Jupiter, my question here is the same one I asked earlier, and it's an
honest question. I've been around computers for a while, but it's seat of
the pants stuff not backed up by software insights or training.

Is there a difference between an audio driver for a Frammis motherboard
chipset with a Geek 347XL sound chip licensed by Dell vs. the same chipset
and sound chip licensed by Gateway?

If there is, I won't try it. If there isn't, I will. I have found working
drivers in unlikely places, after I traced the hardware back to a
manufacturer and, if the OEM didn't have drivers, onward to a different
licensee who was making the same product.

The chipmaker's Web site says:

"SigmaTel does not support end-user products, please contact the
manufacturer of your device for customer support, software or driver
downloads."

So by "manufacturer," I assume you mean Gateway (in my case) which probably
bought the motherboard in Taiwan and the chase goes on.

At this point, all I want to do is find any driver for this chipset that
will work on XP. Without having any details about the architecture of the
chip, I find it hard to believe that Sigmatel and/or Intel would not invest
the trivial money to put out an XP driver for this audio chip even if it was
only to support some notebook maker who wanted to keep loading XP for as
long as possible.

Sorry for the rant. It's late, and I'm frustrated.
"Jupiter Jones [MVP]" <jones_jupiter@hotnomail.com> wrote in message
news:e6yDeDQ6HHA.3940@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Only the correct drivers should be used.
> Incorrect drivers probably not install but if they somehow do, other
> problems will probably be encountered.
>
> The drivers Microsoft distributes are provided by the manufacturer and
> distributed after meeting specific requirements.
> If Microsoft has the drivers, so does the manufacturer but the
> manufacturer may be new with more features.
>
> "I might just pick up an older used laptop..."
> I would avoid that since that will make it more difficult for upgrading to
> Windows Vista in the future if you later desire or need to.
> Dell and probably other OEMs continue to sell computers with Windows XP:
> [url]http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/winxp_inspn?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&redirect=1[/url]
> Availability will probably stop January next year.
>
> --
> Jupiter Jones [MVP]
> [url]http://www3.telus.net/dandemar[/url]
> [url]http://www.dts-l.org[/url]
>
>
> "hogyu" <moneyko******.com> wrote in message
> news:%23iHg1rO6HHA.5360@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> Thanks to help in this forum, I managed to locate the necessary drivers
>> for XP running on my new laptop and figured out how to slipstream the
>> SATA driver into an installation disk. I haven't tried installing XP yet,
>> but I got to the point in the installation where the install routine
>> identified my drive and its partitions correctly.
>>
>> I overlooked one problem, though. I have been unable to find an Intel HD
>> Audio driver for an Intel 943GML motherboard for XP. Gateway has one for
>> Vista, which was preloaded on my computer. I can't find anything on the
>> Intel site.
>>
>> A few general questions:
>>
>> -- Would it be reasonable to at least try loading audio drivers for this
>> chip and motherboard from the Web sites of other manufacturers?
>>
>> -- Does Microsoft have any sort of a driver base that I can search for an
>> appropriate driver?
>>
>> -- Does Windows Update identify uninstalled hardware drivers and try to
>> download them? I think not, but I'm not sure. And in any case, I'm still
>> trying to decide whether to go through the hassle of installing a new OS
>> without any sort of audio support.
>>
>> I'm downgrading because several apps I need are either not yet available
>> for Vista or require that I buy new versions -- not even discounted
>> upgrades! Some software makers have seized the opportunity to make a
>> killing, I think. But without being able to use VoIP or use other audio
>> apps, I'm not sure I want to go through with this. I might just pick up
>> an older used laptop and wait for Vista to mature.
>>
>> Thanks.[/color]
>[/color]