S3 Sonic Vibes (86c617) soundcard under Windows 2000/XP
So, if you’ve got an S3 SonicVibes soundcard in an old machine, and you’re trying to get the sound working, how would you do it? Well, Googling for it gives you loads of links to driverguide.com (and loads of links to places which are links to driverguide.com). None of the drivers there work. They’re all (charitably) out-of-date Windows 95 drivers, or (uncharitably) a timewasting pile of shite that took up two hours this afternoon. Eventually, I came across a note that the 86C617 card is actually the same chipset as the Turtle Beach Daytona. So, off to the Turtle Beach site. They have the driver that works—grab the NT driver from there and install it. Marvellous. That’s two whole hours of downloading, testing, and rebooting that I won’t get back, but at least it’s fixed now.
Incidentally, Linux detected and worked with that soundcard with no extra effort required.
Funny. I remember reading on some big, mainstream tech site—probably ExtremeTech—an article with the headline “Undeniable Proof that Linux is worse than Windows 95.” The scientific reasoning: Windows 95 installed a SoundBlaster driver for his Intel motherboard, while no distribution of Linux he tried recognized it.
So then he went and wrote his article. And the Microsoft lackeys of course said “hear hear“.
As always, “better” is relative. Personally I usually have better luck with Linux. I’ve got a pile of hardware that won’t work with Windows but is great on Linux.
36 hours later
hello
12 days later
My Sinic Vibes works on linux but I’ve had a hell of a time getting it to work under 2000/XP. I just use the ALSA drivers and it works nicely.
4 weeks later
Dave,
Many thanks to your site. I too went through spending hours looking for the right driver. You site helped a lot. Note, when I installed the driver, I had to use the backwards compability setting to get the install program to work correctly.
4 weeks later
hi
i am trying to operatr this sound card with win xp with no luck.
please help
8 weeks later
When i begin installing the driver, it says i have not enough space, but i have 3GB? Jou can i fix it?
11 weeks later
Where to get ALSA drivers?
19 weeks later
i am having the same problems as “digital“..
when i try to install the drivers i get a stoopy message that says that i have insuficiant hdd space….not to mention that i have like 140 gig free?????
19 weeks later
hi
27 weeks later
i want installation driver for windows xp
34 weeks later
sdczsd
37 weeks later
i have a s3 sonicvibes (86c617) and i kant find a driver i googled it and ended up here? please help me get a driver email me back soon!!!
55 weeks later
i have a s3 sonicvibes (86c617) and i kant find a driver i googled it and ended up here? please help me get a driver email me back soon!!!
56 weeks later
People saying “help me get a driver”: read the article and it will tell you where to get one from.
56 weeks later
i want installation driver for windows xp and win2000 for S3 Sonic Vibes 86C617
tanks for anyting,now
57 weeks later
pleas i need driver for s3 sonic vibes driver
59 weeks later
pleas i need driver for s3 sonic vibes driver
62 weeks later
pleas i need driver for s3 sonic vibes driver
63 weeks later
I want sonicvible series soundcard driver
63 weeks later
pleas i need driver for s3 sonic vibes (win XP),you can give me?
67 weeks later
For the love of pete, dumbnuts! Read the article!
69 weeks later
Okay, I’m not an idiot, I read the article and downloaded the NT drivers from the Turtle Beach site…I also downloaded another supposed driver setup for this card from driverguide.com…I am using Windows 2000 Pro.
With both versions of the setup app, it tells me I don’t have enough space to install, but I have 20GB+ free. I see above that others reported the same thing…can anyone help with this??
70 weeks later
for drivers sound card
71 weeks later
hi
thank you for use this site, i want load some drivers for sound card,
thank you..
hamid
71 weeks later
shora how how
71 weeks later
my computer don’t hear sound why
71 weeks later
I sure am thankful that someone spent a couple or more of hours finding this S3 Sonic Vibes driver for my sound card on Turtle Beach. Thanks again.
73 weeks later
Dear
Kindly let me know that i perchase sonic vibes sound card, it is paly and plug,i install win2000, but it did not auto work, It need driver for installation.I try to download it, 86c617.
Regards
Imran
imran_helpdesk@yahoo.com
Unilever Paistan Ltd
73 weeks later
install s3 sonic vibes 86c617 sound card in winxp
here is the method i fixed it:
(sorry my winxp is chinese version, so there might be some wrong interpretations.)
1. download the driver for nt4.0(http://ftp.isu.edu.tw/pub/Hardware/S3/617drv/wnt10007.zip)
2. Do not excute the setup.exe, or you will meet the hd space mistake.
3. open Hardware Tab( you can find it in control panel->system)-> right click on uninstalled sound card -> reinstall hardware driver -> the 2nd option(something like reinstall in specific way) -> Don’t search, i ‘ll chooce the driver -> install from the disk -> browse -> find oemsetup.inf in where you unzip the wnt10007.zip-> sonic vibes sound card -> reboot -> done
Hope this really works for all of you ^^
77 weeks later
driver sonic vibes
82 weeks later
i’ve spend bunches of hours to find my sound card drivers. but i’m having problem to find correct drivers for my sound card.
