Problem with USB Soundblaster on Toshiba 2180CDT

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

I've got a laptop that's a few years old - a Toshiba Satellite 2180CDT, with
Windows XP.

I wanted to use it to pipe music files via wireless network to my stereo in the
living room, so I purchased a Creative SoundBlaster USB sound maker thingy (it's
basically an external SoundBlaster).

The laptop seems to have a powered USB 1.1 port, which is what the thing
requires.

I install the software and plug in the device. It is recognized as a "USB
composite device" and then reports that the installation of the device had a
problem.

I've tried:
- assigning the driver manually via Device Manager
- uninstalling and reinstalling the driver
- downloading an updated driver
- checking Toshiba and Microsoft for USB patches (none)
- a procedure on the Creative web site for when the USB SoundBlaster isn't
recognized (didn't help)
- removing the "USB composite device" entries from usb.inf and the registry so
it shows up as an unknown device and assigning the driver then (no luck)

I have not yet tried setting the thing up on my desktop system, as I wasn't
completely sure that the Creative software and drivers would cleanly uninstall
themselves so I could use my existing sound card properly.

Here's what happens in detail:

When I install the drivers from the SoundBlaster CD, it says that the device
isn't plugged in so it won't install the drivers. I thought you always had to
install the USB drivers first and then plug in the USB device.

When I plug it in first, let Windows detect it and report a problem, then
install the drivers, it gets to the end of the installation fine, and I reboot,
but the device doesn't work and still has a "?" in the device manager.

So, I go to it, choose to update driver, and point it to the fresh Creative
driver I've just downloaded. I point it at the win2k\sbusb.inf file, and it
tells me "The specified location does not contain information about your
hardware", when it clearly does.

So, I choose to have it proceed with the already-installed Creative SoundBlaster
USB Audio driver, and it just says, "There was a problem installing this
hardware... INF file may be for Windows 95 or later." Duh, it's XP, shouldn't it
be for Windows 95 or later?

I can't find any updates from Toshiba, Creative, or Microsoft for any issue
remotely like this.

--
"Live the life you love, Use a god you trust
And don't take it all too seriously"
- Love and Rockets, "Your Private Future"