Sound Blaster Recon3Di Defect Discussion Thread - Questions/Solutions Here [M18x R2, M17x R4 Audio]

Well fellas, we all know that refresh revisions comes with Creative Sound blaster Recon3Di, literally Audio output is loud, crispy & clear. But it came with some error, as on restart randomly sound card not detected as no audio and we need to restart many times to get back on track or throw laptop into sleep, then need wake up beast to roar again To overcome this problem Dell has release Bios update A04(M14x R2),A05(M17x R4),A03(M18x R2), unfortunately after updatin to latest Bios still we face same audio not detected error and its frustrating that i know as ive gone through it

The Audio error is not Hardware related as in most case Dell offers for MB replacement, its software. If some of youve guys have fresh install windows and notice that there were not any single problem with audio before Windows update. Yes problem related to windows update, as after updating windows problem occurs again randomly.

Good News.... I have found temp. solution for this issue. Well its tinny Fix It utility provides by Microsoft to automatically diagnose and fix Windows audio playback problems, which can download from below link

Microsoft Fix It

I've applied this tweak few days back, so far i'm not encounter with same problem again yet. Hence i think its perfect solution to solve this issue, like to share with you fellas
Ohh yeahhhh if it wont fix it then knock on my door but please dont bang it haha....Game On!!!!

 

"This troubleshooter does not apply to your system."

 

This guy is having the same issues. http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/690615-m17xr4-no-audio-device.html

Here is the Alienware support article I sent him detailing the fix (i.e. flashing the latest BIOS). Alienware M14x R2, M17x R4 & M18x R2 Audio not detected | Dell Unfortunately he already has the latest BIOS so he now must get technical help from Alienware, probably to replace his motherboard.

 

Hello, did you fix it when no device found or after the device came back ?

just to be sure.

I will try it next time i got no audio device...

Thank you

 

FWIW: Fixed the audio issue I was having on my Win7 M17xR4 by uninstalling Dell's Creative bloatware and just updating to the latest Win8 Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di X64 driver instead...



To grab this driver, just go to Microsoft Update Catalog then sort by "last updated"...Version: 6.0.100.2040 should be listed at the top. Its a Win8 64-bit driver but is backwards compatible w/Win7 on my M17xR4!

 

@hdisnice; As mention on my first post, i had randomly issue as ' Audio card not detected', mostly on every time ive restart system. so i had to put it into sleep mode then wake up then audio come back on track which is very annoyin..
After applyin this fix now im not facin any randomly audio issue.
Just you will need to run app. it will check for audio issues then ask for system system restart Done!!!

@somms Great find mate... do you feel any sound improvement over Dell stock driver..

 

@Peter : i try your fix, but not fixed my problem, today i got no sound...

@somms what was you problem before this update ?

 

I just lost my audio after a windows update. I tried the fix the OP posted but it didnt work for me. Running bio a08 from the factory. I then looked up those drivers from the microsoft catalog but then i download them its just a folder full of a bunch of files. How do we get this thing to launch. Or is there another way to fix it? I completely lost my audio devices after the update.

 

Just uninstall the Creative drivers from Dell, then reboot. Windows should find its own drivers automatically. If not, open the device in Device Manager, select Properties. Go to the Driver tab and select the button to update the driver and let it search online. This should work... it did for me. This is basically the same thing as what somms did, only accessing the Windows Update Catalog through Windows instead finding it manually on the web.

 

I had the same problem after upgrading to the newest BIOS on my m17x R4. Problem solved after uninstalling all creative software besides the webcam, then going to Dell's upgrade page and downloading the audio Creative software for Windows 8 64-bit. Drivers installed, device detected, problem solved.

 

I was enjoying sound from my AW when a windows update popup came up and I shut down the system to let Windows do its thing (as for myself, I went to sleep). the next day, I noticed that the speakers seemed muted... tried to open the volume control, told me that no speakers/headphones were detected. that was very weird, as I had already made extensive use of my speakers. another windows update popped up, installed it, restarted and the problem was gone. however, I switched on the rig on today and the problem is here and it seems it's here to stay this time. uninstalled the NVIDIA sound driver (and Windows promptly reinstalled it), downloaded the Soundblaster drivers from Dell, but when I tried to install it, error messaged showed up saying there are no compatible devices. seemingly at a loss, it seems the only option left it to reinstall the OS? I don't want to go down that road, I spent hours configuring the current setup. I know, should've made a backup before installing the update and what-not... and I usually turn off windows updates right from the start, I slipped up on that one this time. any help would be much appreciated!

 

Uninstall the Sound Blaster Recon3Di driver package in Control Panel > Programs and Features, reboot and then let Windows install its own version.

After that, download and install this version. It has been working good for me, and I used to have that same issue.

Download: Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di Package

Select File > Download from the menu once the above linked page loads.

