If you experience crackling, try disabling "Audio enhancements" in the device's Advanced properties. If you would like, let me know:
Navigate to the folder where you extracted the driver and click Next.
Select your specific CMI8738 card from the list, click , and click Install this driver software anyway if a red warning box pops up. Step 4: Configure Compatibility Settings (Optional) Cmi8738 Driver Windows 11 64 Bit
Navigate to the extracted driver folder from Method 1. Look inside subfolders named Driver , Software , or 64 for a file ending in .inf (e.g., cmudaxp.inf ).
Windows 11 may block the driver because it lacks a modern digital signature. To bypass this: Go to > System > Recovery . Click Restart now under Advanced startup . To bypass this: Go to > System > Recovery
If replacement is impossible (e.g., vintage gaming rig dual-booting Win98 and Win11):
For most users, however, wrestling with unsigned drivers, potential system crashes, and the PCI/PCIe confusion is not worth the effort. There are far more reliable and higher-quality audio solutions available for Windows 11: wrestling with unsigned drivers
This method bypasses poorly coded setup executable files that fail on Windows 11.
Because the CMI8738 driver is old, Windows 11 will likely reject it during installation. You must temporarily disable Windows 11 Driver Signature Enforcement to force the installation.
Open Device Manager (Right-click Start button > Device Manager).