Before the diagnostic tool can detect the card you have to enable the resource configuration. Therefore all Creative PnP cards need a configuration manager, called "CTCM". Run the configuration manager, it will map the ressources needed for the card. Afterwards you can either use the card in games or run the diagnostics program or the sb16 dos-installer. Please note that you have to modify the autoexec.bat to enable the synth of your emu8000 based card (the installer does that automatically).

Cheers
Fabian

Yeah, I love you Fabian 🤣. It worked!

https://bt4z7g.by3301.livefilestore.com/y2pDx … ctcm.jpg?psid=1

Thanks a lot ! Diagnose.exe see my card now, of course. Just got an error message with hi DMA, I'll look into it later. Thanks again,

Thomas

Ha, that's great 😀
In the CTCM folder is another utility, called CTCU. You can change the ressources there, if needed. Btw: Welcome to vogons and enjoy your AWE32 😀

Best regards
Fabian

Well, I played with the AWE32 tonight, and I confirm that it works very well, that's a great new (and my SB32 is probably good too, I'll test it). I didn't remember CTCM/CTCU at all, because back in the days, when I bought PnP Sound Blaster, I was already on W95. Anyway, I still have my High DMA issue. Do you have any idea of what I could try? CTCU do not offer any other setting than 5 and when I change it manually in CTPNP.CFG or AUTOEXEC.BAT, it's automatically changed back to 5. I've just tried in another 486 computer, and in this one, no pb at all, everything works.

See you,

Thomas

Maybe the desired DMA for 16-Bit DMA isn't available on your other motherboard. You should be able to set the high DMA to the same value as the low DMA (just type the same DMA into the ctpnp.cfg. That won't cause a problem.

I'm still can't use the Hi DMA with my cards on this PC 🙁 And when I change the Hi DMA in ctpnp.cfg, (tried different values, including 1 like the Low DMA), it's automatically back to 5 after every reboot (after every ctcm.exe I suppose). Am I out of option on this motherboard? Can't the PnP AWE32 use another value than H=5 ? If I buy a non PnP one like the 2760, will it "listen" to what I set in SET BLASTER?

Thanks a lot,

Thomas

OK, lets do some trick: Set "1" for high DMA in the ctpnp.cfg. Save the ctpnp.cfg and mark is as write protect the configuration file with "attrib +r ctpnp.cfg". Reboot. The value should stay as is and be used by the card. give it a try.

Switching back from CT3990 to CT2760 will give you:

- the feeling of having the first awe32 model rather than the last 🤣
- more noise due to an older hardware mixer and circuit
- genuine opl3 sound, much better than the creative version from the ct3990

God damn it, no luck. With your good trick idea, when I put the ctpnp.cfg with write protection (and I also tried with autoexec.bat), the card takes the Hi DMA modifications but it still fails in diagnose.exe (I tried 1 and 3). After playing with write protection/unprotection, I notices that the "ctcu.exe /s" always modify back to H5 both autoexec.bat and ctpnp.cfg (and it is launched at every boot by autoexec.bat) and ctcm.exe (also launched at everyboot by config.sys) always modify back the ctpnp.cfg to H5 too (but it doesn't change the SET BLASTER in autoexec.bat).

Are the various Sound Blaster lines order important in autoexec.bat? I don't think I made any modification from what the installer did, but who knows.

Btw, buying a CT2760 is mandatory for my personnal collection. I like to build one or two "uber PCs" per year, it's my way to have a collection with home build computers, using the best component available at the time or almost the best when it's too hard too find (or too expensive). As the CT3990 AWE32 PnP went out only in 1995, I should keep it for my not created 1995 Uber PC and by a 1994 CT2760 AWE32 for the current 1994 Uber PC. But even if I do that, I hate to stay betten by the hardware :p

Thanks for the help,

Thomas

In the BIOS, if you don't use them, disable the two serial ports and the parallel port. They take up some resources. Same goes for USB if it assigns an IRQ.

Also I made a YT tutorial ages ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2TWI1DUg74

Might help you out.

Thanks. I'll watch your video, we never now too many things, but I already tried. In fact, there nothing like that in my BIOS (witch is not PnP). But on the daugther controler card, I already disabled by jumpers the FDC, the COM 2, the // port and the game port, just kept COM1 for my mouse and the IDE contrôleur for my HDD of course. There's no USB on this 486/1994 board.

I also tried with no LAN card (it's a PnP Etherlink III ISA from 1995) but no change. The only thing I've not tried is with another video card yet.