 

while uninstalling, it kept on getting stuck @ 17% (seemed to be uninstalling Alchemy). tried running your package but of course it stated that it couldn't detect any sound hardware and setup exited. I might be missing out on something very simple but for the life of me can't put my finger on it. thanks by the way Mr. Fox!

edit - found an AudioFX program on the programs list, tried to uninstall that and setup crashed before it even started. running windows 7 HP

edit 2 - uninstalled McAfee and tried uninstalling Creative once again, it's working - the anti-virus seemed to be blocking the uninstallation for some reason or other. waiting patiently now

 

"Setup is unable to detect any product on your system" - and exited without installing anything. finished the uninstallation, but funnily enough Windows did not install any drivers by itself

 

Update - ran AlienRespawn, set it back to first day of usage, problem is still there. getting frustrated, not even headphones are working.

Update #2 - I fixed the problem by accident? Closed the lid, came back after 15 mins and the sound was here. Could it be a loose cable or something? hope it's not that... I hate opening up laptops after a mere 2 days of enjoying them

 

Edit: Seems it is a common error, I did not know this! My bad.

 

this is a well known issue...i have had this problem once...something to do with drivers, shutdowns and resets...

read here http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/690615-m17xr4-no-audio-device.html

and maybe fix is here http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/690627-alienware-m18x-r2-m17x-r4-audio-fix.html

 

Indeed, it is a known issue with the Alienware audio driver package. The problem you have to get past initially is the audio hardware not being recognized. Until you achieve that, none of the drivers are going to install because the chipset is not recognized. It is disabled somehow. Once you get it to come "back to life" you can uninstall and reinstall drivers correctly. The factory drivers gave me nothing but problems... and it sounds like you are going through the exact same experience.

Doing what is post #5 in the above thread should get the Windows Update version to install. You need to remove the original driver package completely and be running the Windows Update version or have no driver installed before the updated driver package I linked will work. After removing original Alienware driver package and installing the Windows Update version, you need to restart the system between updates. I had no problems running the driver from the Windows Update Catalog. The only downside to it is there is no audio control panel.

The driver package I am using is an updated version I downloaded directly from Creative. It is slightly older, but is working perfectly and it includes all the bells and whistles with the Recon3Di control panel. I am using the same driver package under Windows 7 and Windows 8 in my dual-boot configuration. It works perfectly with both versions of Windows. I installed it over the top of the driver from the Windows Update catalog in Windows 8, and installed it from scratch in Windows 7.



Although it will not solve your current problem, McAfee has all kinds of issues, some of which have been brought to our attention by Dell/Alienware reps in this forum. You also need to rid yourself of that program and get a better antivirus if you are running Windows 7. Microsoft Security Essentials works excellent and it is free. (Windows 8 has its own native antivirus and no added protection is required.)

 

This is from another thread, but same problem... might be useful here, too.

 

seems to have taken care of the problem. the only thing I was doing wrong was the "coming back to life" thing (seems like I didn't watch enough DBZ in my youth), and once I did that uninstalling and reinstalling was easy. the only thing which wasn't done was the automatic reinstallment of drivers by Windows - however, once I reinstalled the Creative software, the sound was still working, so I took it as a good sign, restarted and installed Mr. Fox's version. so far, so good. let's hope it holds out! +1 rep to both of you

p.s. Mr. Fox, was the control panel automatically included in the package you gave me, or do I have to download it from somewhere else?

 

The Recon3Di Control Panel is included. You should have access to it.

 

hmm, re-installed once again but no control panel showed up. never mind, I'll find it online and download it, you did enough already as it is. many thanks! I'll be writing a basic review about this beast tomorrow, a-la oodlebear. hope you find some time to read it

 

Hmm... maybe I gave you the wrong link by mistake. There are two packages, one without the Control Panel. Try this one instead. You can install over the other one.

Download: Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di Package

 

im using driver version 6.0.100.2040 (7/sep/2012) from the windows catalog and SB control panel working well.

Just incase your settings are stuffed up. Goto Start ALL Programs / Creative / Sound Blaster Recon3Di and open the SB control panel. If it opens and works (hopfully) then goto the menu (top right 1st triangle pointing down) - make sure you have select a TICK on "Start Sound Blaster Recon3Di Control Panel when Windows starts" Do a restart and hopfully your SB is in your tray. Good Luck! :thumbsup:

 

the problem is I don't even have a Creative/SoundBlaster Recon 3Di folder, although the driver is installed according to Device Manager. can't get my head around this

 

ok in that case u need to start from scratch.

try download these dell drivers. its for win8, latest ones...but it works for win7. m18xr2 no problems. its what i used to setup my os win 7 ult 64bit, u are on 64bit right? u should be on it

Driver Details | Dell United States

uninstall if u want...just run the setup exe...if everything runs good and installs. make sure u restart. check folders. u should get back the SB. and don't do modifcations. thats as simple as it gets.

