Project Reality Forums

Soundblaster X-FI Bluescreen FIX

1. Introduction
This thread features a solution to the Bluescreen (BSOD) issue lots of people had while using an X-Fi soundcard.
It only happens when setting the game sound mode on "X-FI"; "Hardware"-mode worked fine
This solution was gathered in this thread.
We want to thank all who participated in discovering/testing this fix, especially Jorgee!, jaghammer, Sinbe, ChallengerCC, Garack, TeRR0R and the rest I forgot.

It's actually pretty easy to fix and works the same for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.


2. Installation

1. Deinstall all current Creative Soundblaster drivers
2. clean everything related to it with Driver Sweeper
3. Make sure to reboot your PC
4. Install the PAX Driver according to your card
   X-FI PCI
   PAX MASTER PCI XFI ALL OS Driver Suite V1.30 Release
   X-FI PCIe Titanium
   PAX MASTER PCIe Titanium Driver Suite V1.30 release
   X-Fi PCIe Titanium HD
   PAX MASTER PCIe Titanium HD Driver Suite V1.30 released.
5. Reboot again.
6. Enjoy!

3. Issues:
Q: You can't capture your gamesound when using X-Fi with UltraHigh Settings.
A: Choose Hardware->High to get it working.

If you have any further problem feel free to ask.

Cheers
PR Support Team

Problems is that there a some soundbugs to me with this drivers, BSOD solved but the soundbugs on some maps made me change back to original drivers.

I own a XFI Gamer with no Xram.

@ Garack

I used to have those sizzling popping cracking problems with my X-Fi ExtremeMusic until I changed the PCI latency settings. This worked, however, only with Windows XP and Windows 7 PRIOR TO SP1.

Now all that helps is lowering the settings from X-Fi to High. I didn't bother trying out the PAX packages because I don't play BF2PR anymore.

Mine wont get recognized... its always the same thing i dont know why.

I have XFI PCI-e Titanium fatality champion series...

I've downloaded PAX MASTER PCIe Titanium Driver Suite V1.30.7z

Installed from ./setup.exe and then i got no sound, sound icon with X.

I ran ./drivers/setup.exe and installed WDM drivers replacing shared drivers or something like that, and don't have sound.

After some tries installing the same drivers got sound from Windows 7 default drivers i think...

In Devices manager i have High Definition Audio device, and before the uninstall i had X-FI SB or something like that.

Any help?

Jorgee! wrote:Mine wont get recognized... its always the same thing i dont know why.

Sounds like you are still running default pci-bus drivers.
I suggest you try to get "chipset drivers" installed correctly. Those are drivers for your mainboard so you should go to that one's manufacturer's website and get the ones for your mobo model.

Does this fix apply if your pr.exe just freezes when choosing X-Fi from the list? I can only run 'harware - high' if I choose X-Fi it just locks up and I have to kill the process. Haven't got any other issues from my X-Fi card, so I'm kinda iffy about reinstalling all drivers and get the right setup again, you know, 'don't fix what ain't broke' sort of deal.

Give it a try
Never heard of this issue to be honest but its not that there is nothing broken with your soundsetup.
Would be cool if you report back then.

Glad to see someone found a fix for this, I can finally run with Xfi and Ultra again.

Shame about the recording though.

Jorgee! wrote:Mine wont get recognized... its always the same thing i dont know why.

I have XFI PCI-e Titanium fatality champion series...

I've downloaded PAX MASTER PCIe Titanium Driver Suite V1.30.7z

Installed from ./setup.exe and then i got no sound, sound icon with X.

I ran ./drivers/setup.exe and installed WDM drivers replacing shared drivers or something like that, and don't have sound.

After some tries installing the same drivers got sound from Windows 7 default drivers i think...

In Devices manager i have High Definition Audio device, and before the uninstall i had X-FI SB or something like that.

Any help?

You need to install Product Identification Module Update before anything else.

This update resolves the hardware/device detection issue for Creative Sound Blaster? X-Fi? and X-Fi Titanium series of audio devices in Microsoft? Windows? 7. For more details, read the rest of this web release note.

This download supports the following audio devices only:

• Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty? Champion Series
• Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
• Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Professional Audio
• Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
• Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
• Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty Champion Series
• Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
• Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
• Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
• Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty
• Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
• Sound Blaster X-Fi

Fixes:

• Resolves the hardware/device detection issue in Creative Software AutoUpdate running on Windows 7.

Requirements:

• Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit
• Sound Blaster X-Fi and X-Fi Titanium series of audio devices listed above

Notes:

• To install this driver
  1. Download the file onto your local hard disk.
  2. Double-click the downloaded file.
  3. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Creative just released new drivers for Windows 8 for the older cards.

nicoliani wrote:Creative just released new drivers for Windows 8 for the older cards.

Wow. Don't get those. I wont even think how buggy those might be. Wait for someone to make custom package. It may take some time.

[R-COM]MaSSive wrote:Wow. Don't get those. I wont even think how buggy those might be. Wait for someone to make custom package. It may take some time.

There you go guys, newest Creative X-FI drivers, BSOD free, WIN7/8 Support:
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/downloads ... Edition.7z

(Forum Link: http://www.hardwareheaven.com/pax-downl ... ition.html)

The newest official drivers for X-FI from Creative are awesome. No placebo effect, but the sound I get now from my system is over the top.

So which drivers should i install? The PAX version or the official? I am running a Xtreme Gamer on Vista 64bit.

I get BSOD with the PAX drivers [R-DEV]K4on posted. I did not try other PAX drivers yet and will try out the official ones for now. Since I got my card only a couple of weeks, I used PAX driver right away without testing the ones from Creative.

Spook wrote:I get BSOD with the PAX drivers [R-DEV]K4on posted. I did not try other PAX drivers yet and will try out the official ones for now. Since I got my card only a couple of weeks, I used PAX driver right away without testing the ones from Creative.

If you have X-Fi Titanium HD thisare the best drivers to use. Much better than the PAX ones.

Spook wrote:I get BSOD with the PAX drivers [R-DEV]K4on posted. I did not try other PAX drivers yet and will try out the official ones for now. Since I got my card only a couple of weeks, I used PAX driver right away without testing the ones from Creative.

So, do the official drivers do better BSOD wise?

Not sure. Right now using PAX, I still get BSOD. But rarely. Usually when being Ingame and changing something in the windows sound settings. But as said not very often. i can live with the amount of BSODs right now. its like 1-2 in a month. I never used official ones for along time though. So i cannot really tell if official ones cause less BSODs.

So you play on ULTRA HIGH audio and can play multiple maps without BSOD?

Yes without Problems. As said BSODs still happen...but very rarely and almost never while ingame. I cannot remember my last BSOD ingame to be honest. I think I only had 1 or 2 ingame so far. Most BSODs get caused by something different, but its always the same portcls.sys file which is reported in the BSODs as the problem file.