S3 Sound Vibes On board Q9C3FB 86C617 9732 B7555.
if any one of you got…so mail me at saifmughal@gmail.com thx!
84 weeks later
Many thanks to your site. I too went through spending hours looking for the right driver. You site helped a lot. Note, when I installed the driver, I had to use the backwards compability setting to get the install program to work correctly.
84 weeks later
good
85 weeks later
good as me
85 weeks later
sağolun arkadaşlar hepinize teşekkür başarılar dilerim
87 weeks later
thank you very much,
this driver it works very well in win2000
88 weeks later
thank you very much,
this driver it works very well in win2000
88 weeks later
anybody can help me ? i`ve got a sound card s3 sonic vibes 86c617 chipe but i can`nt correctly drive the card under windows xp operating system ! if anyone do it success plesae tell me how to do it ,and email me the driver file !
Thank a lot,
A new computer player from china!
90 weeks later
without driver we stay blocked
90 weeks later
i want drivers for x p windows and windows 98
91 weeks later
Thanks for the link! I wish the various manufacturers and their successor companies would take some responsibility for their “legacy” products, after all today’s hot board is tomorrows forgotten driverless rubbish, but it’s still got their name on it…
95 weeks later
When i begin installing the driver, it says Inter the correct “start.exe” but i have a correct start.exe file ?
100 weeks later
i have a s3 sonicvibes (86c617) and i kant find a driver i googled it and ended up here? please help me get a driver email me back soon!!!
100 weeks later
I need for “s3 86c617 sound driver” I found it but it couldn’t download .and I need it for free to download to my pc.
100 weeks later
I really need for “s3 86c617″ sound driver.
100 weeks later
My Mail—-fxiangxiaren@163.com,thaks!!
107 weeks later
i search a driver for the souncard “s3 sonicvibes 86c617 audio accerelator”, but i don´t find it!
Can any help me?
109 weeks later
HEY THATS IT
I LIKED IT
123 weeks later
i am using sonic digital media home to download dvd’s and getto the point where you open the downloaded film to burn ad a message appears “could not make a thumbnail. make sure you have the appropriate decoder installed -470.10″ i have been using this system for months and it suddenly comes up with this message. can u help? my pc runs windows xp.
125 weeks later
Thank you !Thank you ! i thank you
130 weeks later
I am having the same problem as John Mcken. After several months of using Sonic DigitalMedia LE v7, recently it began giving me an error message everytime I wanted to add a video file saying, “Could not make thumbnail. Make sure you have the appropriate decoder installed”. I am not sure what this means or how to solve it, if anyone can help me please send me an e-mail at: blazing_throughlife@hotmail.com
Your help would be greatly appreciated so please send me an e-mail if you have any suggestions. Thank you.
132 weeks later
hello i am useing sonic digital plus v7 and i i have the same John Mcken and Adam Williams what decoder do i need to get if any 1 can please help send me an e mail on dado1653@hotmail.com i would really be a great help .
thank you
137 weeks later
whatever
138 weeks later
http://www.tbeach.com (go to FTP Files Download Area > Daytona
> day_nt4.zip).
Although you have functionality of the soundcard, the Device Manager will
report “No drivers are installed for this device”. You may ignore this.
1. At the Found New Hardware window. Select “Install from a list or specific
location”. Click Next.
2. Select “Don’t Search, I will choose the driver to install”. Click Next.
3. Choose “Sound, video and game controllers”. Click Next.
4. Click Have Disk…
5. Browse to the \NT folder on Daytona CD or location of the NT drivers you
downloaded and choose OEMSETUP.INF.
6. Click Open, then OK.
7. Click “Continue Anyway”.
8. Choose the TBS Daytona PCI Sound Driver, then click Next.
9. Click “Continue Anyway”.
10. Windows then installs the drivers, click Finish and restart.
11. Open “Add Hardware” from “Printers and Other Hardware” in the Control
Panel. Click Next.
12. Choose “Yes, I have already connected the hardware”. Click Next.
13. Select “Add New Hardware Device” from the list. Click Next.
14. Select “Install the hardware that I manually select from a list”.
Click Next.
15. Select “Sound, Video and Game Controllers”. Click Next.
16. Click “Have Disk” and browse to the \NT folder on Daytona CD or location
of the NT drivers you downloaded and choose OEMSETUP.INF. Click Open,
then click OK.
17. Choose the TBS Daytona FM Synthesis driver, then click Next. Click Next
again.
18. Click “Continue Anyway”.
19. File Needed - Browse to the \NT folder on Daytona CD or location of the
NT drivers you downloaded. Click Open, then click OK.
20. Click “Finish” and then restart.
21. Repeat steps 11 - 20 and choose the TBS Daytona Joystick driver
in step 17.
and ready to play!!! :D
138 weeks later
Need Help with Sonic DigitalMedia LEv7 same as Adam Willliams Pls Help if you can.
Thank Much
144 weeks later
I’m having the same problem as John Mcken and Adam Williams. If anyone can help, please send an e-mail to tpuni104@uottawa.ca. Thanks a lot.
Trisha
149 weeks later
fuck you all
209 weeks later