I've been doing some research and all popular opinion seems to dictate that X-Fi drivers are not available. Well I have downloaded some OFFICIAL BETA drivers directly from Creative
XFiDrv_Linux_US-1.18.tar.gz
Release date: 16 Apr 08
According to the manufacturer’s release note:
This download is a beta driver providing Linux® 32-bit / 64-bit OS support for Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ series audio devices. For more details, read the rest of this web release note.
Take note of the following:
* THIS IS AN UNSUPPORTED BETA DRIVER. There is no technical support for this driver.
* This beta driver has only been tested on the following 32-bit / 64-bit Linux distributions: Ubuntu® 7.10, openSUSE® 10.3 and Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® 5.1 (64-bit only).
* We recommend that only experienced users install this driver. Do not install this driver on a system used to perform critical tasks.
* Your feedback is a valuable part of our development process. To submit feedback on this driver, visit the Sound Blaster X-Fi Linux Beta Driver Feedback Program.
This download is intended for the following audio devices only:
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty®
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Current release features:
* ALSA PCM Playback
* ALSA Record
* ALSA Mixer
Added Features or Enhancements:
* Supports GCC version 4
* Supports Linux 64-bit and 32-bit OS
Known issues:
* S/PDIF passthrough is not supported in this driver release.
* External I/O modules are not supported in this driver release.
* Applications from the original Sound Blaster X-Fi Installation CD will not work with this driver.
Requirements:
* Linux x86 / x86_64 OS
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi audio devices listed above
Notes:
* To install the driver, do the following:
1. Download the XFiDrv_Linux_US-1.18.tar.gz package onto your local hard disk.
2. Double-click the downloaded package to unpack its contents.
3. Read the README file and follow the instructions.
Now, from other information I have read, these drivers take an experienced hand to install and I am asking if anyone could take the time to write a step-by-step tutorial for even the absolute beginner to understand and install these drivers.
I come from a very long history in PC gaming, Game/Website/Application alpha/beta testing and multimedia editing. And in all of these having a quality sound card is crucial to doing your job and, I hope that someone with this knowledge and experience can step up and show the masses how to take advantage of these quality cards (despite the company that makes them, I don't agree with many of their views on "alternate OS's" or 3rd party driver assistance) and I think this could show a fairly nice influx of newer users once they realize they can use their gaming rigs and make the switch to a morally better OS.
Please pardon if what I'm asking already exists, I've done quiet a bit of Google searches and forum searches and none of my results have yielded any information.
The masses beg for this, I hope someone can show us the light!
XFiDrv_Linux_US-1.18.tar.gz
Release date: 16 Apr 08
According to the manufacturer’s release note:
This download is a beta driver providing Linux® 32-bit / 64-bit OS support for Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ series audio devices. For more details, read the rest of this web release note.
Take note of the following:
* THIS IS AN UNSUPPORTED BETA DRIVER. There is no technical support for this driver.
* This beta driver has only been tested on the following 32-bit / 64-bit Linux distributions: Ubuntu® 7.10, openSUSE® 10.3 and Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® 5.1 (64-bit only).
* We recommend that only experienced users install this driver. Do not install this driver on a system used to perform critical tasks.
* Your feedback is a valuable part of our development process. To submit feedback on this driver, visit the Sound Blaster X-Fi Linux Beta Driver Feedback Program.
This download is intended for the following audio devices only:
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty®
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Current release features:
* ALSA PCM Playback
* ALSA Record
* ALSA Mixer
Added Features or Enhancements:
* Supports GCC version 4
* Supports Linux 64-bit and 32-bit OS
Known issues:
* S/PDIF passthrough is not supported in this driver release.
* External I/O modules are not supported in this driver release.
* Applications from the original Sound Blaster X-Fi Installation CD will not work with this driver.
Requirements:
* Linux x86 / x86_64 OS
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi audio devices listed above
Notes:
* To install the driver, do the following:
1. Download the XFiDrv_Linux_US-1.18.tar.gz package onto your local hard disk.
2. Double-click the downloaded package to unpack its contents.
3. Read the README file and follow the instructions.
Now, from other information I have read, these drivers take an experienced hand to install and I am asking if anyone could take the time to write a step-by-step tutorial for even the absolute beginner to understand and install these drivers.
I come from a very long history in PC gaming, Game/Website/Application alpha/beta testing and multimedia editing. And in all of these having a quality sound card is crucial to doing your job and, I hope that someone with this knowledge and experience can step up and show the masses how to take advantage of these quality cards (despite the company that makes them, I don't agree with many of their views on "alternate OS's" or 3rd party driver assistance) and I think this could show a fairly nice influx of newer users once they realize they can use their gaming rigs and make the switch to a morally better OS.
Please pardon if what I'm asking already exists, I've done quiet a bit of Google searches and forum searches and none of my results have yielded any information.
The masses beg for this, I hope someone can show us the light!
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