So I re-installed windows on my 9860 and after doing so the realtek driver would install (at times) but there was no sound and the device would not show up in device manager. Additionally there were like 36 modem devices.

This is because SP3 ships with a newer version of UAA that is not compatible with the 9860.

The solution:

First, go into your devices manager and under system disable, then uninstall the microsoft UAA. After doing this all the modem devices should disapear.

Then find somewhere to download the older UAA infrastructure which is numbered 835221. Do not install it yet.

This is the hidden step - because UAA is "built in", even if you install the older UAA, it will not overwrite the new one. Additionally, you cannot uninstall the built in UAA. So, you go in and find a file called "hdaudbus.sys" and delete that.

Reboot. Now, when the computer restarts it will politely ask you for the driver for a PCI device - this device is the UAA infrastructure and since you have deleted the built in one, it doesn't know what to do.

Close this window and now run the 835221 file and reboot.

Everything should then be kosher. Apparently the new realtek drivers come with an updated version of the UAA (888111) and this does not work either. So, I would recommend you download the audio driver from the sager website so as to avoid any problems. An alternative is to delete the MSHQ**** folder from any realtek downloads as that contains the new UAA.

A brilliant input. This might be the best solution for XP audio issue yet.

cheers ...