When Windows Vista Service Pack 1 was released in March, many users were not able to install it via Windows Update due to the fact that it wasn't included in the list of available updates. That happened because of several reasons, the most common of them being incompatible drivers with SP1. Even though the list of incompatible drivers was relatively small, Creative drivers for Audigy or older models of sound cards were on it. So, if you are the owner of an older Creative sound card this is most likely the reason why SP1 is still not available as an update via Windows Update.

The bad news is that even after two months since SP1 is available, Creative has not yet launched updated drivers. The good news is that a passionate modder - Daniel Kawakami (Daniel_K) from Brazil - has released his own version of drivers which work on Windows Vista SP1 (32-bit and 64-bit). In this article you will learn what drivers you need to download and where you can find them.

If you don't have Windows Vista Service Pack 1 as an available update in Windows Update, uninstall your Creative sound drivers, download and install Daniel's modified drivers and then install Windows Vista SP1.

Below you can find the appropriate download links and the necessary information about each driver:

SBL_VTDRV_LB_2_10_0001A.exe (Windows Vista SP1 compatible drivers for the Sound Blaster Live! series)

SB Live! series Vista Support Pack 2.10.0001A
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Creative Sound Blaster Live! series Readme File
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This setup program will install the following items:

- Live! series driver 2.10.0001.23
- APO Interface Module 1.30.00
- Audio Console 1.20.57
- Audio Center 1.00.09
- SoundFont Bank Manager 3.20.20

P17X_PCDVT_LB_1_04_0079.exe (Windows Vista SP1 compatible drivers for Audigy Value/SE/LS, Live! 24-bit and X-Fi Xtreme Audio)

Sound Blaster P17 series Vista Support Pack 1.04.0079 (Audigy Value/SE/LS, Live! 24-bit and X-Fi Xtreme Audio)
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Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Value/SE/LS, Live! 24-bit and X-Fi Xtreme Audio
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This setup program will install the following items:

- P17 series driver 5.12.1.2007
- APO Interface Module 2.10.00
- Audio Console 2.52.08
- Console Launcher 2.40.80
- Host OpenAL 1.01.08

SBAX_PCDVT_LB_2_15_0004EQ.exe (Windows Vista SP1 compatible drivers for the Audigy series)

Sound Blaster Audigy series Vista Support Pack 2.15.0004EQ
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Creative Sound Blaster Audigy series Readme File
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This setup program will install the following items:
- Audigy series driver 2.15.0004.4
- APO Interface Module 1.30.00
- Audio Console 1.20.57
- EAX Settings 1.10.05
- Graphic Equalizer 2.00.58
- MediaSource DVD-Audio Player 2.00.76
- SoundFont Bank Manager 3.20.20
- Speaker Settings 2.00.60

Daniel Kawakami hosts of all his mods for Creative sound cards on FileFront. At the time when we wrote this article, you could also find a Gameport support pack for Windows Vista 32-bit and Creative X-Fi drivers for Windows Vista.

Please keep in mind that Daniel might update these drivers at any time and the download links can change. If any of the above download links is no longer available, visit Daniel's page to find the latest drivers. Alternatively, you can download the files mentioned above directly from our site, by using the links at the end of this article. I have included also the readme files for each of them. These files include additional information about each driver such as known errors, troubleshooting tips, etc.

If you own a Creative sound card you should definitely add Daniel's FileFront page to your bookmarks. You will find there better Windows Vista support than what Creative is offering on their own website.

For any troubleshooting problems, visit the Creative Windows Vista Discussion Forums. There you will find plenty of active and helpful users, including Daniel Kawakami.

Windows Vista for Beginners download links:
SBL_VTDRV_LB_2_10_0001A.exe (Sound Blaster Live! series)
Readme-SBL_VTDRV_LB_2_10_0001A.txt
P17X_PCDVT_LB_1_04_0079.exe (Audigy Value/SE/LS, Live! 24-bit and X-Fi Xtreme Audio)
ReadMe-P17X_PCDVT_LB_1_04_0079.txt
SBAX_PCDVT_LB_2_15_0004EQ.exe (Audigy series)
Readme-SBAX_PCDVT_LB_2_15_0004EQ.txt

Related articles:
"Final" Creative sound card drivers for Windows Vista
Windows Vista's biggest problem
Driver Scanner 2009 - Does it truly keep its promise?