Creative Labs Customer Supp

Or moreover, the lack thereof.
First you come out with the Zen Vision player with documentation so sparse that sellers like Amazon.com are asking for additional user manuals to post [at least they were when I bought mine].
Then for customer support you DON"T have an 800 number. Not good, especially considering how long AND how unresolved my contacts are with you.
After my last lengthy call and suggestions that didn't work here I am still needing to call again to get something to work that hasn't in spite of many phone calls and plenty of expensi've long distance airtime [because you are so cheap as to not have an 800 number - not to mention it would be nice if I was given a real "FIX" - or better yet just never had the problem.
Ironically on the day of my last call to you I needed to call Canon for support. THEY HAVE AN 800 NUMBER, AND HAD NO WAIT. HECK, BEST OF ALL THEY ARE SHIPPING ME A NEW UNIT TO SWAP OUT, EXPRESS PAID POSTAGE AT THEIR EXPENSE.
Oh, and by the way, when I was calling you abvout my last (unresolved) problem I was having to ask what the screw that had fallen out was for. Better yet, on a player treted as gently as they come what the heck is a screw doing falling out??
Count me as not ever buying another Creative Labs product. Too bad, I had liked my last one. But then again it worked!

Cat... I believe my point is relevant.
Which is instead of being distracted by a 'hail mary' frivolous law suit,
Creative should focus their energy on creating a better product with better
customer support.
Improving customer support falls under the topic of Creative Labs Customer Support
don't you think?

Similar Messages

Creative Labs Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MkII

I bought a set of Creative Labs Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MkII about a month ago and my son accidentally broke the mic. So I emailed Creative Labs customer service/tech support, not requesting a warranty replacement, but instead offering to pay for a new mic to be sent to me. This is the response I received:
“From: Creative Americas Customer Support [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sunday, November 07, 2010 8:57 PM
To: Jason Alpaugh
Subject: RE: CLI - Technical Support Request - (Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MkII) (KMM21536858I15977L0KM)
Dear Jason,
Thank you for your valuable feedback.
With regards to your issue, I am sorry to inform you that your headset is not covered by our warranty. Since the limited warranty does not apply to damage caused by normal wear and tear, abnormal use or conditions, misuse, neglect, abuse, accident, improper handling or storage, exposure to moisture, unauthorized modifications, alterations, or repairs, improper installation, improper use of any electrical source, undue physical or electrical stress, operator error, non-compliance with instructions or other acts which are not fault of Creative, including damage or loss during shipment.
Also most of the accessories are packaged together as a complete unit with the product. As such, we are unable to sell the mic to you.
If you still require assistance, please reply to this email and include any previous correspondence to ensure a quick response.
Best Regards,
Becky
Worldwide Customer Response
Creative”
Explain this to me again. Why is it not possible for me to just buy a mic to replace the broken one? I have bought 3 sound cards and three headsets prior to the Fatal1ty MkII’s from Creative Labs and have had nothing but total praise for each of them. I bought my new Fatal1ty MkII’s about a month ago for $80 and now I’m told the only way to get a new mic is to spend another $80 and get another new set. Seriously Cooler Master can send me a nut for a heatsink mounting kit, Corsair can send me a new modular connector for my PSU but you, Creative labs, refuse to help me out with getting a new mic for a very expensive headset and I’M OFFERING TO PAY FOR IT. I live and support my family paycheck to paycheck and cannot afford to shell out another $80 for a new headset, especially when the one I have now works just fine and just needs a mic. If I am forced to buy a new headset, it will not be a Creative Labs headset, which is very unfortunate since I completely love the Fatal1ty MkII’s and already miss them. A response would be greatly appreciated.

Ok getting irritated now. I get the email ok'ing the replacement for $5 + $5 to ship it and I immediately reply agreeing and asking how I should pay. Then the next email is from your rep is almost a complete contradiction from the previous. I called the support # and was basically told the same thing the last email said and to call back Monday. I 'm not calling back just to get the run-around again so can someone actually help me out with an honest and straight answer. Here's the email thread:
Dear Jason,
Thank you for contacting us at Creative Support. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you.
Jason, the microphone part is still subject for availability. You can call and inquire at the number below:
Mon-Fri (9AM-6PM Central)
405-7426622
If you still require assistance, please reply to this email and include any previous correspondence to ensure a quick response.
Best Regards,
Romulus
Worldwide Customer Response
Creative
Original Message Follows:
Thank you. Definitely fine with it. How do you want me to pay? You would not believe how much I appreciate this.
Thanks,
Jason Alpaugh
-----Original Message-----
From: Creative Americas Customer Support [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2010 8:42 PM
To: Jason Alpaugh
Subject: Re: So this is the type customer service I get...please respond
(KMM21551864I15977L0KM)
Dear Jason,
Thank you for getting back to us.
With regards to your email, we can sell an extra mic to you $5 plus
shipping of $5. Shipping cost inside US only.
If you are fine with the offer, please inform us as soon as possible.
If you still require assistance, please reply to this email and include any
previous correspondence to ensure a quick response.
Best Regards,
Isabella
Worldwide Customer Response
Creative
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any copies of this email together with any attachments. Thank you.
Original Message Follows:
I bought a set of Creative Labs Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset
MkII about a month ago and my son accidentally broke the mic. So I emailed
Creative Labs customer service/tech support, not requesting a warranty
replacement, but instead offering to pay for a new mic to be sent to me.
This is the response I received:
?From: Creative Americas Customer Support
[mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sunday, November 07, 2010 8:57 PM
To: Jason Alpaugh
Subject: RE: CLI - Technical Support Request - (Fatal1ty Professional Series
Gaming Headset MkII) (KMM21536858I15977L0KM)
Dear Jason,
Thank you for your valuable feedback.
With regards to your issue, I am sorry to inform you that your headset is
not covered by our warranty. Since the limited warranty does not apply to
damage caused by normal wear and tear, abnormal use or conditions, misuse,
neglect, abuse, accident, improper handling or storage, exposure to
moisture, unauthorized modifications, alterations, or repairs, improper
installation, improper use of any electrical source, undue physical or
electrical stress, operator error, non-compliance with instructions or other
acts which are not fault of Creative, including damage or loss during
shipment.
Also most of the accessories are packaged together as a complete unit with
the product. As such, we are unable to sell the mic to you.
If you still require assistance, please reply to this email and include any
previous correspondence to ensure a quick response.
Best Regards,
Becky
Worldwide Customer Response
Creative?
Explain this to me again. Why is it not possible for me to just buy a mic
to replace the broken one? I have bought 3 sound cards and three headsets
prior to the Fatal1ty MkII?s from Creative Labs and have had nothing but
total praise for each of them. I bought my new Fatal1ty MkII?s about a
month ago for $80 and now I?m told the only way to get a new mic is to spend
another $80 and get another new set. Seriously Cooler Master can send me a
nut for a heatsink mounting kit, Corsair can send me a new modular connector
for my PSU but you, Creative labs, refuse to help me out with getting a new
mic for a very expensive headset and I?M OFFERING TO PAY FOR IT. I live and
support my family paycheck to paycheck and cannot afford to shell out
another $80 for a new headset, especially when the one I have now works just
fine and just needs a mic. If I am forced to buy a new headset, it will not
be a Creative Labs headset, which is very unfortunate since I completely
love the Fatal1ty MkII?s and already miss them. A response would be greatly
appreciated.
Reguards,
Jason Alpaugh
[email protected]

