http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 4:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 6:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 6:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/You card IS outdated. It may not have warranted an upgrade for the very next series of cards after yours, but as of now the X-Fi has revolutionized sound effects in games that use EAX.]]>Mar 29th 2008 10:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
I think his post went right over your head...]]>Mar 29th 2008 5:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Try reading before posting. ]]>Mar 29th 2008 5:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/"Minimum System Requirements
Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ (Drivers available at us.creative.com) or XP (Service Pack 2, x64 or Media Center Edition)"
Customers are going to expect them to release good drivers for that product, anything less is not living up to their advertisement.]]>Mar 29th 2008 6:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 8:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Trying to obliterate a small app/driver from the internet is impossible (see lame,dvddecriptor etc). Do they know how the internet works?]]>Mar 29th 2008 5:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 6:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 30th 2008 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
So he can become a zombie just like the rest of (sic) "Creative"?

A buy out?

So he can snort as much cocaine as possible within 24 hours?

Creative, meet HTC.]]>Mar 31st 2008 12:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
Stop buying overpriced consumer grade sound cards to "game" on your 20 dollar Dell speakers.]]>Mar 29th 2008 5:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
Once I save up enough I'm going with one of the new ASUS cards.

God I love to hate Creative.]]>Mar 29th 2008 5:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 7:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 7:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 6:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
look at their forums

look at how they treat their customers on there as well lol

i was the biggest creative fan, ever since my soundblaster 16...

now im just laughing at them. they have the worst management ive ever seen in a company.

every time they make a decision, its the wrong one.

if you have an x-fi, the latest drivers off the site dont give you full functionality, you need to have your original cd lol

remember the sb live cards? i used the 3rd party kx drivers with that to make it amazing.

creative cripple their own hardware after a while, so you buy again.

never buy another creative product. i wont.]]>Mar 29th 2008 5:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 5:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 6:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
I won't be buying anything creative out of knowledge they lack support. vistas been around for what, close to a year now?

creative == douchebags.]]>Mar 29th 2008 6:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 6:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/feedback. They pulled my last comment. A shame really, I could
understand removing offensive or argumentative postings... but there
was none of that in my last post.

Hammer and sickle anyone?]]>Mar 29th 2008 7:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/This is on EVERY social bookmarking site]]>Mar 29th 2008 6:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
Seriously good.

Which makes how they have been for the last 8 years or so all the more disappointing.

]]>Mar 31st 2008 2:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 31st 2008 2:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 6:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/It's like a great portion of the suppliers just flat out don't try.
It's like that with everything on the PC, it'd seem, aside from the big, BIG names (except Creative) (Well, ATI's drivers aren't exactly that great either, but they could be a lot worse!)
]]>Mar 29th 2008 6:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
Creative have really shot themselves in the foot with this one. Here we have one talented programmer who has succeeded where a Multi million Dollar company has failed (or rather given up because it wants you to purchase its newest bestest most fabulous soundcard it has ever produced *until next year) and what do they do - rather than hire him they send out a cease and desist letter.

Hey Creative - hire Daniel K and fire the asshat who advised you to send out the threatening letter to him.]]>Mar 29th 2008 7:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
This is BS - and I will never buy another creative product.]]>Mar 29th 2008 7:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 9:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
Just one thing - what's a sound card?

]]>Mar 29th 2008 8:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 8:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/
I've been a long time Creative user, and I'm afraid that you've lost me with this one. I have used Soundblaster cards since the 8-bit Soundblaster Pro. Since then I've owned the Soundblaster 16, AWE 32, and a couple cards in the Audigy series. For over 15 years, I've used Creative's cards almost exclusively (aside from a brief stint with the Pro Audio Spectrum 16).

When Vista SP1 was released last week, I didn't see it in Windows Update because the latest driver available for my Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro was not compatible with the update. This driver hasn't been updated since March 2007, and didn't work all that well to boot. Analog 5.1 surround was sketchy, and the sub channel didn't even work.

Daniel_K came to the rescue in my situation. I needed to uninstall my drivers to upgrade to SP1, then install his driver package get my card working again. The installation went very smoothly, and my card is working better than it ever has on Vista. There are some quirks, but all surround channels are working as they should, and sound quality seems to be improved over the previous drivers (although this could easily be attributed to the placebo effect).

The last thing that you should be doing is going after Daniel_K. If anything, you should hire the guy to teach their driver team a thing or two.

Sadly, this is not likely a technical issue, but a marketing one. You seem to have made a deliberate decision to leave Audigy users in the cold in an effort to get us to upgrade to your new X-Fi series. Problem is, it doesn't seem to be working. You know full well that your forum here has post after post lamenting your substandard driver support with promises to avoid your cards in the future.

Your strategy may work with casual customers with a sub-$50 card, but not for others who have invested over $200 for a high-end Audigy card with a breakout box. Those people, like me, are still looking for return on their investment, and will be the first to walk away from you when they get snubbed.

Hopefully this is a misunderstanding, and you will work out a deal with Daniel_K. If this doesn't happen, you stand to lose some of your most loyal customers. Given your track record so far, the outlook doesn't look good.

Please. Step up and do the right thing here. Support your customers, and the rest will follow.]]>Mar 29th 2008 8:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 9:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/creative-halts-unauthorized-distribution-of-homegrown-vista-driv/Mar 29th 2008 10:01PM