I am wondering if anyone might have some ideas on getting a Sound
Blaster 16 PCI card working fully in DOS. Here is what I have and what
I'm trying to do.

Dell Dimension 3000, 512MB RAM
GeForce FX 5500 256MB video card
Windows 98SE
Sound Blaster 16 PCI with full software/drivers

So I am trying to play a DOS game, Commander Keen 6 for example. The
sounds work, but not fully. For example, all the sounds as far as I know
are working with the exception of when I die or when I jump and hit my
head on an upper level. Normally, when I play this game in DOSBox, there
is an extensive, funny sound when I die and when I jump and hit my
helmet on the upper level there is a kind of 'dink' sound. Those two
sounds don't play on the Windows 98SE box even though when I installed
the included drivers from the accompanying CD with the DOS drivers too.

My son and I noticed that even in a Windows game he used to play, some
of the sounds are absent, like the background music sounds.

I thought I read something online about PCI vs ISA and that I might have trouble getting this to fully work in DOS. But, I don't understand why
if the CD that came in the box with the SB 16 PCI card had the option by default to install the DOS drivers too, not just Windows drivers.

Any way, if anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it.

Oh, in the DOS game there is no option to configure the sound card
beyond picking Sound Blaster or Adlib, that's it.

Thanks all!!




~Elf

,---------------------------,
| /---------------------\ |
| | | |
| | Long Live | |
| | DOS!! | |
| | | |
| | | |
| \_____________________/ |
|___________________________|
,---\_____ [] _______/------,
/ /______________\ /|
/___________________________________ / | ___
| | | )
| 486DX66 [-------] | | (
| o o o [-------] | / _)_
|__________________________________ |/ / /
/-------------------------------------/| ( )/
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ / /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ / ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... DOS never says "EXCELLENT command or filename"...
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: Diamond Mine Online BBS 21:1/194 bbs.dmine.net:24 (21:1/194)

Am 24.07.21 schrieb Elf@21:1/194 in FSX_RETRO:

Hallo Elf,

I am wondering if anyone might have some ideas on getting a Sound
Blaster 16 PCI card working fully in DOS. Here is what I have and what
I'm trying to do.

Dell Dimension 3000, 512MB RAM
GeForce FX 5500 256MB video card
Windows 98SE
Sound Blaster 16 PCI with full software/drivers

[...]

Just to understand your setup:
- do you try to run the games in pure DOS or in a Win98 DOS window/
fullscreen session?
- I don't know if it only applies to ISA-PNP card or also to PCI:
Is a PNP configuration manager program installed which applies all
ressources to the card after bootup? (Interrupts, IO ports etc.)
- Does the DIAGNOSE tool from the SoundBlaster driver set output digital sounds and also MIDI sounds? The first part would provide sound effects in games and the other part provides music, usually.
- Is the BLASTER variable set correctly?
- Which sound card settings are active in the game?

I guess these are the settings I remember :)

Regards,
Anna

--- OpenXP 5.0.50
* Origin: Imzadi Box Point (21:3/127.1)

Hi Elf,

Just a shot in the dark, but is the blaster variable set correctly within
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file?

For example:

SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6

This tells DOS to use (Address 220, IRQ 5, DMA 1, HighDMA 5, MIDI Address
330, EMU8000 Address 620, Card Type 6).

Best Regards

|01°|09²²²²² |01³|09 Lee Westlake |01(aka TALIADON)
°|09²|01°|09²|01°|09² |01³|09 TALIADON BBS |01(taliadon.ddns.net)
°|09²|01 ³ E-Mail: taliadon-bbs@mail.com
°|09²²²|01 ³ fsxNet: 21:3/138 ù FidoNet: 2:250/6

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Windows/32)
* Origin: TALIADON BBS (21:3/138)

Quoting Acn to Elf <=-

Just to understand your setup:
- do you try to run the games in pure DOS or in a Win98 DOS window/ fullscreen session?

I have tried in full screen from Windows 98 and I have tried booting
and pressing F8 and selecting command prompt only. In both scenarios the
sound issue is the same.

- I don't know if it only applies to ISA-PNP card or also to PCI:
Is a PNP configuration manager program installed which applies all ressources to the card after bootup? (Interrupts, IO ports etc.)

When I select restart in DOS it loads the drivers for DOS.

- Does the DIAGNOSE tool from the SoundBlaster driver set output
digital sounds and also MIDI sounds? The first part would provide
sound effects in games and the other part provides music, usually.

There is no DIAGNOSE tool, but instead there is a SBTEST I can run. It
tests fine both in Windows and from the DOS prompt for digital audio and
MIDI audio.

- Is the BLASTER variable set correctly?

Yes, the blaster variable is declared properly too.