Very Dissapointed with Creative Customer Supp

Well, here's my correspondence with Creative Support , and let me say I am very dissatisfied with this level of support...My initial email I thought clearly spelled out the issue --
>>Detailed Problem Description:>>In the process of updating my firmware on my>>Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra to 2.0.03, the firmware>>update failed and the device was no longer>>recognized by Windows. When the Zen rebooted,>>it showed "Firmware Problem" and booted to a>>recovery mode. After trying to reload the>>firmware from recovery mode, the device rebooted>>again several times, and now will not power on>>at all. I have tried resetting the device via>>the reset button on the side and still will not>>power up. Thanks>>>>=======================
That was my initial email to customer support...and they respond with:
>>Dear JAy>>>>Thank you for contacting Creative Labs technical support department.>>>>Creative Labs is a leader in sound systems, portable devices, Mp3>>players, and audio performance. (Nice blab of adversting :smileyindifferent: )> >>>If you would like to view any of our products, or view our knowledge>>base system with helpful troubleshooting tips and driver downloads,>>please visit us.creative.com.>>>>We want to fully assist you in the best way possible, so please bear>>with us as we help you solve any technical issues.>>>>I understand you are having problems with your zen.>>>>It is recommended that you download and install the latest driver as>>well as the firmware update, and then format your player or resetyour>>player by booting the player into its unique Recovery Mode, if you>>experience one or more of the following symptoms:>>>>Your player is not detected in Creative MediaSource or Windows Media>>Player>>The battery does not last as expected>>Your computer stops responding during file transfers>>There is a power outage during file transfers>>There is an error about firmware>>>>. Detach the Zen player from your PC , and ensure that it is turned>>off.>>2. Connect the power supply to the player.>>3. Hold down the Play/Pause button while inserting a paper clip into>the>>Reset hole on your player.>>4. Wait for 4 seconds or so, and then remove the paper clip.>>5. Keep on holding the Play/Pause button till the Rescue Mode screen>>appears.>>6. After the recovery mode has started, release the Play/Pausebutton.>>
<They continue to talk about going through the recovery mode...So after stating I cant turn the power on in my problem description that is what I got...Do they actually even READ your emails? Now my turn to respond...
>Ok - I have tried your recommendation --->>*". Detach the Zen player from your PC , and ensure that it is turned>off.>2. Connect the power supply to the player.>3. Hold down the Play/Pause button while inserting a paper clip intothe>Reset hole on your player.>4. Wait for 4 seconds or so, and then remove the paper clip.>5. Keep on holding the Play/Pause button till the Rescue Mode screen>appears.>6. After the recovery mode has started, release the Play/Pausebutton."*>>And like I stated in my problem description, I have tried severaltimes>to>reset the player, including holding the play/pause button and pressing>the>reset button and the unit no longer powers up at all.
<Makes sense right? The unit no longer powers up...no nothing, nada, zip, zilch, zero... Their response...
Dear Jay,>>Hi, Sorry you are having trouble with your creative product! Regarding>your last email. Looks like you may have a defecti've Creative Labs>product and I would suggest taking back to place of purchase for a>speedy replacement. If you are not able to do this and you have aretail>version and a receipt showing date of purchase then you can send the>product into Creative Labs as long as its still under warranty for an>Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA).>In this case, an RMA service request would be necessary. Please note>that if the product has exceeded its warranty period or there is any>User damage, an out-of-warranty RMA will need to be issued. Thiswould>require the cost of the repairs to be sent with the product when
<They go on explaining the out of warranty and RMA procedures and also have info for me to fill out regarding the getting an RMA....So looks like I may be getting somewhere, at least send my unit back to get fixed right? I respond with the info they request regarding model number purchase date, etc but then follow up with another problem description...
Brief Problem description: In the process of updating my firmware on myNomad Jukebox Zen Xtra to 2.0.03, the firmware update failed and thedevicewas no longer recognized by Windows. When the Zen rebooted, it showed"Firmware Problem" and booted to a recovery mode. After trying toreloadthe firmware from recovery mode, the device rebooted again severaltimes,and now will not power onat all. I have tried resetting the device via the reset button on thesideand still will not power up, and also tried getting back into recoverymodeby holding down play/pause and pressing reset and still no powering up. Thanks
<After I sent that email, this is what I get back to my surprise ----
Dear Jay,Thank you for contacting Creative Technical Support.With regards to the issue, before we proceed with the RMA. I would liketo inform you that as the player has exceed its warranty period, it willnot be covered by warranty. Therefore if the player is deemed out of warranty of the RMA department,the estimated cost of service is around $43.00 - $88.00May I know if you are still willing to send the player to us forservice? If you wish to do so, kindly reply back to us with yourdescision and on receving your reply we would process the RMA. In case if you need any clarification, please do not hesitate to contactus. Thank you. If you still require assistance, please reply to this email with anyprevious correspondence to ensure the quickest and most accurateservice.
<WHOA ---- $88 bucks?!?! I can buy a "new" refurbed unit online for cheaper than that...AND I would get a warranty!! Since they said if I needed clarification or assitance, reply, to which I did:
Let me make sure I understand this... I tried updating my player withyourlatest firmware, and it fried my mp3 player, and now I have to pay up to$88 to fix a problem cause by your software? I just want to make sureIunderstand this issue. Thanks
<Now for the kicker!!! Here is what they say:
<
Dear JayThank you for contacting Creative Labs technical support department.Creative Labs is a leader in sound systems, portable devices, Mp3players, and audio performance. If you would like to view any of our products, or view our knowledgebase system with helpful troubleshooting tips and driver downloads,please visit us.creative.com.We want to fully assist you in the best way possible, so please bearwith us as we help you solve any technical issues. I understand you are having problems with your zen. It is recommended that you download and install the latest driver aswell as the firmware update, and then format your player or reset yourplayer by booting the player into its unique Recovery Mode, if youexperience one or more of the following symptoms:Your player is not detected in Creative MediaSource or Windows MediaPlayerThe battery does not last as expectedYour computer stops responding during file transfersThere is a power outage during file transfersThere is an error about firmware. Detach the Zen player from your PC , and ensure that it is turnedoff.2. Connect the power supply to the player.3. Hold down the Play/Pause button while inserting a paper clip into theReset hole on your player.4. Wait for 4 seconds or so, and then remove the paper clip.5. Keep on holding the Play/Pause button till the Rescue Mode screenappears.6. After the recovery mode has started, release the Play/Pause button.<IT'S THE EXACT SAME EMAIL AS THE FIRST EMAIL THEY SENT BACK!!!!! I responded to that email just a little while ago requesting that a supervisor or manager please contact me... Their support is absolutely HORRENDOUS! I am wondering if these people in "tech support" are technically or are just flowing a flow chart for procedures.
I have been the IT field for 8+ years, I deal with customers on a daily basis. I have never in my life seen this kind of business practice, of A) a company not standing behind their products & work and B) supporting the customers issues after the fact. I understand I am a lowly MP3 owner, but I have always purchased creative products, I've got 2 sound cards running in my pc's here at home. I've purchased speakers, this mp3 player, referred my father in law to purchase a similar mp3 player from creative, bought my brother the same mp3 player. This whole exprience has put a bad taste in my mouth and to see that there are quite a few others are having the same issue makes me sick...
P.S. sorry for being so long winded in this, I know its alot to read, I tried to cut out the non-essential stuff in the emails I posted but I still can't believe my player is junk now after a failed firmware update.

