I built two computers that have realtek audio. I also had issues with sound not working on Vista however I think my issue would also apply to Win 7. If you are running win 7 64 bit you may have downloaded the 32 bit driver.
If experienced in x64 Windows, you should already know that a x86 driver/driver stack, would not even install in the x64 Windows environ - different rules apply for drivers than for applications. As to using Vista drivers for
Audio - you can
sometimes get away with a regular install, but you may have to use the Compatibility options (in the Properties window) and set to Vista (no service packs) to pull it off.
@konyango - when you say you "uninstalled" drivers, did you simply run the uninstaller, or did you unload the drivers via Device Manager. Is best to use Device Manager
first, then run any uninstallers, as simply relying on the latter can leave residual crap which will then prevent a clean install of updated or more correct drivers.
Also, are you:
a) sure that you have a RealTek sound card?
b) have you actually installed the audio driver anyway??
I ask the latter, as the drivers you have described installing are utterly related to your audio requirements, unless you have an on-board audio chip as opposed to separate audio component; and even then some on-boards require a separate driver to be installed. To check, open Device Manager (via Control Panel), and open the Properties panel for "Sound". Use info found under the "Details" Tab - especially the Hardware IDs - to verify exactly what device you need drivers for. Copy/Paste the Hardware ID's here if you get stuck - you'll need to let us know whether you have x86 (32-bit) or x64 Win7 installed, so the correct driver can be sourced