AC97 woes

Jarius · 06-18-2007, 12:33 PM

So my computer has a SB X-Fi XtremeGamer card that conveniently has a header for front panel ports. And my computer case conveniently has front panel ports.

The only problem is, the header on the sound card conforms to Intel HD Audio, and I'm pretty sure the case ports are AC97.

I can't buy a new case, because my OEM WinXP sticker is already on this case.

Is it possible to buy a standalone pair of front panel Intel HD Audio jacks that I could mod into my case? I'm sick of my sound card detecting headphones when there are no headphones.

I sincerely hope there's a solution for this.

**Kalim** · 06-19-2007, 08:23 PM

The front panel ports on your case you're talking about are microphone and headphones jacks I gather?

The front panel ports in this image are for AC97 and HD audio: audiojacks.jpg

So if that's the same case with you, both are compatible with each other.

Jarius · 06-20-2007, 11:37 PM

Is that true? The Creative tech support guy I talked with told me they weren't compatible. In any case, whenever I check the "enable headphone settings when headphones are detected" box in the driver options, it detects headphones immediately and mutes the speakers, even when there are no headphones. The tech support guy said something about that option relating to the headphone jacks on their proprietary I/O drive bay shield that costs almost as much as the sound card did. But if that's the case, why is it giving me problems?

In short, the tech support guy confused me more than he helped, not to mention I think he might have told me things that are just plain wrong. He had no idea what I meant when I said "front panel audio jacks", for one thing, and then he tried to tell me that plugging them in would damage the card and void my warranty, and then he said after that that they were Intel HD audio and not compatible with AC97 (wait, I thought plugging in any jacks at all would damage my card?)

So at the moment I have no idea which way is up, and I still have no idea why the card is detecting nonexistent headphones, which is why I contacted tech support in the first place.

Would anyone here know why that is?

**Kalim** · 06-21-2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarius

Is that true? The Creative tech support guy I talked with told me they weren't compatible. In any case, whenever I check the "enable headphone settings when headphones are detected" box in the driver options, it detects headphones immediately and mutes the speakers, even when there are no headphones. The tech support guy said something about that option relating to the headphone jacks on their proprietary I/O drive bay shield that costs almost as much as the sound card did. But if that's the case, why is it giving me problems?

In short, the tech support guy confused me more than he helped, not to mention I think he might have told me things that are just plain wrong. He had no idea what I meant when I said "front panel audio jacks", for one thing, and then he tried to tell me that plugging them in would damage the card and void my warranty, and then he said after that that they were Intel HD audio and not compatible with AC97 (wait, I thought plugging in any jacks at all would damage my card?)

Oh bugger, no it shouldn't, not with Intel HD Audio.

Is there any chance you can take a small picture of the front panel ports? That would help a lot in clarifying what this is.

About the picture above, yes it's true. AC97 (onboard) and HD Audio (sound card) used the same jacks as above on a ASUS board I had and the above CoolerMaster Ammo case. They were the only two compatible aswell. I can't really work out why the headset is being picked up while it's not there in your case. Have you tried uninstalling/reinstalling the audio drivers? When they corrupt, this is what you're likely to start getting.

One thing to note about Intel HD Audio on MBs (not sound cards) is this - jack retasking, what I call rejacking. It's designed to detect what is plugged in no matter which jack it is, thus if you plug a mic into another jack, it will turn that port into a microphone port by default.

See here for more: http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/hdaudio.htm

Have a read of this page to see what pinouts are compatible with both AC97 and Intel HD Audio for the front panel header, on OEM desktop MBs: http://support.intel.com/support/mot.../cs-015851.htm

It'll give you a quick reference. I'm very short of time to search more right now, sorry. Still at work.

Jarius · 06-21-2007, 10:17 PM

Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera (or any other sort) so no pictures, but the pic you posted looks exactly like my ports. One pink and one green, on the front of the case next to the USB ports.

The first thing I did to try to fix the problem was uninstall the drivers and reinstall the newest ones from their website, but it didn't fix anything.

One thing I haven't tried yet is to see if headphones are detected when the front panel audio dongle is disconnected from the sound card. I'll try that and post my results.

Jarius · 06-22-2007, 08:30 PM

I disconnected the front panel audio dongle, and the headphone detection problem is gone, so the problem definitely has something to do with the front panel ports.

Jarius · 07-03-2007, 08:28 PM

So does anybody know what the problem could be?

