Trouble with UAA Bus/Bridge XP SP3 clean install

hello,

I have built a new XP Pro SP3 machine that has a Creative X-Fi HDA card
on a Asus Rampage Extreme MB. The card was supplied with the board. Asus tech support is no help in helping me install the UAA drivers.

I was told to look in Device Manager for a Microsoft UAA bridge or Bus
Driver and I don't see either one. I see where I can download the
driver from Softpedia among other places, but I was also told I need
to use one if not two Hotfixes to make the soundcard work.

One is KB888111 the other is KB835221. One seems to be for SP1 & SP2 the
other for SP3.

If I have SP3 installed, do I need both or just one of
these Hotfixes? If so which one?

Plus I hear stories that the MS Hotfix 888111 is incomplete and you
need to use a modified one to have sound.

Right now the MB is back at Asus to see why it wouldn't let me load
any of the sound drivers, but when and if it comes back I want to be
ready to install the right things. They keep telling me that the board is bad... I am betting it comes back and they say there is nothing wrong with it.

I should also add that I have tried UNSUCCESSFULLY to install KB835221 & KB888111 on the Xp Pro machine I am using now. Even though the window says " successfully installed" neither one of the Hotfixes show in Add Remove Programs and there is no Microsoft UAA Bus in Device Manager. I did this simply as a test, the this MSI motherboard won't support the HD architecture but I would think I could install the UAA bus in the OS anyway. Plus when I go to the MS update page it doesn't show that any of the hotfixes I mentioned are installed at all on this machine.

BTW no one in the Microsoft newsgroup will reply to my question! It seems they are either too busy or don't care or don't know. It is a known fact that SP3 doesn't include the UAA drivers, thus the Hotfixes were made. Geez can they get anything right out there in Redmond??


Really I can't believe I am the only one in the world with this MB and this problem!


Thank you all,

Tinsby

 

Halo,

I tried to make an addendum to my answer but I waited too long and had to make this posting.

To answer your questions: When I had the machine up and running the only exclamation mark was for something called "non Plug and Play Devices"

The error message that I got when trying to install the drivers for the soundcard was ERROR LOADING AMBSPI.DLL (Install Failed) Google showed only a few references to that .dll. I pulled it off the Asus CD and put it in the Windows system32 folder thinking it would allow the drivers to load. It made no difference.

On only one occasion did I get the drivers to load............ BUT when I went to the Advanced Sound option in the tooltray I couldn't adjust the bass and treble, they were greyed out. I am thinking that another program allows me to make the treble and bass adjustments but that program, called something like "Media Center" failed to run in the 'trial mode'.

Asus kept telling me the MB was bad so I sent it in reluctantly.

I hope you can understand my utter frustration and dismay with this whole thing. That's why I am so indebted to you for your help.

Thank you for your interest and when I get the MB back and installed I will be posting again to your attention.

My best friend has an Asus board with SP3 on the HD and yet he doesn't see UAA in Device Manager........ is that because his chipset doesn't support UAA?

Thanks again!

Tinsby