Azalia Audio and XP SP2 Help!

[Treshka]

Hi everyone.
I'm new here and I just built a computer with the Asus M2N motherboard (NForce 430 MCP).

The Azalia Audio driver is the only one that comes with the board and I do get sound, Sound Max is installed and functioning.

But in Device Manager I have a yellow question mark next to Other Devices and when expanded it shows a question mark next to Audio Device On High Definition Audio Bus.
XP claims either not to have drivers for this or that the drivers are installed incorrectly or that it doesn't recognize them.

Is there supposed to be a "signed" driver or some codec I need to use?
I don't understand what I have to do about this and the information I could google didn't help much.

[Treshka]

I think I can answer my own question.
The problem is with Windows, the HDA bus driver included in XP won't install properly.
I went looking for a fix I think found it in over at RealTek.
I can't try it out now but I will later.

[Treshka]

There's something going wrong here, both Microsoft and RealTek know it, and there's no fix.

Wait for the next service pack?
Last fix as of Aug. 04?
RealTek HDA Bus drivers have no effect?
It doesn't really matter if you're getting sound ?

For now the on board sound is "blurry", there's some sort of buzz going on constantly in the background.
It might be motherboard noise or it might be the fact that Azalia isn't working like it should.

I'm getting an Audigy SE, cheap at newegg, which should fix the "blurry".
I'm hoping Linux has a gaming future, if Windows and its' partners can no longer " get away " with not fixing stuff because they have competition we'll all be better of.

I don't think I'm being picky, I'm not one of those "golden ears" guys.
The sound just isn't what it should be and the software that should be running it isn't.

[Treshka]

The Audigy solved the problem.
The repair/reinstall of the driver worked once the (on board) Azalia Audio was disabled.

[Seawolf]

Howdy.

I'm sorry I didn't see your thread sooner.

Onboard audio sounds like crap (as you noticed) 99% of the time. I've only ever encountered one motherboard where it sounded half decent (although it's possible more exist.)

And yes, that scratchiness is normal for onboard audio on enthusiast motherboards. Microsoft has nothing to do with it. It'd be extremely unusual if software fixed it.

Plus, that motherboard doesn't use Realtek. In fact, that you even mention Soundmax settles that, as Soundmax is ADI.

[Treshka]

Thank you for the reply, I could have used some help.

The board comes with legacy RealTek support ( Whether or not it was a good idea on Asus' part is another matter. ) and I was directed to RealTek to download the first HDA bus driver . It didn't work.

You're warned when you hook up the front panel audio connection for headphones that you must set it for one or the other since RealTek and Azalia are incompatible.
Is that what you meant by it can't have both SoundMax and RealTek ?

What happened when I finally uninstalled SoundMax and disabled the on board was a surprise.
The driver for the HDA bus came with my Radeon Card!
This was the first time it showed up and the first time I was given the option of a repair/reinstall.
It was what I'd spent several days looking for.
I chose repair , problem solved.

[Seawolf]

Oddness. Well, nonetheless, I imagine the Audigy is a better option.

I didn't imagine the board would have both (and I did look at the specs online,) that's different.