I pointed you to the ROG Maximus X Hero for a specific reason. If you look at the ROG Maximus X Hero realtek drivers --- they shared the same 8507 and 8666 drivers with your motherboard.
Perhaps you will be able to install ROG Maximus X Hero's 8746 driver on your motherboard.
Ah OK. I misunderstood your post. I checked the specs on the audio hardware for the two boards and they are not exactly the same: the Maximus has a DAC whereas the ROG STRIX has "Dual OP Amplifiers," and, while both boards feature Sonic Studio III and Sonic Radar III, the ROG STRIX also has "Sonic Studio Link."
I wonder if these differences make the 8746 driver suitable only for the Maximus?
It really doesn't matter because the actual realtek driver is the same for everybody and your problem is some nahimic component acting up.
It is worth a try to see if it installs on your computer. Create a restore point. The worst thing that could happen is the installer telling you that you don't have a compatible hardware for this driver and the installer quits.
Thanks. I'll give it a try now.
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It says the best driver is already installed. Can I force it to update to the newer driver?
OK, thanks.
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I guess the next step is to wait and see if ASUS posts a new audio driver on the support page for my board.
It's been a good long while, so I may shooting in the dark, but if my memory serves me when I tried out Nahimic, there was an issue with it's service too. I think I saw an error or information in the event viewer about it trying to run as desktop interactive (or needing to) and not having 'authority' for that or something. Just something to check for.
Find the service, right click, properties, logon tab. "Allow service to interact with desktop"? Try changing it? Change what user it "logs on as"?
You don't have/want Nahimic installed anymore? Nahimic got uninstalled but the service got left behind? Delete the service completely? Don't do this if you have/want Nahimic to work.
admin command prompt: sc delete *nameofservice
*nameofservice = under general tab of properties > Service Name (not always the same as the name in the list)
I think you misunderstood his initial post.
His motherboard originally came with UAD driver with Sonic Studio III, so it has always had nahimic installed.
Then he went and tried to install 6.0.8791.1 HDA driver. He didn't know which "integration" to download --- so he used the described method to determined what "integration" it had. Of course, that determination method only works on a computer with HDA driver already installed. It is not supposed to determine a computer with an UAD driver already installed. It had a big warning sign on that first post.
It should be noted that the following methods (either manual or automatic) apply only to Realtek HDA (legacy) drivers and not the modern UAD ones.
Therefore it gave a false negative determination.
So he thought that he has a computer with no integration and he installed the 8791 HDA driver with no integration.
though confusingly the ROG MAXIMUS X HERO board has both HDA and UAD realtek audio drivers available from the ASUS download center (I've checked there moments ago). the 6.0.1.8507 & 6.0.1.8666 versions were the UAD variety while the rest were HDA editions (click the "Show all" link to display all available drivers for AUDIO).
then that means there may have been a UWP version of Sonic Studio III app installed, which can be easily uninstalled from either the Start menu or from the Apps & features section of the Windows Settings.
note that the 8746 FF03 HDA driver pack from Asus contains a desktop (non-uwp) version of Sonic Studio 3 which functions similarly to the UWP version of that same app but only integrates/works with HDA FF03 drivers instead
I already said that the ROG maximus x hero went back and forth a week ago.
Windows can't load NihimicSvc32 but keeps trying anyway every five sec
I think that Asus knew that nahimic is acting up after the Microsoft OS hotfix, but nahimic could not offer a fix in time so Asus went back to old school 8746 HDA driver. Crucially Asus listed on the 8746 HDA driver that it is a fix for User Account Control verification mechanism.
That's why I suggested to the OP that he tried to install 8746 HDA over 8666 UAD since the OP has a similar nahimic issue. And the fact that it was an Asus provided solution to install 8746 HDA over 8666 UAD for the ROG maximus x hero also meant that their installation package would have account for the weird backwardness that it is a HDA installation over UAD.
But unfortunately for the OP, the installer won't install. I don't know why. Maybe it was a maximus x hero only installer.
OR the fact that the OP installed 6.0.8791.1 HDA (don't know where he got this file) initially. If the initial 8791 HDA driver was not completely uninstalled as I suggested the OP to do ---- then since 8791 is newer than 8746 so the installer couldn't install the maximus x hero driver.
That last part, you have more expertise than I do. Maybe the OP didn't uninstall the initial 8791 HDA cleanly enough so 8746 won't install.
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