Modded Sound Driver for IDT/SigmaTel Devices

SigmaTel and IDT have never been very good at supporting their audio devices with drivers.  They depend on the system integrators (Dell, HP, etc.) to customize and package these drivers for each individual system.  However, usually only one or two updates for the driver get released before the system is completely abandoned.  I have decided to create a unified driver supporting as much Sigmatel/IDT hardware as possible, based on the latest vendor-specific driver available. I have eliminated the Control Panel, SRS, audio effects, the mixer, and just about every other piece of software not essential to the operation of the driver. This allows me to focus on supporting more models without having to worry about extraneous applications. The removed files will never be added back again, so asking is pointless.

I have already added support for a great number of various models (listed below). Even if your computer is not explicitly supported, I have included a bare-bones fallback configuration that may work at least partially on any system with IDT or Sigmatel audio. If your computer isn't supported, post here or send me a PM with the manufacturer and model of your computer so I can add support for it. If you have a Sony, you will have to send me the complete audio driver for your computer (because Sony does not allow extraction of its drivers on non-Sony systems.)

Download
Download (Older versions)

Model Support:

• Most/all Dell laptops (including Alienwares manufactured by Dell)
  
• Some older Dell desktops
  
• Most/all Intel motherboards
  
• Most/all HP laptops
  
• Some Asus laptops
  
• Some Gateway laptops
  
• Some Apple desktops

Information:

• Compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7 x86 and x64
  
• Contains over 200 INI configuration files including a fallback for currently unsupported models
  
• Uses the latest available version of the IDT driver
  
• Driver has been completely stripped of all nonessential addons (control panel, effects, etc.) for a lighter weight and possibly even faster audio driver.

Limitations:

• Does not support Audio Processing Objects (APOs), so add-on software sound enhancements will not work.
• Audio service startup randomly fails on some installations.  This will cause jack event detection failure.  In this case, just uninstall and reinstall the driver until it starts correctly.
  
• May not support some non-standard output configurations (dual headphone jacks)
  
• Input device names (on the "Recording" tab) may be wrong in some circumstances. These can be renamed, but if you encounter this please tell me what model of computer you have and how the inputs are mis-named.
  
• Does not (and will never) support Windows XP. Don't ask.

Installing:
Before installing this driver, you must remove any previous Sigmatel or IDT driver that may be installed. You can do this by uninstalling it from the Add/Remove Programs menu, if applicable, or by uninstalling it from the Device Manager. (Be sure to check the "Delete driver software" box.) Be sure to select "Scan for hardware changes" from the "Action" menu in the device manager after uninstalling. My driver may then be installed using the "Have Disk" method. Select the "High Definition Audio Device", right click it, and select "Update Driver Software."  Select "Let me pick from a list of drivers,", then just point it to the appropriate INF (32- or 64-bit) from my package. That should be all it takes to install the driver.

Changelog:

Enabling Rec. Playback:
These drivers should support the Rec. Playback (aka. Stereo Mix, Analog Mix, What U Hear, etc.) on some devices. However, it is not shown or enabled by default. To show it, right click on the speaker icon in the system tray and click "Recording Devices". Right click in a blank area of the recording devices list and enable the viewing of disabled devices. A new device called "Mic/Line In Jack" should appear. This is the Rec. Playback device. It may be displayed as "Currently Unavailable". If it is, set it as default and it should become active. If you wish, you can rename it. It should now work as the Rec. Playback device. If enabling the Rec. Playback device disabled one of your Mics, then simply set that mic as default to switch back.

Reporting Problems:
If you have a problem (Code 10, BSoDs, whatever), please tell me. Make sure you post the Vendor, Device, and Subsys IDs of your sound chip, or there won't be anything I can do.  You can comment on this post (recommended only if you haven't registered at my site), make a post in my audio driver forum (recommended, but registration required), or make a post in the LaptopVideo2Go forum thread (not recommended).

Credits:
Special thanks goes to mobilenvidia (of LaptopVideo2Go fame) for creating the INF and INI framework that I used to build this driver.

Disclaimer:
This driver may not work on your computer. If it doesn't work, please tell me. I will make every effort to fix it, but I cannot guarantee that your sound chip will work properly. Additionally, I have not tested a majority of the models supported, because I do not own them. I have also cannot test the 32-bit INF, as I do not own any 32-bit systems.