was making the drivers switch.
But hey it could be worse you could be using Vista and be in a world of trouble!

[Pugnate]

Well they are apparently working on the Vista drivers.

[MysterD]

I don't have a Creative sound card on this PC. Creative's drivers always been kind of flaky, in recent years. On my old Win 98 PC, I had to reinstall them a few times for no good reason.

I never had problems w/ my AC97 sound -- or whatever the integrated sound is on this PC.

[Jedi]

I don't have a Creative sound card on this PC. Creative's drivers always been kind of flaky, in recent years. On my old Win 98 PC, I had to reinstall them a few times for no good reason.

I never had problems w/ my AC97 sound -- or whatever the integrated sound is on this PC.

Win 98?.. what you don't think age had anything to do with it
Other than my software switch from 7.1 to 2.1 speaker setup I've never actualy had anything bitch about, though the installations could be better.

And Pug I wouldn't hold my breath for those drivers, if they were really onto it they would have done something back in the betas!

[Pugnate]

Hmmm despite the poor driver support, I'd still rather have a sound card. Still better than onboard I think.

[gpw11]

Creative drivers blow....hard.  I can think of a few problems I've run into for no reason...that they took either forever to fix or didn't and MS, EA, Valve, or whoever had to release a patch around it.

They don't have any real competition, so why the hell should they care?  I am a fan of their hardware though (well, in the markets where I actually have a choice - like mp3 players). 

As for onboard vs. pci soundcards - I don't think it makes nearly as much of a difference as it did even 3-4 years ago.  That goes for both audio quality and overall system performance. 

[WindAndConfusion]

The last time I built a system (~3 years ago), I got an nForce board explicitly so I wouldn't have to deal with Creative.

Also, I notice Turtle Beach is still around. Historically, at least, their drivers have been awesome.

[scottws]

I was looking at reviews for Turtle Beach stuff recently and they didn't look to be doing so hot.

[NatchDan]

I have a 30GB Creative Zen MP3 player, and while I love the little bit of kit Creative have fucked up a lot of it. They issued a firmware update a while ago that actually makes the PC stop recognising it as a Zen, and so you can't transfer tracks on to it, off of it, whatever. Creative's response to this? Post a page on their site - nowhere near the no-warning unmarked firmware update that is still there - saying to simply transfer tracks using WMP instead. Which, by the by, doesn't work.

Thank Christ for the latest version of Winamp and its plays-for-sure (hah!) compatibility.

[gpw11]

I take it this is the Zen Vision: M.  I've actually been meaning to pick one up for a while.  CAn you roll the firmware back at all?

[NatchDan]

The Zen Xtra 30GB, actually, and nope. Once it's on, it's on.

[gpw11]

Fuck, I was hoping you could at least install older ones on top of newer ones since I read they took out FM recording support with a firmware update for the vision series. 

[Jedi]

This is why you don't upgrade! Anything at anytime*! You let someone else do it and read about the all the lovely problems they get from it and then you laugh**.

* This mostly applies to OS's and Firmware upgrades
** Remeber laugh with them not at them