harryhibbs wrote:
A quick question: When you try to reset the unit, is it connected to the charger? If yes, OK you say it's dead, so no screen display, BUT, can you hear if the hard dri've is spinning? I think it's very unlikely that a firmware upgrade process would have any chance of physically killing a unit altogether.
Another thing to check - is the battery firmly located in place? You can remove the front cover to access the battery compartment.
Hibbs
Yes - that is correct, I have been trying to reset the unit with it connected to AC power via the charger...No you cannot hear the harddri've spinning. Yes the firmware can kill the unit, not "physically" but it has logically shut down the unit to where it will not power up. The battery is firmly seated...Just as a side note, when I tried the original firmware upgrade the unit was plugged into the charger as well, so I know there were no power outages etc during the attempted upgrade.

Customer Care the Creative Labs way.

Customer Care the Creative Labs way.The key phrases here are:we appreciate the opportunity to assist you. If you still require assistance, please reply to this email? To cut a long story short..I have a Creative Labs portable MP3 player (a Zen Sleek 20 Gb) which requires a new battery. The machine was bought new, has been well looked after and is otherwise in perfect working order. Although the machine is just 5 years old Creative say they no longer provide any after sales support for it and, although not in so many words, advise me that my only option is to replace it. Dear Marc,
For this issue, I do apologize but please understand that we no longer have any spare parts for the player like the battery to be able to offer repair serivces.
We have discontinued manufacturing parts for the player for more than 2
years now and without parts, we cannot offer any type of repairs.
If it were available, we would have offered you the repair service in
the first place. What good would it be for us to decline you of repair
options.
Do what you think is right abd proper but like I said and as what my
colleagues informed you previously, we no longer have any repair options
for the Zen Sleek player.
Regards,
xxxxxxx
Creative Customer Support Services, Creative Labs
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly xxxxxxx.
Creative designed (and sold) the machine with a built-in battery.
Creative's engineer's and product designer's know that rechargeable
batteries have a finite and rather short life-span. Much shorter than
the life span of the Zen Sleek 20 Gb as a whole.
I am not prepared to throw this machine away and buy a replacement when
all it needs is a new battery.
Unless Creative would like this entire correspondence to be posted on
relevant consumer web sites, such as anythingbutipod.com I suggest you
get back to me with an appropriate solution.
kind regards,
Marc
Date: Thu, Oct 2009 7:02:38 +0800
From: [email protected]
To:
Subject: RE: CLE - Technical Support Request - (Zen Sleek)
(KMM9595845I5977L0KM)
Dear Marc,
Thank you for getting back to us. I am sorry of what happened.
With regards to your issue, I am sorry to inform you that as the zen
Sleek is designed with the built-in battery which cannot be
replaceable.
Have a nice day!
Please retain all the previous correspondence when replying to this
email.
Best Regards,
xxxxxxx
Creative Customer Support Services
Creative Labs Europe
Thanks xxxxxxx,
In the case of the player in question, I still believe the battery
needs to be changed. THis is normal given the age of the player and the
amount of use it has had.
What are my solutions for achieving this?
I have always believed that Creative is not the sort of company which
lets its customers down when it comes to afer sales support.
As I have said previously, the machine is in perfect condition and is
only around 5 or 6 years old. It was a very high spec machine when I
bought it and I have neither the money nor the inclination to change
it.
Could you please advise as to how I can replace the battery, and not
refer me to any other parts of your web site.
Thanks in advance,
Date: Thu, Oct 2009 :53:2 +0800
From: [email protected]
To:
Subject: RE: CLE - Technical Support Request - (Zen Sleek)
(KMM959435I5977L0KM)
Dear Marc,
Thank you for getting back to us.
With regards to your enquiry, you might like to visit our website to view the article.
Prolonging Battery Life of a Creative Product
The Link: http://support.creative.com/kb/ShowA....aspx?sid=4672
Best Regards,
xxxxxxx
Creative Customer Support Services
Creative Labs Europe
Thanks for your response xxxxxxx,
What would you suggest? That I throw the machine away and buy a new one?
This player is still functioning perfectly. It never skips, rarely freezes and is generally in excellent condition.
All the interfaces, charge leads work perfectly. It deli'vers excellent sound quality.
As a result of being charged a great number of times, the battery no longer holds as much charge as it did when new. The player's autonomy has decreased sharply as a result and, unless I am able to charge it every 2-3 hours or so, I cannot use it.
The player is not that old, no more than 5 or 6 years.
Surely there must be some solution for prolonging its useful life.
I will leave it with you to make inquiries within the Creative Labs structures.
Thanks
Regards,
Marc
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 7:34: +0800
From: [email protected]
To:
Subject: Re: CLE - Technical Support Request - (Zen Sleek)
(KMM958392I5977L0KM)
Dear Marc,
Thank you for reaching us at Creative Technical Support; we appreciate
the opportunity to assist you.
