Audio driver keep getting trashed in XP

I am running an AT7 Abit Mb, Realtec AC'97 onboard sound. As of late Windows XP will trash the audio driver via one of two ways. Either it will "recover the registry from a backup" on startup or reboot, or "find new hardware" at random times. Either way a Microsoft driver is put in for the audio. The MS driver does not work. I have to at least reinstall the Realtec driver and at most uninstall the audio from the device manager and clean the registry.

Restoring an old registry that worked always gets me a "new hardware found" so that path does not work either.

I have been unable to stop this cycle of MS wanting their driver on this machine. There are two more Abit AT7 MB's here and neither has this problem.

Any ideas?

 

I don't know if this would work but make a backup just in case.

Find the MS driver on your PC, rename it and put your driver in place.

 

Great idea, how do I figure out the name? It might be in a CAB as well.
I appreciate the help.

I now have six drivers listed in the Device Manager Driver upgrade list. Three of the correct one and three of the MS problem child.

 

I don't know what the Windows XP configuration is, but under the Windows 98 configuration of my PC the driver database is under \WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS which then get unbundled/installed into \WINDOWS\SYSTEM. The names of the driver files can be found from the properties of the driver using the System Properties/Device Manager - again Windows 98 configuration.

Make sure you can recover if this change fails.

 

Thanks, I got the driver. The one that came with the MB worked well, but was not signed.

I still cannot power off consistantly or have gaming sessions over 2 hours. At least that SEEMS to cause the driver loss/change.

I have been working more this week, so the sound problem has taken a back burner. I will get into it more when I have time.

 

You need to remove everything under safe mode, reboot your pc and be continually pressing the F8 key to get into safe mode. Once in safe mode go to the device manager and remove everything under sound, video and game controllers. Then without rebooting go into the add / remove programs and uninstall any audio drivers that may be there. Now have the newest driver and reboot the computer if ms tries to go through a install and ask you for the driver, just direct it to the new one. Don't let it search just do it manually. Now if it just installs ms drivers without giving you the option just install the new driver afterwards. Many times you do not really get rid of something unless you are in safe mode, otherwise it just comes right back. You don't have to get rid of everything under sound, video and game controllers just the ones that relate to audio, but it would not hurt to just reinstall everything under that category.

Hope this clears it up for you, otherwise it might be hardware related and a RMA will be in order. Always remember unless you are in safe mode the registry entries are not removed.

 

Raider, THANKS!
I forgot about the MS persistance when not in SafeMode.

You may well be right with the hardware problem. I am running an Abit AT7 whicn is native 166 bus at 200 and everything else is stable. Could be I just found the weakest link after 6 months of operation at 200. As to why it fails when it does instead of under max stress is strange.

 

Let me know how it turns out for ya.