To maulwurfs suggestion:
Disabeling serial ports won't free a DMA channel. (serial ports take one I/O and one IRQ each). The only option to free a DMA channel is to disable the DMA-access of the parallel port if the parallel port is set to EPP/ECP mode.

Back to topic:

OK well, we haven't finished all options, so the next step is to delete the "CTCU /S" line. You don't need it in your startup. for the ct3990 pnp card you basically only need:

1st things first:

execution of ctcm to access the ressources. you can put ctcm in autoexec.bat OR config.sys. if you put it in the autoexec.bat be sure that the ctcm entry is in the lines above the other entries like mixerset and aweutil. my autoexec.bat for a awe-pnp card is just 5 lines long and would look like this:

SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
C:\AWE32\MIXERSET /P /Q
C:\AWE32\AWEUTIL /R:25 /C:15 /S <-- this line will enable the opl3 playback of the card (for games that don't have native awe32 support for music playback) and enables the reverb and chorus effect (R: reverb C: chorus, the stated values add moderate effect. you can modify them or just delete /R:xx /C:xx completely.

maybe some additional notes (while I have a page specifically for the configuration of the cards online):

- There should be no SET BLASTER=.... line in autoexec.bat because CTCM sets this environment variable.
- if the result of CTCM is the desired configuration entered in CTPNP.CFG everything is fine
- CTPNP.CFG should be always set Read Only when CTCM is called
- You can call CTCM /T if it complains about a running windows environment (though you shouldn't run it in a dos window within windows)
- You can help Windows by setting the second ISA-PnP configuration of the AWE in CTCU to desired resources (coldboot/reset/power off/on afterwards), first configuration is for safe mode and it is ROM.
- If Diagnose fails for High DMA check if 8 and 16 bit DMA is set to the same DMA, did you check with some real Application (e.g. Duke3D) ? No typical application uses 8 and 16 bit DMA at the same time, so Diagnose failing on the test may not be relevant at all.

Thanks for thoses precious tips. I'll try soon.

Btw, I'm using the "original" CTCM utility found on the CT3990 CDROM ISO, would it help/be a good idea to replace it with a more modern one like the one offered on Creative website from 1998?

++

Thomas

Yes definitely try the latest drivers 😀

No, keep the CTCM from the CD. As the CT3990 was the last model of the line the CTCM on the disc is the perfect match for the card and does the job very well.

Well I started the tests. Now, I have absolutly nothing about Sound Blaster in my config.sys, and only the 5 lines you suggested FGB in my autoexec.bat. At start, I saw two error messages, one about a missing driver and the other one about AWEUTIL not recognizing the /R: parameter.

elianda : if I put my CTPNP.CFG in read only, CTCM do use the settings. But it dosn't mean DIAGNOSE passe the Hi DMA check (failure, I must quit with F3). I've double checked with the Duke 3D Setup. About the sound FX card, if I choose Sound Blaster then 8 bit mixing, I've got sound. If I switch to 16 bit mixing, I get an error and no sound. Everything's fine about the Music card, I've fot FM sound if I choose Sound Blaster and midi sound if I choose AWE32.

About the files I use : I used to have a non PnP SB16 on this computer, but I cleaned totally the config.sys and autoexec.bat and the SB16 directory when I changed. Then I used the CTCM and drivers from the CT3990 CD. I use a more recent Diagnose.exe (4.x) found on this forum. The computer runs MS-DOS 6.22 + W3.11 but I do all thoses tests booting only on DOS.

++

Thomas

Would you please be a bit more specific on which two error message came when the computer started?
Also I would recommend to use all the Creative tool from one source and don't pick one tool from here and another from there. That only adds more possibilities for errors and imcompatibilities.

Regarding the AWEUTIL refusing to accept the Reverb and Chorus it might be that your card doesn't route the FM part through the EMU8000 as mine card does (CT3980 model). In that case you can just delete the /R: und /C: switches.

There is only one message, it happens after loading the MIXERSET saying : "MIX0001 : Auxiliary driver AUXDRV.DRV not found.". The second one was the /R: parameter in AWEUTIL witch dissapeared after removing /R: and /C:. I don't remember this message before "cleaning" my config.sys/autoexec.bat I did today and I can't see any other difference using the PC.

About the Hi DMA, one more confirmation it's not working : under Windows 3.11, il I use W3play to read a MP3 file, I got no sound using the 16 bit mixing but it's ok with 8 bit mixing.

Make sure the *.drv files are in place. By default, you have those in "c:\sb16\drv". Also check if you have this line in autoexec.bat:
SET SOUND=C:\SB16