if u encounter muted sound again. try the "windows catalog fix. and shutting down, closed lid. restarts, go into and out of bios..do some light shaking, pull out the PSU plus and in again" u don't need to if u those things if u don't face the problem. its a just in case future scenario. good luck this final round

 

what I did was to simply install the control panel from the update you gave me - no 3di extras, no drivers, just the panel. I suspect it may be the "extras" which mess up the system, so I stayed away clear from them - and since the current drivers work fine, no need to change them is there? never change a winning formula heh. thanks for all the help guys, much appreciated! if anything happens I will update this thread

 

Update: stay away from the latest drivers if you have the same problem I have. A mere installation of the RB control panel brought back the problem, although it's a minor nuisance since all I need to do is close/reopen the lid. I read another guy who has the same problem, so I suggest he does what both Mr. Fox and Kennyman suggested: have a clean wipe of all current Creative drivers, and install the version kindly given by Mr. Fox in the first page. It's a purely software related problem, so no need to worry about hardware

 

I have an R4 and had this problem initially a week or so ago so I deleted the SB drivers and the Nvidia Hi def drivers and everything seemed to work so I didn't bother reinstalling them and i have just been using the windows drivers. Well today my sound stopped working again and when I looked in Device Manager under Sound it listed the "Intel graphics display" or something similar. I tried the Fn-F7 - this is the first time I have tried this - and my computer said it needed to restart and when it restarted (with sound now) it was in 800 x 600. I changed the resolution to 1900 x 1080 and I got a message saying my hardware had installed and it need to to restart again. Now when I look in the Device Manager under sound it lists two High Definition Audio Devices.

What I didn't do while my sound was not working was check in Device Manager was what the display adapters where.

Edit 1 - I tried the Fn-F7 switch again and again my computer did a restart but now my sound does not work...again! Looking in the device manager under Display adapters it lists both the Intel HD and Nvidia and looking under sound is only the 1 x Intel Display Audio.

Edit 2 - When I switched using Fn-F7 and I had both graphics adapters listed I had no audio and when I only had the Nvidia adapter I had audio. I did this three times and it worked the same every time. While I had sound I installed the SB drivers that Mr Fox so kindly provided (Happy New Year Mr Fox) and now my sound works whether I have one or both graphics adapters showing in the device manager.

I don't know if this is news to those who are trying to find a permanet fix to this but it does seem to be a software conflict, possibly between the Intel drivers and the SB drivers.

 

FrozenSolid, what you are describing makes me wonder if a Windows Update installed a new driver and messed something up. Try using System Restore to go back to a date old enough that you are certain that everything was working properly. Also, look in the list of Windows Updates to see if you can determine if something was installed that you want to ignore going forward. Change your Windows Update settings to not check for updates or let you know when they are available, but let you choose whether to download and install updates.

The Intel and NVIDIA/AMD "High Definition Audio Device" is for HDMI audio. You will see the "High Definition Audio Device" name change based on what GPU is being used. The problem that happens with the Recon3Di is due to software/drivers that are independent of the HDMI audio drivers, but it still affects them because of a dependency on the Recon3Di for audio output.

 

The first time the problem has occurred, I had installed a series of Windows Updates, which mucked up the system. 2nd time around after a format, I did not touch Windows Updates but the problem persisted, so I went through the whole uninstallation/reinstallation thing, which worked.

 

Hi mates.
I'm using the Dell's drivers, (2033) updated to 2040 on Windows 8 and fortunately I have no software problem.
But I have a question...on the m18x main site, i found:

Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di High-Definition 5.1 Audio with THX TruStudio Pro Software (Standard)
2.1 Speaker configuration with Subwoofer
Audio Powered by Klipsch®
7.1 Digtial Audio out using HDMI out connection or S/PDIF Optical port.

But when I try using the s/pdif port, my receiver (an "old but gold" pioneer sx-315) only receive PCM sound.
Is the recon3di able to pass 5.1 sound through the s/pdif port? On the creative panel I see only "Play stereo mix to digital output" and no mention about DTS or DDL.
Thanks and the Best Regards

 

Mr Fox, the last Windows Update that I installed was on 26th December but I did install iTunes on the previous Windows sesions before my sound failed completely. That said I had had random events where after turning my computer on the sound would not work but by doing a restart the sound came back.

I use my computer at home with external speakers and at work with just the internal speakers and I think I was getting most problems when I had starting the computer after moving from one location to the other. For example for about a week over the New Year I was at home and did not have a problem but then on the 5th I went to work and had no sound, so I did a restart and the sound came back. When I got home that afternoon I did not have a problem. Anyway it worked this morning okay.

 

Are you putting your computer to sleep or always completely shutting down? I have sleep functionality disabled and never use it for anything.