With regards to your enquiry, I am very sorry but unfortunately,
we do not have any replacement battery for the ZEN Sleek. Sorry for any
inconvenience that caused you.
If you still require assistance, please reply to this email with any previous correspondence to ensure the quickest and most accurate service.
Best Regards,
xxxxxxx
Creative Customer Support Services, Creative Labs Europe
Subject: CLE - Technical Support Request - (Zen Sleek)
E-mail Address:
Self Description: Intermediate PC User
Region: Europe
Country: United Kingdom
Support Inquiry: Other/Not Listed Above
Product: Zen Sleek
CCPP Certificate Number:
Serial Number: 390542004008M
Purchase Date: Aug/23/2004
Operating System: OS Independent
Firmware Version: .00.05
Creative Model Number:
Connected To:
Detailed Problem Description:
The battery in my Zen Sleek 20 GB MP3 player needs replacing. It is not accessible to the user. What are my options for replacing it's How long will this take? and what is the cost? Many thanks, regards, Marc

Thanks for taking the time to respond Mike,
This is an interesting take on the situation.
I do not consider 5 years as an acceptable life span for a machine which cost close to 200 GBP, was made by a highly reputable manufacturer and has been well looked after. 0 perha
ps.
If this is the case, then at the moment of sale the customer should be advised of the limited life span.
I have not the skills, the material, the time nor the inclanation to take the machine apart myself, even if a suitable new battery could be found.
I agree with you that the cost of repair is likely to exceed the cost of replacement.
I shall continue to use the machine for as long as I am able (despite its short autonomy) and will look to Creative's competitors when I eventually replace it.

Creative Labs: A Boy's St

Hi everyone,
I came to these forums after I heard of the recent developments from Creative Labs. After reading what many people wrote, I?thought I would share?the story of how Creative became a part of my life.
I was twelve years old when I first learned of Creative. I had saved up enough money over a year and a half?and finally bought a 486 DX-2 50Mhz computer. I cannot tell you how many lawns I mowed and dri'veways I shoveled. Take a minute to remember what prices were like in the early 990s and you'll understand why it took so long. I would have been able to get a sound card included with the computer had I saved for another month or two, but I was twelve - I wasn't going to wait anymore!
Two?months after that purchase, I had saved up enough money to buy a sound card and speakers. Finally my system would be complete!? I started looking for a sound card and heard from many people that SoundBlasters were the only kind I should consider. Thus, the SoundBlaster 6 was my first sound card. Indeed, it was the first component I ever installed in a computer and it went flawlessly.
Because "Soundblaster" compatibility was important back then, I purchased only Creative products. Even as a teenager, I noticed the bloatware that was starting to get bundled with the drivers. I also noticed that the quality of the drivers was deteriorating, but I was always able to make them work well most of the time. There were a few blue screens of death, but I just shrugged and rebooted.
As we approach the present, it is clear to me the trend I noticed has reached a breaking point. I was stunned when I saw that Creative had the nerve to tell someone who was doing their job for them to stop. For this reason, my sound card has been placed in the garbage and I am using the onboard audio included with my Shuttle system. On a side note, installing those drivers was a cakewalk compared to some of the installations I went through with Creative products.
It is obvious to me, someone who has only been without a Creative sound card for two months, that the company either has no idea what they are doing or does not care. I will not purchase another Creative product again, nor recommend that anyone do so, until new management is present and is turning the company around. This includes making higher quality, less bloated, more stable drivers that activate all of the features present on the card and work on all operating system in the same way.
I have signed the petition (link below), and encourage people to do the same. I know perfectly well that a petition is unlikely to change the policies of management, but it is at the very least one more way to make my displeasure heard. I am number 26 on the petition, and I hope many more will sign so that the extent of their customers' displeasure becomes known.
That is my Creative story, and it is a sad one. I am sad to see a company so capable of producing excellent hardware fall into the trap that is poor management.
To Creative: Please turn around your company and realize that hardware and software must work together seamlessly. Please reorganize your management team and put in place individuals who understand how to build relationships with customers. Please realize that people who pay you money have taken the time to earn it and are worthy of higher levels of support for their products. And finally, please recognize that punishing a member of the community who picked up slack where you left off is a horrendous way to build customer relationshi
ps.
Indeed, that is how you are losing mine.
I wish everyone on here the best, and thank you for reading this little story. I was told growing up that words can move mountains, so I encourage everyone to leave some words of their own.
Thank you,
Tim
Link: http://www.petitiononline.com/crtvlabs/petition.html