**Kalim** · 07-06-2007, 06:01 AM

Sorry Jarius, I was without a keyboard for a while and been busy, so not been able to get back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarius

Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera (or any other sort) so no pictures, but the pic you posted looks exactly like my ports. One pink and one green, on the front of the case next to the USB ports.

That means it should work AFAIK, as those ports worked on my setup which was Intel HD Audio compatible (2x5-pin front panel header).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarius

Quote:

One thing I haven't tried yet is to see if headphones are detected when the front panel audio dongle is disconnected from the sound card. I'll try that and post my results.

I disconnected the front panel audio dongle, and the headphone detection problem is gone, so the problem definitely has something to do with the front panel ports.

OK. That seems to show your front panel ports having some fault, wrong pinouts or incompatibility.

Look at this schematic of front panel audio pinouts for Intel HD front chassis ports or AC'97. Compare it with your own and see which ones you have?

Jarius · 07-06-2007, 06:08 AM

How can I tell the two types apart when they appear exactly the same to a visual inspection?

The tech support guy at Creative told me it was Intel HD Audio, so I'd be willing to bet that that's what it is.

Jarius · 07-06-2007, 09:13 AM

Couldn't find an edit button, so I'll post this here instead.

About the previous post... I was half-asleep when I wrote that. It was meant to sound ironic but just came across as irritated. Sorry.

06-18-2007, 12:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jarius Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 51 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	AC97 woes So my computer has a SB X-Fi XtremeGamer card that conveniently has a header for front panel ports. And my computer case conveniently has front panel ports. The only problem is, the header on the sound card conforms to Intel HD Audio, and I'm pretty sure the case ports are AC97. I can't buy a new case, because my OEM WinXP sticker is already on this case. Is it possible to buy a standalone pair of front panel Intel HD Audio jacks that I could mod into my case? I'm sick of my sound card detecting headphones when there are no headphones. I sincerely hope there's a solution for this.

06-20-2007, 11:37 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jarius Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 51 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	Re: AC97 woes Is that true? The Creative tech support guy I talked with told me they weren't compatible. In any case, whenever I check the "enable headphone settings when headphones are detected" box in the driver options, it detects headphones immediately and mutes the speakers, even when there are no headphones. The tech support guy said something about that option relating to the headphone jacks on their proprietary I/O drive bay shield that costs almost as much as the sound card did. But if that's the case, why is it giving me problems? In short, the tech support guy confused me more than he helped, not to mention I think he might have told me things that are just plain wrong. He had no idea what I meant when I said "front panel audio jacks", for one thing, and then he tried to tell me that plugging them in would damage the card and void my warranty, and then he said after that that they were Intel HD audio and not compatible with AC97 (wait, I thought plugging in any jacks at all would damage my card?) So at the moment I have no idea which way is up, and I still have no idea why the card is detecting nonexistent headphones, which is why I contacted tech support in the first place. Would anyone here know why that is? Last edited by Jarius; 06-20-2007 at 11:46 PM.

06-21-2007, 10:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
Jarius Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 51 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	Re: AC97 woes Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera (or any other sort) so no pictures, but the pic you posted looks exactly like my ports. One pink and one green, on the front of the case next to the USB ports. The first thing I did to try to fix the problem was uninstall the drivers and reinstall the newest ones from their website, but it didn't fix anything. One thing I haven't tried yet is to see if headphones are detected when the front panel audio dongle is disconnected from the sound card. I'll try that and post my results.

06-22-2007, 08:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jarius Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 51 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	Re: AC97 woes I disconnected the front panel audio dongle, and the headphone detection problem is gone, so the problem definitely has something to do with the front panel ports.

07-03-2007, 08:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
Jarius Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 51 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	Re: AC97 woes So does anybody know what the problem could be?

06-19-2007, 08:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
Kalim Roaming To Help Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5,642 OS: Many	The front panel ports on your case you're talking about are microphone and headphones jacks I gather? The front panel ports in this image are for AC97 and HD audio: audiojacks.jpg So if that's the same case with you, both are compatible with each other.

07-06-2007, 06:08 AM	#9 (permalink)
Jarius Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 51 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	Re: AC97 woes How can I tell the two types apart when they appear exactly the same to a visual inspection? The tech support guy at Creative told me it was Intel HD Audio, so I'd be willing to bet that that's what it is.

07-06-2007, 09:13 AM	#10 (permalink)
Jarius Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 51 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	Re: AC97 woes Couldn't find an edit button, so I'll post this here instead. About the previous post... I was half-asleep when I wrote that. It was meant to sound ironic but just came across as irritated. Sorry. Last edited by Jarius; 07-06-2007 at 09:14 AM.