Driver updates for Sigmatel chip?

Both of my computers are laptops, running Win XP Pro.

I know all built-in sound cards on laptops is crappy, and one has to use
something else. I already have two USB sound card devices, and will probably
be purchasing soon a PCMCIA sound card. (See other thread about the latter.)

However, I still sometimes use the built-in sound card on my notebooks, and
on one of them, I wonder if it's possible to update the driver?

It's on my Fujitsu Lifebook C Series 2210 computer, running Win XP Pro. The
sound card is listed as the following in device manager:
Sigmatel C Major Audio
The driver date is 11/1/2002, version # 5.10.0.3717, driver provider
Sigmatel.

It is the same driver that came installed on the computer. I think it is one
of those STAC97 chips. Something to do with Ali. (If I uninstall the
Sigmatel driver, and reboot, Windows installs a driver it calls Ali
something.)

I regularly check the Fujitsu web site for driver updates for my notebook,
but there has never been a sound card driver update. I looked at the
Sigmatel web site to see if they have newer drivers to download, but the
site says to check with the notebook manufacturer, for updates to built-in
notebook sound cards. (I also go to windowsupdate regularly, no update there
for sound card.)

I looked at Driversguide.com, downloaded a couple archives that were
Sigmatel drivers, but when I looked at the date on the driver files inside
the archive, they were older than the driver files I currently have
installed.

Anyone know if there have been any newer drivers, that would provide better
audio performance, that would work on this chip?

There is a Sigmatel Audio Control Panel in CP. I have the following settings
set--"Enable Power Management" -unchecked, "Enable Digital Output"-checked,
and the sampling rate set to 44.1 kHz. (The other two settings for the
latter are 48.0 kHz, and "Dynamic".) (I read somewhere that although 48.0
kHz is offered as a choice here, the chip really doesn't support it
correctly, so better to be set to 44.1. I don't know what "dynamic" means in
this context. Anyone?)

Do these settings look like the best for this chip?

I'll relate a particular problem I had with this driver. It is supposed to
support WDM. I just upgraded to Sonar 4 from Cakewalk Pro Audio 9. When I
set the Driver mode in Sonar to WDM with this card, however, no sound comes
out at all. The only way I can get sound from the built-in sound card on the
Fujitsu in Sonar is to change the driver mode to MME (which is supposed to
be not as good, more latency, etc.), and close and restart the program. I
tried all kinds of tweaks, but found no way to use that card in WDM mode.

That's why I wonder if there might be a newer driver that will fix the
problem. Anyone know, and if so, how can I get it?

(Interestingly enough, my other notebook, the NEC, also with a similar
chipset, also a driver a couple years old, no updates on the notebook
manufacturer's web site, does work in WDM mode in Sonar. Its driver is
called Soundmax rather than Sigmatel though. Could the Soundmax driver be
installed on the Sigmatel chip? (I would guess not.))

Happy New Year!