Here's a simple, but comprehensive guide on how to set up your Audigy 2 ZS PCMCIA through the internal speakers. The Audigy gives your speakers better sound quality and volume. It's well worth the set up.

1. Plug in the Audigy, with nothing plugged into it. Keep as many other ports clear as possible. That means keep it down to power, internet, and maybe a mouse and printer.

2. Update all drivers and software from creative's support page (in the Windows XP category), and then restart the laptop.

3. Find your "My Computer" link, right click it, then click "properties".

4. Click the Hardware tab, then "Device Manager".

5. Click the + in front of the "Sound, video, and game controllers" category.

6. Make sure all of the appropriate audio devices are enabled and functioning properly. If something isn't, then enable and troubleshoot, whatever it takes. Now close this menu.

7. Open "Control Panel", "Sounds and Audio Devices".

8. Click the Audio tab, set "Sound playback" and "Sound recording" default devices to the Audigy option.

9. Click the Volume button in the "Sound playback" area and make sure nothing is muted or too quite. The one in "Sound recording", I'm guessing, should have Line In checked.

10. Set the Default "MIDI music playback" device to "Creative SoundFont Synth".

11. Near the bottom of the Audio tab leave "Use only default devices" unchecked.

12. Now click the Voice tab. Set "Voice playback" default device to Audigy. Set the "Voice recording" default device to Realtek.

13. Click the Volume button in the "Voice recording" area and check Microphone. This should allow you to still use the mic, but I haven't tested it in any applications, as I rarely use a mic.

14. Click OK to save the changes, but leave the Control Panel open for a quick double check later.

15. Double-click the "Feature Mode Selection Utility" in the notification area. If it isn't there then open it in the "Creative" folder in the start menu to put it in the notification area. If it isn't there either, than you haven't updated enough from Creative's website.

16. Anyway, once you have it open you can select Advanced and put the resolution to maximum if you want. Check "Enable audio playback through Notebook speakers".

17. Click "Test". The first test doesn't usually do it. Just answer honestly and click OK on the further attempts until you hear a drum beat.

20. Reopen the "Sounds and Audio Device Properties" (step 7) on the Audio tab. The Default MIDI device Should have changed to include a number which corresponds to the attempt that worked in the test. Hopefully none of the other settings (like Sound and Voice Recording) have changed. If they have it's possible that you may have to do some tinkering in those areas to get them to work right, but do that some other time.

21. You may have noticed that only the test gave you any sound after you changed your default audio device. This is what threw me for a while. What you need to do now is restart your computer. DO NOT REMOVE YOUR AUDIGY DURING THE RESTART.

22. Your sound should work fine now! Just make sure for the last time that the Audigy is still your default audio device and enjoy!

You can now also yank and reinsert your Audigy and the laptop will automatically switch back to and from the Realtek internal sound! The "Safely Remove Hardware" Wizard probably won't allow you to "stop the device", but it hasn't caused any issues for me. For example: if you pull or insert the Audigy while playing Media Player the sound will cut out, but only until you change tracks or shut off and restart the player. It's simply a matter of changing or restarting whatever audio application happens to be running at the exact moment you plug in or pull out the Audigy. Correction: I've noticed that CPU intensive games and programs can cause a B.S.O.D. if you pull the Audigy while they are running, or before they are completely closed! The general rule of thumb that I would recommend is: If it's more complex than watching a movie, shut it down and give it a minute before you yank the Audigy. This shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience to do because you'd probably have to restart the program anyway to get its sound to play again.

I hope this guide helps and encourages everyone who has the Audigy to use it to its full potential. If anyone has any questions about the process, or these instructions haven't worked, feel free to post your questions and problems here. If anyone wants to show their appreciation for this guide, rep me or sticky this thread.

Use it! Enjoy it!

IMPORTANT NOTE: The volume of the Audigy depends partially on the volume of the Realtek. Translation: BEFORE you plug in the Audigy max out your master volume (the one in the task bar, or use "Fn"+"F6"). If your volume was very low before you plugged in the Audigy, your volume with it in won't be as loud as it should be.

awesome!

Works great...Thankyou

Glad to hear it. I made sure to test a few different configurations, triple checked everything, and ran a few programs. When these instructions worked for Keisur, who had been having trouble for a while, I decided that I'd better elaborate and post them in a new thread.

I could use some feedback on how well the mic works with with this set-up. It should work, but I haven't had any real opportunity to test it. I haven't been able to save audio when recording with the BisonCam. I also haven't used the line in ports in the Audigy or the laptop.

If anyone has further instructions, help, information, or questions about how the Audigy and computer work together, PLEASE post here. I put this here to be a complete guide on the subject so that people don't have to keep posting questions about it in their own threads. If people post enough usefull info, maybe we can get this sucker stickied. That way it won't get lost and it'll be mission accomplished on that goal!

Had someone a good setup for the sound?My is too low.And if i setup my sound in the equalizer the sound is dont clear.I would like it loud and a clear sound.Thanx...And yes ive got he Audigy2..

This is good info and does deserve a sticky..IMHO

Awesome!!

A sweet step by step guide!

Creative should have these instruction on their site I think!

Thanks guys.

P.S. Sorry I haven't posted (or even logged on) much lately. I'm trying to settle into college life, and I have less than no time. I will fulfill my promise to write a review as soon as I get on task and on schedule, but for right now my head is spinning with all of the things I have to do.

Thanx Pairadimesitty !!

I followed every step on the list and I can get sound out of the speakers with the mic and I can get the drumbeat out of the test part in feature mode selection utility. Otherwise, I can't get any video's music or actual mp3s to play. If I go to the sound in the cntrl panel and change the playback to the realtek, the sound works fine until i change it to the Audigy2.

Am i missing a step after doing the drumbeat test and reseting the comp? Am I maybe missing anything that might've caused this problem with anyone else?

On the Website you can update the Driver..Do that..
Than you must have all this options...

This seems familiar, I think I remember something like that happening when I was trying to get mine to work for the first time. I don't remember what the incorrect setting was though. I think one of your default audio devices is set wrong somewhere, also, check too make sure something isn't muted somewhere. If that doesn't work, uninstall your Audigy drivers, reinstall them, and try, try again.

will do, thanks for posting.

Thanks - works great. Shouldn't this be a sticky?

I know, but *sigh* what can you do, you know?