 

Not to get off topic but, real quick, why not ever use sleep? That's all I ever use and I rarely shut down completely. Am I making a mistake?

 

I don't know that I would call it a mistake. In some ways it is a matter of personal preference. I do not use it because it frequently introduces problems. Almost every computer I own, and have owned, and almost all of my employer's computers (which number more than 20k in use) have some form of glitch or malfunction after resuming from sleep. They can range from very mild to severe. When I am not using it I simply turn it off. As a result, I very rarely have any issues.

 

I am like you and rarely use sleep. I would only use it where I am in the middle of doing something and need to move my computer to another room. Having said that I haven't had a problem with resuming from sleep.

 

Thanx for the info. Might have to change my sleeping habits. (Couldn't resist)

 

Hi Guys,

So, I have upgraded my R1 to R2 motherboard + 3820QM QS. Everything works great except for audio. It looks like the system doesn't see any audio devices, as if the cable is physically unplugged. I checked all the cables and everything seems to be fine. Could this be a chipset driver? I'm kinda reluctant to reinstall the os at this point.

Is there a setting in the BIOS that I can check to make sure it can see the audio?

Thanks in advance!


BTW, I love the new CPU, the 3820QM @ 4ghz across the board runs cool and quiet 24/7 @85F room. Incredible!

 

Does the audio device work if you boot with the power unplugged?

My brother's M14X had this same issue where the sound device wouldn't be found if you booted with the AC adapter plugged in. If you shutdown and booted from battery it would work fine and keep on working when you plugged the power back in. The Dell fix was a motherboard replacement.

 

It's the same on battery. But it was working when I had this exact same mobo + sandy bridge CPU.

 

Brother Aikimox, that is a known issue with the Creative Recon3Di audio chipset. I had the same bug within 24 hours of installing the M18x R2 motherboard. To start with, uninstall the drivers. If you are using Windows 8, use the native audio driver and it should immediately begin working.

Check out my posts in this thread and download the drivers from the link I posted there. That should get you fixed up. (Refer to post #2 and post #8.)

In fact, I am going to merge this with the existing thread covering the same subject.

 

Ok, I uninstalled Recon3Di driver, rebooted but it's a no go, windows doesn't detect anything and there's no unknown devices in devices manager...weird . Maybe I should manually uninstall the chipset drivers?

 

I had the same thing happen. The problem has never returned after getting rid of the driver provided by Dell. Try doing a power drain, or do that in conjunction with clearing the CMOS by pulling the battery and shorting the wire terminals on the motherboard.

 

Aikimox, this is what I did and it worked for me, at least until you get to uninstall/reinstall the drivers:

- Enable sleep when closing the lid
- When this problem occurs, close the lid, let it "sleep", and reopen
- The sound should be back. If it isn't, repeat at least 3 times

Once the sound gets detected, uninstall drivers, and reinstall Brother Fox's drivers

P.S. - the problem did re-occur to me even with his drivers, but not as frequently. Given my limited knowledge about this stuff, I can't help but think it may be a clash between Nvidia's and Creative's drivers. That, or some unknown power setting which we're missing out on. I disabled sleep and all power-saving options, except for sleeping when closing the lid (because let's face it, it's really not worth having to save all your work and closing all tabs just for staying 30-45 mins away from your laptop). That's the only thing that's left to be tried - other than that, I gave up on this minor problem

 

the thing is, I have a server os and no sleep/hibernate can be set. Also, I tried the power drain and CMOS reset (even reflashed to A09 and back to A08). Something tells me, I have to reseat the CPU, cause most of the time when I hit the Power Option section of the BIOS - it would freeze.....

 

Problem solved! I unplugged/re-plugged the speakers connector. I guess, that was a power glitch after changing the CPU. As for the Power Options freezing in the BIOS, re-installing the newest RST version solved the problem.

In any case, problem is gone and I'm a happy M18xR1.5 owner once again.

Thanks everyone!

 

Hello Sir,
I purchased Alienware m17xr4 in the month of August.My bios ver is A09.
When I play some games for 2-3hrs sound suddenly stopped working although if I move the volume bar the notification bar also moves but no sound gets emitted.
After reboot everything works fine. After reboot everything works fine and I can hear sound.

Will you please suggest me? Waiting for your reply.

Thanks

Sameer

 

First of all, try the solution posted on the first page of this thread

 

Hi Sameer, and welcome to our Community. Sorry to hear of your troubles. It is a known issue with the driver Dell received from Creative and there are other drivers that seem to work much better. It seems you might not be familiar with forums, as the information you are seeking help with is posted on a previous page. I condensed your two posts into one. I also removed your email address. Please refrain from posting personal contact information, including your own.

See below... from previous posts in this thread.

Hopefully, this will work well for you. Are you running the Window 7 OS your M17x R4 shipped with, or have you moved to Windows 8?