- Which sound card settings are active in the game?

The sound card settings are set for Adlib/Soundblaster for both audio
and music.




~Elf

,---------------------------,
| /---------------------\ |
| | | |
| | Long Live | |
| | DOS!! | |
| | | |
| | | |
| \_____________________/ |
|___________________________|
,---\_____ [] _______/------,
/ /______________\ /|
/___________________________________ / | ___
| | | )
| 486DX66 [-------] | | (
| o o o [-------] | / _)_
|__________________________________ |/ / /
/-------------------------------------/| ( )/
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ / /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ / ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... BorgDOS v5.0 - Assimilate Another? [Y/n]
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: Diamond Mine Online BBS 21:1/194 bbs.dmine.net:24 (21:1/194)

Quoting Taliadon to Elf <=-

Hi Elf,

Just a shot in the dark, but is the blaster variable set correctly
within your AUTOEXEC.BAT file?

For example:

SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6

Yeah, it was set by the Soundblaster driver installation.





~Elf

,---------------------------,
| /---------------------\ |
| | | |
| | Long Live | |
| | DOS!! | |
| | | |
| | | |
| \_____________________/ |
|___________________________|
,---\_____ [] _______/------,
/ /______________\ /|
/___________________________________ / | ___
| | | )
| 486DX66 [-------] | | (
| o o o [-------] | / _)_
|__________________________________ |/ / /
/-------------------------------------/| ( )/
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ / /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ / ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... DOS means never having to live hand-to-mouse
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: Diamond Mine Online BBS 21:1/194 bbs.dmine.net:24 (21:1/194)

Yeah, it was set by the Soundblaster driver installation.

Yeah, I thought it may have.

Does the setup utility have the option to test each part of your config (i.e. MIDI, DSP, etc)?

If so, you could try changing some of the parameters and retesting (it sounds like either one of the chips is no longer functioning, or you have a setup conflict)?

Best Regards

|01°|09²²²²² |01³|09 Lee Westlake |01(aka TALIADON)
°|09²|01°|09²|01°|09² |01³|09 TALIADON BBS |01(taliadon.ddns.net)
°|09²|01 ³ E-Mail: taliadon-bbs@mail.com
°|09²²²|01 ³ fsxNet: 21:3/138 ù FidoNet: 2:250/6

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Windows/32)
* Origin: TALIADON BBS (21:3/138)

Quoting Taliadon to Elf <=-

Yeah, I thought it may have.

Does the setup utility have the option to test each part of your
config (i.e. MIDI, DSP, etc)?

It just lets you test the "digital voice" and MIDI. No other options.

If so, you could try changing some of the parameters and retesting (it sounds like either one of the chips is no longer functioning, or you
have a setup conflict)?

I don't see any conflicts, at least as far as Windows 98 is concerned,
there are no reported conflicts. It seems the software is doing it's
job, but since we are seeing the same problem with Windows applications
- missing sound - then I think I might have a faulty card. :-(




~Elf

,---------------------------,
| /---------------------\ |
| | | |
| | Long Live | |
| | DOS!! | |
| | | |
| | | |
| \_____________________/ |
|___________________________|
,---\_____ [] _______/------,
/ /______________\ /|
/___________________________________ / | ___
| | | )
| 486DX66 [-------] | | (
| o o o [-------] | / _)_
|__________________________________ |/ / /
/-------------------------------------/| ( )/
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ / /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ / ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... I am Paul Simon of Borg: Listen, to the sounds, of assimilation.
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: Diamond Mine Online BBS 21:1/194 bbs.dmine.net:24 (21:1/194)

Am 25.07.21 schrieb Elf@21:1/194 in FSX_RETRO:

Hallo Elf,

- Does the DIAGNOSE tool from the SoundBlaster driver set output
digital sounds and also MIDI sounds? The first part would provide
sound effects in games and the other part provides music, usually.

There is no DIAGNOSE tool, but instead there is a SBTEST I can run. It tests fine both in Windows and from the DOS prompt for digital audio and MIDI audio.

Okay, then the sound card is generally working, for both parts.

- Is the BLASTER variable set correctly?

Yes, the blaster variable is declared properly too.

- Which sound card settings are active in the game?

The sound card settings are set for Adlib/Soundblaster for both audio
and music.

Okay, weird.
I did not fully get which part of music/effects is absent eg. in Commander Keen.

Usually, games used the "MIDI" sounds for music and the PCM digital audio
for effects.
Have you tried the MIXERSET tool to change the volumes of the channels
before launching a game?
Did the game ask you for the I/O port, Interrupt and/or DMA channel of the sound card and did you enter them according to the configured values?

Regards,
Anna

--- OpenXP 5.0.50
* Origin: Imzadi Box Point (21:3/127.1)