Creative was infringing upon Aureal's patents, not the other way around. Yet is was Creative who sued Aureal for patent infringement.
See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aureal
On March 5th, 998, [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Labs">Creative Labs[/url] sued Aureal for patent infringement. Aureal countersued because they believed Creative was guilty of patent infringement. After numerous lawsuits Aureal won a favorable ruling in December 999, which vindicated Aureal from these patent infringement claims, but the legal costs were too high and Aureal filed for [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankruptcy">bankruptcy[/url]. On September 2st, 2000, Creative acquired Aureal's assets from its [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankruptcy_trustee">bankruptcy trustee[/url] for US$ 32 million. The purchase included patents, trademarks, other property, as well as a release to Creative from any infringement by Creative of Aureal's intellectual property including [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A3D">A3D[/url]. The purchase effecti'vely eliminated Creative's only competition in the gaming audio market. It also eliminated any requirements for Creative to pay past or future royalties as well as damages for products which incorporated Aureal's technology.
See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundstorm
[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Technology">Creative's[/url] acquisition of [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensaura">Sensaura[/url] in late 2003 put a halt to development of drivers for Sensaura-based sound hardware, including the code that ran on the SoundStorm APU. Further development of SoundStorm hardware and drivers would have been considerably more costly for Nvidia without middleware support from Sensaura.

Is there any Sound card 5.1 include stereo mix that working with MacBook Air such as Creative Labs SoundBlaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro Entertainment System ? and if there any another sound card can you tell me what is it please ? Thank you.

Is there any Sound card 5.1 include stereo mix that working with MacBook Air such as Creative Labs SoundBlaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro Entertainment System ? and if there any another sound card can you tell me what is it please ? Thank you.

Okay, I did my best searching and I couldn't find anything that matched all your descriptors. I did do a search on both decoder numbers. SB0256 returned very little results, but with SB0466, I was able to find this ebay listing:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...6_fvi%3D&_rdc=
This card isn't a Champion like you suggested. And with my complete lack of knowledge, I don't know what I/O dri've bay means. But since it is PCI and the decoder matches the number you gave me, this card should be adequete, right?
Whether it works or not, my search indicated it might be very hard for me to find that card (or any PCI card for that matter). Everything I saw was out of stock. I know this is a forum for Creative, but are there any other manufacturers that will allow me to accomplish my goal, either with current cards, or discontinued cards? Thanks again
Oh, and I will vote on that thread. I probably won't wait for them to release the decoder since I need it now, but I still believe Creative should be giving the customer what they want

CREATIVE LABS READ THIS MICROPHONE ISSUE PLEASE!!!

i am having the exact same problem and i'm no compu-dummy .. this soundblaster li've 24-bit card just ruined my studio i have built in my house. i have so much equipment and i can't do anything with it because of this card i just bought. i really want it to work so bad but i cannot find the solution to my problem anywhere. i have researched high and low. i have read countless.. and by countless i mean hundreds upon hundreds of forum posts on the google boards, the creative boards, music boards, internet media boards, and boards that don't even have a purpose.. of thousands of people complaining that their soundblaster li've cards WILL NOT RECORD.
to be more specific, the card plays audio fine. plug an /8" speaker cord into the audio out.. and sound comes out of the speaker. plug a mic (and i've tried 4 different mics) directly into the mic in or line in, and you get a flat-line in windows sound recorder (as well as 4 or 5 more sophisticated programs i've tried).
my system is very comparable to the systems of most people having this problem: windows XP, P4 w/ HT, former sound usage (in my case onboard.. and yes, i've disabled my onboard in the BIOS), 52mb DDRam, fx 5900 video card w/ 28 mb, DirectX 9.0, Microsoft Service Pack , and a nice little useless at the moment CreativeLabs Li've! 24-bit soundcard.
every posting (if it has a response) is receiving the same responses that we've all tried: is input set to mic? is your mic input turned up? are there audio device conflicts in device manager? have you tried reinstalling? have you tried a different mic? is your computer turned on?
myself and countless others have double checked and triple checked all of these.. it is not the obvious but it is definatly a problem if more than a handful of people are experiencing it. i tried the creative tech support number.. the rep's only idea was to return my card for a new one.. i'm sorry, i don't think it's the card.. because there is also a few thousand people that the card does work for, while at the same time mine doesn't as well as a few thousand others.. i'm not going to waste my time hiking back to Best Buy because that simply isn't the problem.. it's too common of a problem, but it is a problem that i have not seen addressed by Creative in all of my searching.
is there anybody out there who has a clue what could possibly be causing this. please don't let this be yet another posting that gets response saying.. "duuuuh.. ummm... did you press record on sound recorder?" and then the post dies out and falls into the oblivion of other posts just like it.
please for god's sake is there a moderator or an executi've or a janitor at Creative Labs who knows the solution? because please, post it so i can create a few hundred websites linking directly to it ending the suffering of budding musicians and gamers such as myself.
please, help.. i will be monitoring this post for any response. if any further information is needed, it will be posted. if you want to know the serial number of my mouse.. i will post it.. if you want to know the name i intend to give to my first born.. i will post it.. just please.. help
p.s. i registered my CreativeLabs soundcard today ( day after purchase) .. therefore i am special
p.s.s. i kick ass at music writing.. check me out http://www.internetdj.com/collapse (the comedy section is especially good :P) AND ALSO THE REASON I NEED MY RECORDING FIXED!!!

