Sound Blaster Drivers Are for Specific Sound Blaster Cards (82583)

SUMMARY

Sound Blaster cards should be used with the appropriate drivers, as listed below. This information is based on the Digital Sound Processor (DSP) version of the sound card you have.

Sound Blaster Cards

   DSP     Windows Driver Description    Windows Driver
   ---     --------------------------    --------------

   1.x     Sound Blaster 1.0             SNDBLST.DRV
   2.x     Sound Blaster 1.5             SNDBLST2.DRV
   3.x*    Sound Blaster 1.5             SNDBLST2.DRV

Thunder Board users should install the Sound Blaster 1.5 driver.

MORE INFORMATION

How to Determine the DSP Version

The best way to tell which Sound Blaster card you have is to run the program TEST-SBC.EXE (for the standard Sound Blaster) or TEST-SBP.EXE (for the Sound Blaster Pro) that comes with the sound card. After verifying the port and interrupt request line (IRQ) settings of your card, TEST-SBC and TEST-SBP will display the DSP version.

Windows Drivers Messages

You'll see these messages only when you configure the driver (that is, when you set the port and IRQ).

If you try to load the Sound Blaster 1.5 driver on a system that has a Sound Blaster board with DSP versions 1.x (run the TEST-SBC.EXE program that comes with the card to find out what DSP you have), you'll get a message telling you need an upgraded board to use this driver.

If you have a Sound Blaster Pro card (these have DSP versions 3.x), you'll be able to use SNDBLST2.DRV, but you'll receive a warning message when setting the port and IRQ saying that you should get drivers from Creative Labs, the maker of Sound Blaster, when using a Sound Blaster Pro card.

If you have a Thunder Board, you'll receive a message stating that you should get updated drivers from Media Vision.

Sound Blaster and Thunder Board are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.