Realtek Audio Drivers Won't Install

I've searched through maybe 20 or 30 threads, mostly on this forum, for why this is happening or how to solve it, but I haven't been able to. When I try to install any kind of Realtek audio driver, I get no error messages and seems to install fine, but my computer still continues to use the generic Microsoft High Definition Audio Device. The Realtek it lists itself in the list of programs to Uninstall (I've tried uninstalling it from here then reinstalling again multiple times, but no dice), but it is not anywhere in the Device manager. No error messages.

Motherboard: ASUS Rampage Formula (latest BIOS version)
CPU: Core 2 Quad Q9450 (running at default 2.66Ghz/core)
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon 4870 512MB (latest Catalyst version, 10.1)
Sound: I have two sound outputs; standard stereo speakers (I think it's connected through the onboard sound, but it might be via the card that comes with the motherboard, which is a Supreme FX II. If I have time, I'll check tomorrow) and TV speakers (connected via HDMI, which carries sound)
O/S: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

OK, to be perfectly honest, the main reason I want to try getting this installed is to fix another bigger problem that I have: audio crackling that occurs with some sounds. It happens with both my 2.1 speakers and my TV speakers, and I'm 80% sure it started after I upgraded to Windows 7. Some Google research has told me that I'm not the only one who has been getting this problem with Windows 7, but I haven't found a fix yet. I wanted to get Realtek installed because I thought that, although it's a longshot (as I've tried other drivers), maybe it will fix the crackling problem.

I'm pretty sure it is. Note that I just looked, and there is no onboard sound, there's just this card (which came with the motherboard).

I'll try that as a sort of last resort, as the power cords and graphics card make doing anything inside my computer a pain in the ***.

This installs fine, unlike the Realtek drivers. However, it does not fix the audio crackling issue.

I'm not willing to do that, wayyyyy too much.[/quote]

No.