"PS: In the future please remove advisor name before posting email from Creative on the forums."
Thank you for your input, Jason.
Here is my latest e-mail from Creative who still doesn't seem to understand that we've tried the obvious.
Dear Customer,Thank you for your reply. It seems like the recording source has notbeen configured. Let us try this: Go to Start, Programs, Accessories,Entertainment, Volume Control. Click on Options, Properties, Recordingand check the Microphone box. Check the box Microphone to select it. Then open your recording program and select the recording source. Try torecord and see how it works.For faster service please reply with previous correspondence whenreplying to this email.Best Regards,VERY FRIENDLY CREATIVE TECH WHO'S NAME WILL NOT BE SHARED WITH ANYBODY (438)Technical SupportCreative Labs Americas"Get Creative"
Hopefully this will help some of you, I have actually found the solution to my own problem, though it is a little twisted and doesn't seem to apply to other's scenarios. Here's what I did.
) Completely removed all Creative software/drivers
2) Flashed my BIOS. I don't think it needed to be flashed, just resetted. But I flashed it anyway.
3) Rebooted and installed only the Creative drivers and required software (none of the little extras like mixer or CD-Burner or any of that.. just the diagnostics tool and whatnot)
4) Plugged my mic into Line-In (the blue /8" jack on the far right on my model), selected mic (not line-in) as the recording source.
Voila!! I'm getting crystal-clear recordings and sound! I kind of wish Creative had helped me along with this instead of sending me emails suggesting procedures i specifically stated I had already tried. But you can't have everything. A nice piece of hardware and good customer service is a little much to ask for.
As a whole. I give Creatives help in this matter a 4 out of 0. And all 4 points are awarded solely because response times from my e-mail were quite satisfactory. It just would have been nice if they had researched my problem a little more instead of assuming I was having the same problem as compu-clue-less idiots.
I will continue to monitor this forum for a while and will be glad to offer any knowledge I have gained through this past week of hell to anyone who is still having problems after trying the steps mentioned in the techs emails, and the steps I took myself.
Best Regards!
http://www.internetdj.com/collapse

X-Fi I/O panel GREED by Creative Labs means its REFUND TI

I had an Audigy Platinum and the Li've Dri've front panel I/O card. I just upgraded to an X-Fi card?and made the mistake of thinking the X-Fi card would work with the I/O card. For reasons known ONLY to creative labs, they did some random pin changes on the socket for the X-Fi I/O that keep it from working with the Audigy I/O. If I want to make my own custom cable, there are plans on the internet that show what pins need to be moved to where on the cable to get it to work, proving 00% that the?Audigy I/O will work fine on the X-Fi, but Creative does not want us to do that. Since my idea of "FUN" is not trying to solder pins on a glorified PATA connector, I am taking the X-Fi back for a refund. Jerks.

Okay, this is entirely too creepy.
I was in the middle of replying to npoljac and affirming that I have not had any BSODs and that I likely had a flakey IR detector when, suddenly, I got a BSOD.
I wrote it down, rebooted, and went back online to look up the exception:
IRQL_NOt_LESS_OR_EQUAL
Stop: 0x0000000A
(0x8B350408, 0X00000002, 0x0000000, 0X80522B9D)
I have a pile preliminary troubleshooting to do, and if it keeps happening I will have to start jumping through hoops with Customer Service.
======== The Next Morning ========
The pile has been sorted.
The proprietary software connection manager for my wireless networking card had filled the XP Security Event Log with security notifications.
In a nutshell, "It is supposed to do that!" and the Stop error was not in any way related to Creative Labs' software or hardware.
Regards,
ScottMessage Edited by 3Phase on 07-09-200705:59 AM

Creative Labs or Logitech for Notebooks?

I have a Dell Inspiron 9300 notebook, so I'm comparing the Logitech Notebook Pro and the Creative Labs Live webcam. Does anyone have any information comparing these two or experience that they could forward along? Thanks.

I have a similar problem. I bought a Vision M for Christmas from Buy.com. I didn't realize they did not handle the warranty work
so I contacted Creative about month after the 90 day warranty was up. I sent in a request for assistance and got almost the exact same email that this person did about his daughter's battery. So, I emailed again. I got the EXACT same email from a person named "Lin". They must have so many problems with these things locking up and lack of firmware updates that they just hit a button and respond to people. THis is NOT customer service. I like the other person will try to find 250 people to influence, and not in a positi've way for Creative. Customer support should be more than just firing off form emails.

