PORTCLS.SYS BSOD on laptop when installing AC97 audio driver
July 28th, 2013
I consider myself to be proficient w/ computers. I was trying to repair a computer someone gave to me and I have a major issue. The computer is a Gateway 450ROG. Everything on the motherboard was tested (including audio) before I installed a fresh copy of XP Pro. I got every single driver installed except for the audio driver installed. It is like it wont let me install it without giving me a blue screen (BSOD) and restarting. I have tried disabling and re-enabling the multimedia audio controller and still the same. I have tried Safe Mode, even re-installing XP after I came across this problem and making sure that the audio driver was the first to be installed.
I have tried the self-installer for AC97 as well as WDM_A406 from Realtek site. Whenever I try I get a blue screen that reads “portcls.sys” before the computer restarts itself. I have tried installing the preferred and original driver from Gateway for the multimedia audio controller. The driver name is 9520522 and as it installs, it tells me “The file ALCXWDM.SYS on Realtek AC97 Audio Driver Disk is needed and “Type the path where the file is located, and then click OK.” I own no such disk so I choose the option “Copy files from:” and then point it to the directory WDM_A406 which I have tried on a USB drive as well as a CD. Each time that it finds the file ALCXWDM.SYS from the file I downloaded from the Realtek site (WDM_A406), I get the PORTCLS.SYS blue screen and then it re-boots. I have tried re-installing Windows, running hardware tests (stress tests), checkdisk, SafeMode, etc. and still I have found nothing. Keep in mind that the audio on the motherboard has worked fine since the machine was brand new and this was never a problem until I decided to wipe out the computer… Can someone please help me?
New info- “I found that there was a KB and a fix available on Microsoft’s website. That fix is specifically known as KB950616 and still have the same problem as before…”
What on earth made you think you got a realtek? According to gateway, You got a sigmatel!
http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/getFile.asp?id=19192&dscr=Gateway%20450ROG,%20450RGH%20Audio%20Driver,%20version%205.10.0.3722&uid=333754014
You should never just assume you got X hardware, Yes realtek audio chips are extremely common, But each case to it’s own!
That link takes me to the 9520522 driver. That is the audio driver that I have already tried via Gateway. Whenever I try and install it, that is the one that asks me for the Realtek disk. I still need help…
It shouldn’t be prompting you for any realtek file, It has to be somehow related to the realtek drivers you previously
tried to install, Anyways, After you run it, The files are automatically extracted to this folder:
C:\cabs\9520522 Open up device manager (Winkey+R>Devmgmt.msc) and install it manually.
It had done this after a clean install of Windows when the first thing I did was manually install the driver 9520522. Yes, I have been in the Cabs folder and pointed to the correct driver. Whenever I try to manually install driver 9520522, it asks for the Realtek disk. If I do not provide the disk or location, it won’t install the driver. If I provide the path to Realtek file, I get the PORTCLS bsod. I work on computers and have done so for years so I appreciate your help but I do not think I am at fault in this situation…