# Workaround for DirecTV2PC & Creative X-Fi Audio HDCP Error on Windows XP



## Alamei (Apr 29, 2008)

I'm not sure how many people are in the same boat I'm in, but I figure that I'll post this in case it can be of value to others trying to get D2PC working on XP with *analog* outputs on a Creative X-Fi card. (If you need to use digital outputs, I think you're out of luck until Creative releases an HDCP-compliant driver, but see my comments below.) This is by no means a convenient workaround, and for those who are really only interested in trying out D2PC, I wouldn't recommend it, but it might help tide over heavier users.

Let me begin with a few caveats:

First and foremost, I cannot guarantee that this solution will work on other machines, as I have only one XP box that meets D2PC's requirements. My computer is running a fully updated version of XP SP3 and using an X-Fi Fatality Pro soundcard. These results are repeatable on my machine, but it is entirely possible that it is a fluke of my setup that makes all of this come together. Your mileage may vary.
Second, this process involves uninstalling, sweeping and re-installing drivers; if you're not comfortable with performing that kind of work on your PC, please do not attempt this process, as you will likely land your machine in a less usable state.
Finally, this process may disable some functionality on your soundcard due to reverting to an older, bare-bones driver set (reversible simply by reinstalling the latest set of drivers from Creative).
(For those who just want the summary of the process, you essentially uninstall Creative's official drivers and use Microsoft Update to install a basic set of Windows-certified X-Fi drivers [a mutant version of Creative's 2007 drivers that I have not found elsewhere] that do not appear to enable the digital output by default, thus bypassing D2PC's HDCP audio check.)

If none of the above turns you away, here is the process you'll need to follow:


Close all currently running Creative applications, then uninstall all Creative drivers and software you have on your system. (Note: Depending on the driver version you have, you may need to manually uninstall the drivers via Device Manager.) 
_Optional:_ Since Creative's uninstallers are questionable at best, I recommend using Guru3D's Driver Sweeper to fully clean out the driver cache.
Restart your computer, and make sure that no drivers are auto-detected and reinstalled for the X-Fi card upon Windows startup. If the Add New Hardware wizard pops up, just click cancel. You should have no sound available to your system at this point in time.
Run Microsoft Update, and select 'Custom' updates. 
In the list of available updates, you should see one referring to "Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi" (I don't remember the exact name, and don't want to loop through the entire update process again right now) under the "Hardware, Optional" section. Select this option, and proceed with the process of downloading and installing the update.
Restart your computer once more; you should have sound available again upon Windows startup.
_Optional_: Since this method does not install the standard Creative Audio Console normally included in their driver packs, you can download the Creative Console Launcher from Creative's website to restore access to some of the otherwise hidden settings.
Run D2PC, cross your fingers, and select some content for playback.
I haven't noticed any performance or quality issues with the older set of drivers, but once again, YMMV. If you run into any issues, I would recommend switching back to the latest Creative driver set and hoping that DirecTV or Creative comes up with a more reasonable solution to this ridiculous issue.

If you try this workaround, please report back your results, and let me know if I should change or add any steps above. Also, though I believe the reason these drivers function with D2PC is that they do not enable the digital output by default, it may also be that they are pseudo-HDCP compliant. I do not have a digital setup with which to test the theory one way or another, but would welcome a response from someone who does.


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