2 times negative experience with Creative Labs mp3 play

Hey,?I wanted to share my negati've experiences with you on two different Creative Labs mp3 players that I happened to own and suffer from. Before you jump to any fast conclusions or start drawing any parallels note that I loved the sound quality of both 5Gb Zen Micro and 30Gb Zen Vision:M and that I purchased both of them in Ukraine. 5Gb Zen Micro, my first player, was fine until I accidentally dropped it'sfrom about m above the floor. The player was fine and still able to play the music but... the screen was gone. The screen would only light up a few seconds after booting and then go dark and leave you in dark to guess your way through the menu. The sensitivity of the touch pad was way too high even at the lowest level and I often made mistakes with it. But sadly enough there is no support whatsoever in Ukraine. Email support was useless as you can't really have any software solution to the corrupted screen. I had to forget it :-(. Next, I got excited about the 30Gb Zen Vision:M. I was happy to buy a good alternati've to an Ipod but my joy was premature. After very little use of my Zen Vision I once left it unused for about a month. The next thing I noticed was that my battery is dead. The battery would not charge no matter how long I tried to do it! Not even several months passed since I purchased it when the Li-Ion battery went dead. Once again there was no customer support center to go to to fix it and there was no way to return it to the shop either. I had to replace the battery somehow. I am sure many of you saw detailed step-by-step instructions on how to disassemble the Zen Vision and get access to the battery. I bought a replacement battery on Ebay and had the original one replaced only to find out the replacement battery was dead at opening!!! I next ordered another battery on Ebay with a one-year warranty but yet again the battery would not charge. At first it would not charge and then after about 5 hours of charging it would show 00% charge but the player would shut off immediately once I disconnected the AC adapter. I gave up trying to do it myself and there is no local customer service center here. I would send it to the US for repairs but Creative has hidden all service center addresses and puts you through a very long and tedious way of reporting problems with your Zen player. I am very frustrated indeed! I don't wanna buy another Creative player and face the same problems and terrible customer service. I hope someone from Creative Labs will read this and advise the company on how to improve. Creative is losing the battle to Apple believe it or not. Apple is making tons of money on its players with poorer audio quality and fewer features because their customer service is superior. Creative is losing money quarter after quarter because their battery suppliers are not producing consistent-quality batteries, customer service support is non-existent in many countries outside the US and because many popular Creative players come with a user-unfriendly built-in battery!!!

Hey, everyone!
Thanks for your comments. I am in no way shying away from my responsibility in the case of dropping my first Zen. Such things do happen as you know. The point I was trying to make was that there is NO Creative service center over here, neither in Russia or any neighboring country I could go to.
Yes, Apple does have many service centers in Ukraine. So what do you do with the product that you can't repair? It wasn't completely shattered and a replacement of the screen or maybe some chip would fix it.
As for the battery I have to disagree. For a Li-Ion battery one month shouldn't be a problem. Someone asked who makes the batteries for Creative Labs. It's the company called SKC. http://www.skc.co.kr/skhp/en/prod/bat/03.jsp
Once again, maybe changing the battery yourself isn't the best idea but I simply have no other option and you simply don't want to throw away $360.
I still think that Creative should have done a better job selecting the battery supplier and especially setting up service centers locally. A lot of people over here buy Creative Zens and face similar problems. We have nowhere to go for service. I would rather send it in for repairs but Creative does superb job of hiding its technical support email forcing you to go through a web form.
And unfortunately Creative financial performance is only worsening:
http://www.creative.com/corporate/in...gs_Release.pdf
I don't know how much longer they are going to stay in business. I don't like Ipods and all that hype about them but I'd prefer to have better choices and responsi'veness from Creative.

WHY is Creative Labs so backwa

Have used Creative Labs products since the original Soundblaster but am really becoming frustrated with the lack of decent software support their products have. If you misplace your original install disk you cannot use their products (or so it appears). Creative Labs is the ONLY hardware vender that I am aware of that only offers driver "UPDATES", no core drivers, for their "industry standard" soundcards. This is totally unsat and will only make me and, I am sure many others think about alternati'ves when it comes to their next sound card purchase. I would really like an official response to this post as to why no full driver is available for download making my Audigy2 soundcard a waste of powersupply energy in my computer.

Skoop,
I wasn't being tough or talking down to them, what I was doing was stating the facts of the situation. They had misread the description of "update" as meaning that it wasn't stand alone, and I was correcting the error. I also told them the exact file name of the stand alone driver that they would want (that would be the useful information that might help). The bluntness of my post is meant to help prevent the possible misinformation that can come from these types of posts (soon it becomes a "fact" that there are no stand alone drivers, which of course there are).
I will, in fact, dispute the "fact" that Creative sucks. In my experience as a both a customer and an employee of Creative I have personally installed and configured literally hundreds of our sound cards. In this I can honestly say that the vast majority have been simple installs and have worked exactly as they are supposed to. On the ones that experienced difficulty, most of the time it was a case of a hardware conflict or incompatibility (usually solved with a firmware, bios, or driver update for the conflicting hardware or the card). On the rest, it was a case of bad hardware (be it soundcard or motherboard) which is also easily fixed (be it with our warranty service or with the other company's).
I speak with relati'vely new computer users everyday and most of them find our cards to be easy to configure for basic uses. The areas where there can be confusion tends to be the more advanced features which just require the user make themselves more familiar with the terms used and what is being done. For this, we offer our knowledgebase and the mass knowledge of forum community.
JeremyMessage Edited by Jeremy-CL on -4-2005 0:46 PM

