Just moved from XP Pro to Windows 7 HP. Everything went smoothly - all the drivers appeared, except for the soundcard (X-Fi Xtreme Audio). Anyway, to cut a longish story short, I ended up using the "update driver" option on the harware/control panel listing and using the Vista CD that came with the card - success!

Then I though I'd pop along to Creative's website and get the most recent driver. Oh no...

First, the autoupdate widget could even see the card.

Ah well, it was worh a try. So I did it the old-fashioned way - picked the card type, OS and so on and downloaded the driver as an .EXE file.

What happens when I run it? "The setup program cannot detect any Creative product" (or words to that effect).

DOH!!!

In a last-ditch attempt, I fired off an e-mail to Creative support, only to be told that because it's an OEM card (bought from Scan), they don't provide support for it. I could insert several choice expletives here, but I won't to protect the innocent.

Last time I buy a Creative card.....Grrrrrr.

contacting Creative's "support" is often met with futility: check out the forums, full of angry complaints, and with good reason.

there was recently a patch to fix the AutoUpdate, available to download here

with the XtremeAudio do make sure you picked the right card, it uses a different chip to the other X-Fi cards, and i think the PCI and PCI-E versions use different drivers too :/ its a shocking company TBH, i also have an X-Fi, and intend to go for an Asus Xonar as soon as i have the cash.

Yep, ATI are/were the same.

You bought an OEM version? Well WTF are you doing on our website! Fcuk off and find a driver on the website of the people you bought it from...

Thanks soddit112, that patch did the trick - have a virtual pint on me

It's at times like these you one realises just how useful forums like this are. I mean how much energy does it take to reply saying "download this patch and it'll fix the problem" - probably about the same as saying "sorry, even though you bought one of our products, which actually keeps us in a job, we're going to be arkward because you decided not to spend your money on a flashy cardboard box, some vacuum-formed packaging and a glossy manual, we're not going to tell you."

Anyway, as far as i'm concerned they can all go jump in a lake....preferably a very deep one.

The X-fi xtreme audio isnt a hardware x-fi card afaik. Its a rebadged Audigy card.

QFT

I work for a UK OEM and i can assure you their attitude is exactly the same to the people who are supposed to integrate their products into machines. Talking to ATI about a reasonable solution for injecting drivers and catalyst etc into an image was like trying to pull my own teeth out with my toes. Creative are much the same, buy or sell the shiny box or we dont want to know you.

Maybe after trying Windows 7 they all went out and bought macs too!?

Doesn't the latest Vista driver work?

Taken from Creative's annual report 2009.

That doesnt sound like a company that has bought a lot of Mac's recently.