First-off: are the cards known-good? Do they get detected in any other systems? Something has died if they used to work on this board, but it could just as easily be the cards themselves.

One thing to look into if PnP detection is failing, is ESCD. That's where this sort of transient stuff is stored. It doesn't automatically get cleared with a CMOS clear. To reset ESCD, disconnect power from system and then press power button for at least 10 sec. Reconnect power, boot up and see if that changed anything.

Also, try removing the AWE ISA card and disabling ISA legacy support in BIOS. It's unlikely but possible that the ISA bridge chip is doing something the PCI cards don't like. The cards that don't work are all very PCI-sensitive Creative cards, the same lot that would have trouble with a Via 686B southbridge. If disabling ISA solves the problem, you should probably start looking for a non-Creative PCI card less sensitive about PCI interrupts - maybe a Terratec Aureon or something with an Aureal chip.

ESCD is stored in the flash chip. You need to use the "reset configuration data" option in BIOS setup to clear it

maxtherabbit wrote on 2022-08-13, 13:10:

ESCD is stored in the flash chip. You need to use the "reset configuration data" option in BIOS setup to clear it

That will also do the trick - but not all motherboards have this option.

Yes, all those cards mentioned are good. Just to be sure, I tested them on another machine and each one was detected under Windows 98. Now that I think about it, I actually don't think I have used any of those with this particular motherboard. All I ever remember using was the Sound Blaster AWE for Windows 98 and Sound Blaster X-Fi (which still works, but useless for 98) for Windows XP.

I have tried resetting the ESCD already from the BIOS, but I tried it by disconnecting power and holding down the power button as well. Either way didn't help.

I've tried removing the ISA card but I have no ISA legacy support option or anything similar. Still doesn't work.

Is there anything else I can try? Is my only option at this point to get something not made by Creative? Unfortunately I have only Creative cards (aside from a broken Bluegears and an ISA ESS card).

Have you tried other PCI cards (not sound) in this industrial board to make sure its PCI works properly?

I'm wondering if it's doing something goofy like only providing 3.3v to the slot and not 5v or something

I have a PCI NIC in it. Intel Pro 1000 GT, it works fine in either slot. I'm thinking either there is some sort of incompatibility with the chipset of the motherboard and Creative cards or something strange is going on with the PCI slots. At this point I'm looking for other soundcard options, Terratec Aureon was mentioned and I looked into that and found one with a CMI8738 chipset. Then I found one by C-Media with the same chipset but for a better price. I only really know about Creative cards, but I'm thinking this C-Media card should work. Does anyone know if it's decent?

Depends on "decent". The chip is far simpler than the Creative ones, which is both a blessing and a curse. In Windows its added value over the integrated AC'97 won't be huge, just limited EAX support - and minimal DOS support too, but not significantly better than on the Live. Note that the card you have almost certainly isn't from C-Media, that's the chipset vendor. Quality of cards - and therefore analog noise levels - differ wildly, with Terratec and AOpen making some pretty nice ones, and a lot of junk out there that makes an early CT1740 seem quiet by comparison. If your card doesn't have the real card manufacturer visible on it, that's generally not a good sign.

But unlke the Creative Live! options, it's a complete slut when it comes to PCI. If the slot minimally works, cards based on this chip will probably be OK.

There are better non-creative solutions out there, things like the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz (based on Crystal CS4360 chip) as all-rounder, or more geared towards serious audio than gaming like M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 ( Via Envy chip) but they can be harder to come by, so I wouldn't recommend them as part of troubleshooting. Also I'm not aware how nicely they play with iffy PCI bus stuff - I have both and have never had problems, but I've never used them on 686B motherboards, or indeed on my industrial PICMG P4 with ISA.

Hmm, yeah I suppose that card is some unbranded card. Here's what I need: a card with Windows 98 support that is non-Creative, with wdm drivers. DOS support is not necessary as I will be using my ISA card for DOS games. I'm on a bit of a budget at the moment, I don't think I can get either card you mentioned right now. I'll keep looking but am really open for more suggestions.

Edit: Actually am looking at the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz (CS4630). Seems like a good all-around card and I found one for a decent price.

Update: I decided to order the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz and it arrived today. I tried it in both PCI slots and it seems to work just fine in either one! So I guess this is problem solved. My board just doesn't work with certain Creative cards. Thank you everyone for the suggestions.