i have a soundblaster Live! 5.1 and i put it in my system and installed all the drivers from the cd it came with but when i go to use sound the front and rear speakers act as if they are both the front speaker and the centre speaker doesn't work at all. this happens while it is set on 5.1. i run on windows xp sp2 so i've tried using the newer drivers from the creative website but that doesn't seem to work either.... i don't know what to do so i hope someone can help me.

Need to know more ????

What type: of sytem have you put card into?
speaker sys, how many plugs on cable, is the card OEM or store bought in prewtty box?
Warning if it is OEM... to my knowledge creative is pain in the **** about update drivers.....
G'luck

More info needed

could you be more specific 'bout your hardware setup?
What mobo?, original Creative 5.1 Live!?, etc.
Have you disabled your onboardsound in your BIOS set-up?
Look here for some answers on same issue
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic24682.html
or here
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic24658.html

what kind of speakers do you have? Are they digital or analog?

I had a hell of time with my creative cards when using my gateway speakers - I didn't know they were digital. Now that I got the settings right, they work fine.

they're analogue speakers

my mobo is a Elitegroup 651 - M P4FSB 533
intel celeron 2.4ghz
and yes i've turned off the onboard sound in the BIOS
it's an original creative live! 5.1 sound card.
i have a radeon 9200 SE vga card
and the rest of stuff connected are IDE devices.

The information you gave about your front and rear speakers working the same is it running music or did you actually do the channel noise to see which speaker works or run a game. Because if it is music your speakers wont be 5.1 because the mp3s are in stereo and not coded for 5.1.

creative cards usually can do both, you have to change the settings in winddows. Like Bringinheat said, MP3 music is stereo, not 5.1. Most movies on DVD are 5.1

Sound off...or on

I have cambridge 5.1 speaker sys , has inline vol..
your analog speakers should be fine...
I'm conncerned about the cable you're usin to connect....
my 5.1 has a black stereo jackout right next to the joystick/midi (on the card)
that is my rear speakers, next is green which is my front or head phone jack.
I use a splitter so I can run both head phones & 5.1.
G'luck!!

it happens with everything including the testing