Reviewing the Creative Audigy SE - Installation

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The process is very easy; no university degree is required. Thus, it can be done by anyone. Open your case and stick the card in a free PCI slot. Start up your system and now you have two choices (at least theoretically; if you have an Internet connection, then the results will be the same): first, you may insert your CD and install the drivers from it. Or you may spare some time by visiting the Creative site and downloading the latest driver.

The drivers found on the CD are old and after finishing the initial process, you will be invited to update them through the Internet -- meaning an automated download of the new drivers from the site and going through the driver/soft installation process again. Therefore, to spare your precious time, I advise you to go directly to the Creative site. But if you lack an Internet connection, have no fear, since the old drivers will also work. Accomplishing this simple task will grant you full control over your sound card. All in all, it’s a very easy process indeed; great job and kudos to Creative.

As a side note, you are also prompted to install the Creative software suite. This includes the following long list of software:

• Creative MediaSource Go! Launcher
  
• Creative MediaSource Player
  
• Creative MediaSource Organizer
  
• Creative Device Control
  
• Creative Surround Mixer
  
• Creative EAX Settings
  
• Creative WaveStudio
  
• Creative Speaker Settings
  
• Creative Graphic Equalizer
  
• Creative SoundFont Bank Manager
  
• Creative Smart Recorder

I honestly suggest not wasting your time with the installation of the MediaSource application. This is a place where Creative has a lot of room for improvement. The current version of it seems quite bulky and lacks most of the features that we’d expect from a media player in 2008. Seriously, I had my doubts as to whether Creative actually saw the application before releasing it. It’s your choice if you are willing to test it yourself, but, simply put, don't expect too much from it.

The detailed multi-language user guide found on the CD is more useful. It’s in the standard help format (CHM) with a categorized and indexed tree view. Separate versions were made for XP and Vista, improving the support and experience of the client.

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