Creative Labs Firmware Update: Zen Touch Overv

This message is to give Creative Labs a clear overview of what is missing/needs updating in the next firmware download.
) Touch Pad Sensitivity- The Touch Pad sensitivity settings need to be changed to provide a slower scrolling speed.
2) EAX Sound Features- Including EAX support just like in Xtra models.
3) Volume Synchronization- The ability to apply the same volume to all music.
I think all Creative Zen Touch users would have to agree that these are most important things to be updated.
Yes, it is possible to adjust to the sensitivity of the scroll pad, however for new users is somewhat a disappointment. Most Zen Touch users would agree that the Touch Pad is over sensiti've and that such a problem is one of the reasons users buy the iPod. Based on the reviews which potential consumers use to decide on a purchase the Zen Touch loses points to the iPod for having the over sensiti've Touch Pad. The comparison was very close and the Zen Touch lost by fraction of points which can easily be solved with an update.
The comparison result can be found here: http://www.mp3.com/iPod+vs.+Zen+Touch/stories/090.html
The Zen Touch lost by only 3 points, however the Zen Touch as everything over the iPod besides the little things such as the style, and clearly the Touch Pad.
The EAX feature is highly supported by Zen Touch users and more information an be found here:
http://forums.creative.com/creativel...&message.id=88
Lastly, another key features that was included on the Xtra models, but not included in the Touch was the Volume Synchronization. This is key for Ripped and Download music. The Ripping volume is often times different from volume that is provided by the MP3 download sites. This is another feature that is worthy of upgrade.
Creative has a lot of potential right now, mainly because the features on the Zen Touch outperform the iPod yet Apple still has the market on MP3 Players. It would not hurt at all to update these features mainly because the iPod has been around longer so they obviously had more time to perfect the MP3 Player.
Thus, I encourage Creative Labs to take a lead on the MP3 market by releasing the next firmware with these updated features.
No matter how you look at it the Zen Touch should be leading the MP3 market.
With these small updates I think more consumers will purchase these players, thus increasing Creative revenue.
Please Creative you have heard loyal customers speak out, now it would be a great time to show loyalty and boost your customer service reputation from great to the best support.
If anyone agrees or support these firmware updates please post here.
Sincerely,
-Coolrulez
Thank you for listening and please update me on any confirmated releases of a firmware update.

Coolrulez wrote:
This message is to give Creative Labs a clear overview of what is missing/needs updating in the next firmware download.
) Touch Pad Sensitivity- The Touch Pad sensitivity settings need to be changed to provide a slower scrolling speed.
2) EAX Sound Features- Including EAX support just like in Xtra models.
3) Volume Synchronization- The ability to apply the same volume to all music.
I think all Creative Zen Touch users would have to agree that these are most important things to be updated.
well, I have to disagree with #3. You should actually be able to set the Sync Properties on the Program you use to put music onto the Touch anyhow. the Easiest way to do this without this, is putting all music in the same format, and in the same size. Unless the recording/file is already bad, that should do you well. I use WMP0 and all my files were ripped in the same Quality, and if not, they were automatically converted to fit the specifications I chose, which was WMA-28KBPS. And mostly it all sounds the same. Of course, the classical music I listen to quieter than the Rock I listen to, but thats normal.

Creative Labs MP3 product reliability

Since September of 2007 I have purchased three Creative Labs MP3 players. I bought a Zen V Plus, a Zen Micro, and a Zen Mozaic.
The Zen V Plus and the Zen Micro have both stopped working.
The customer support line tells me that repair of these products will be as expensi've as buying a new MP3 player.
With this level of reliabilty, why would I want to buy another Creative Labs MP3 player? It would seem much less expensi've to simply buy another brand of MP3 player, and save my money for buying music downloads.

I do still have the Micro. I even know how to fix it. All I'd have to do is reformat the unit. Unfortunately, to reformat the unit you need to be able to see more that just random lines on the screen; you actually need to be able to read the screen so that you can scroll down to where you can reformat the unit.
So, while I realize that all electronics can have issues, I'm certainly not satisfied with having 2 out of 3 units go belly up, and know that my option is to buy another unit from the same company.
That is simply too expensi've a path to continue.
On the bright side, my daughter is willing to give me her fi've year old IPod, which still works just as advertised.

Can't install Lightroom 5 on a second computer, I am NOT a creative cloud customer, I am a stand-alone user. How do I enter my serial number???

I can't install Lightroom 5 on a second computer, I am NOT a creative cloud customer, I am a stand-alone user. But when I try to install on my laptop, it always trys to sell me the monthly membership. How do I enter my serial number in the second copy of lightroom? It won't ask me for it, and I cannot enter it anywhere in the settings? I am stuck

You probably downloaded the Cloud version. Get the licensed version thru the following linked page...
Lightroom - all versions
Windows
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=113&platform=Windows
Mac
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=113&platform=Macintosh

'Creative Zen V Plus' Recovery, from Creative Labs that

Hi,
I love my Creative mp3 player, but I haven't seen it for ages. The crappy joystick needed repairing (the only badly designed bit).
I took it in to JB Hi-Fi for them to send off and they told me it would take 6-8 weeks (this was December 27).
Anyway, to cut a long story short, 3 weeks have passed and I still don't have it.
I've rung JB Hi-Fi constantly and the Storeperson tried to help me out, gave me the Creative Labs number and I phoned them.
So I rang them and a (presumabley) Asian guy answers. I am not racist but **bleep**, he was hard to understand (phones should have inbuilt subtitles). He tried to help me out and to the best of my knowledge he said they were processing my product and it would take another 2 to 4 weeks to get my mp3 player back to me (on top of the 3 weeks!)
Now you can propably see why I'm royally peeved.
What I want to know is why Creative Labs have such crap service No joke, it sounded to me like they off-sourced people's queries to other countries and in the rinkiest dinkiest places possible (the audio quality was disqusting).
Enough ranting from me.
Anyone have a similar experience or know what I can do about it's (I'm definitely going to write a letter of complaint).
Thanks all

First, I got a? RMA number by e-mail and sent in my Zen V Plus 4GB?(refurbished) directly to Creative by UPS on a Thursday (3/28/08)?and they received it by the following Monday 3/3/08. It was back to me yesterday 4/07/08. Very fast service, only it wasn't fixed and it still locks up my computer and my player?when I download my audiobooks. Only way to get it running again is to reset, go to recovery mode?and then do a full format. Then, the next time I try to reload the books, it locks up again at GB. Now, I am trying to get Creative to pay for shipping both ways, because they didn't fix the player the first time.
It probably would have much faster for you to have?delt with Creative directly instead of using the JB Hi Fi shop. At least yours is just a problem with the?joy stick and not the electronic parts.
Good luck.
luvmyrescuedogs

Creative Labs Customer Supp

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