Enable Realtek Audio in Windows 7 RC

After installing the Windows 7 x64 RC (and the Beta as well) on my computer, I immediately noticed that it did not automatically have audio enabled.  In fact, the speaker icon in the notification area only showed that I had digital audio.  That didn’t help me very much, since I’m using normal speakers (and of course want to use earphones also!).  I quickly checked Windows Update, but it didn’t have anything to offer.  So, I headed over to support.asus.com, and clicked on the download link.  After entering the information for what I was looking for (motherboard, AM2, M2V), I was asked what operating system I was using.  Windows 7 x64 wasn’t listed, so I chose Windows Vista x64.  I was quickly able to locate the Audio driver (you can find it herefor the M2V motherboard), and as soon as it downloaded I went to install it.  I unzipped the file, and ran the “AsusSetup.exe” file.  I was quickly greeted with the not-so-friendly warning “Does not Support this Operating System.”  Great. Well, there is a way to get programs to “think” they are running on a different operating system; right click on the file, click properties, then the compatibility tab, then check the box that says “Run this program in compatibility mode for:.”  I selected “Windows Vista SP2,” then clicked Ok.  Then I ran the program, and it … installed just fine!  Upon reboot, I had full-featured audio!  So that’s one problem solved … hope this helps someone else with the same problem.  If it helps, let me know in the comments!

Edit:  I had spelled Realtek as Realtec originally ... that's corrected now!

Thoughts? @reply me on Twitter.