So the drivers you just downloaded are WDM? To be absolutely sure DOS isn't available, launch the setup.exe file to start Live!Ware installation, now go to the point where it shows what components will be installed. Now press alt+escape and run explorer. Go to Temp folder of windows, (Default is c:\windows\temp) Inside is a lw3 folder. Copy the audio.ini inside to your desktop or any easy-to-find location. Use notepad to open, then find the line "DOS=" line.
If it's there:
0=Don't install DOS drivers
1=Do

I followed your instructions, edited the audio.ini file and saved it, then continued the full installation. No luck, alas. I then e-mailed Creative, who replied, "DOS emulation is not supported under WinMe this is only supported in Win95/98 (DOS 7)." I had another look at the driver links provided by Stiletto. The first one, as well as not working in unpatched Me, isn't compatible with LiveWare greater than 2.0. The second one doesn't seem to have these issues so I'll try making a boot disk from it.

Well! I created a WinMe boot disk. As per the instructions from the SBLIVE2SB16 download, I replaced the boot disk's HIMEM.SYS with the downloaded version, copied EMM386 to the floppy and moved the downloaded SBLIVE folder to C:\SBLIVE. I added the following lines to the AUTOEXEC.BAT:

SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
SET CTSYN=C:\SBLIVE

and these to the CONFIG.SYS:

device=A:\HIMEM.SYS
device=A:\EMM386.EXE

Then I booted to the command prompt (SHIFT+F5) and CD'd to the SBLIVE folder. However, when I ran SBEINIT, the response was "Memory Manager not found / Use EMM386 / SB16 Emulation NOT installed." I then tried running EMM386 from the command prompt. The response was "EMM386 NOT installed."

Any thoughts on what the problem might be?

AUTOEXEC.BAT:

SET SOUND=C:\PATH\TO\CTSND
SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 H7 P330 T6
SET CTSYN=C:\WINDOWS
SET PATH=
C:\PATH\TO\SBEINIT.COM
LOADHIGH C:\PATH\TO\MOUSE.EXE
C:\PATH\TO\CTLOAD.COM C:\SBIDE.SYS /D:MSCD001 /p:170,15
LOADHIGH MSCDEX /D:MSCD001

CONFIG.SYS:

DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM I=B000-B7FF
BUFFERS=20
FILES=20

-or- use:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM I=B000-B7FF I=CC00-DFFF I=E000-EFFF I=F000-F2FF FRAME=E000

instead of what I've got up there.

See if that doesn't help fix the problem.

Snover wrote:

Type in command "copy c:\w\temp\... c:\w\temp\somewhereelse"...

Attempting to "swipe" DOS drivers from the installer while it's running appears to be a dead end. Even when I run it under VPC5, it simply doesn't get to the point where it extracts the DOS files before it aborts.

Still can't get EMM386 running in pure DOS. I wonder if it's a compatibility issue or something?

Make sure you use "Step-by-Step Authorisation" mode instead of just "Load in MS-DOS" or "Restart in MS-DOS mode" as the last two will load extraneous stuff (SMARTDRV and such) that may prevent you from getting enough memory.

Good news! My dad found the SBLive! driver installation CD! Amazingly enough, the DOS drivers have their own separate installation program! Enjoy! (Self-extracting RAR archive)

Quickbeam:
>Still can't get EMM386 running in pure DOS. I wonder if it's a compatibility issue or something?

I may be way too late for this posting, but in case you didn't find out yet, there IS such a compatibility problem between WinME (and its EBD) and emm386.exe which is precisely what the sb Live! dos drivers require.
See e. g.
MS Knowledge Base art. Q275423
Actually, since editing system.ini the way it says hardly helped, I used a Win98FE boot floppy so there was no trouble with emm386.exe and the sblive emulation. If you don't have a Win98 partition you can always find a Win98 startup disk on some webpage afaik.

I don't know about you, but my real concern was the sb emulation under Win9x was not always satisfying, in one case (Sam and Max hit the road) completely lacking, but all the same a PCI IRQ conflict would prevent my installing of the real mode drivers off the sblive cdrom.
I can't change the IRQ settings in the BIOS either because this BIOS of mine won't give me this opportunity. I also tried changing the card's slot and it didn't change things a bit.
Now using sblive2sb16.zip there's the chance of bypassing this IRQ issue so if you can get emm386 to work (and be sure to drop the whole ramdrive thing) you can eventually use the drivers and the sbeset and sbeinit utilities to have the perfect dos environment that at least Sam'n'max seem to need so badly.

Yeah, the DOS drivers have always had a seperate install. The DOS directory on my Live? 😉 and Audigy CD's.

DosFreak wrote:

Yeah, the DOS drivers have always had a seperate install. The DOS directory on my Live? 😉 and Audigy CD's.

On the CD, Yes. On the (former) download, it was a sub-section that was disabled by default and wouldn't allow you to run separately from main install program.

Nicht Sehr Gut wrote:

On the (former) download, it was a sub-section that was disabled by default and wouldn't allow you to run separately from main install program.

It was? Oops. Guess I should have tested that installer first. Sorry. 😜

This site has been updated:
http://easymamecab.mameworld.net/html/SBPCI.htm

Weird, that site doesn't mention drivers for Audigy although I'm sure that the drivers I put together work for the Audigy/live in DOS.....Will retest again this weekend.

Cool. I'll mention it to him.

Snover wrote:

Good news! My dad found the SBLive! driver installation CD! Amazingly enough, the DOS drivers have their own separate installation program! Enjoy! (Self-extracting RAR archive)

Question: Are these "real" DOS drivers (can be run with *any* Windows present) or do they need all that CTSYN crap to be present in a Windows directory?

edit: They won't install. It gives me some crap about not having enough disk space despite the fact that theres 1Gb+ on both the partitions I have. I even tried using the 2000 APCOMPAT tool to fix the 2Gb+ problem but to no avail. Any ideas?

DosFreak wrote:

Weird, that site doesn't mention drivers for Audigy although I'm sure that the drivers I put together work for the Audigy/live in DOS.....Will retest again this weekend.

The SBLive.zip archive contains the DOS sound card drivers for the Sound Blaster Live! and Sound Blaster Audigy PCI cards. They are setup and optimized for AdvanceMENU and MAME. They will not work with ArcadeOS on most platforms (especially intel's).

See, he does have some.

...

Don't know what to tell you, LSD. Why are you trying to install them in Windows 2000?

Let me rephrase that question in a more fitting form:

What were you thinking!? If DOS drivers worked in Windows 2000 there would be no NEED for VDMSound. Jesus. Sorry to be an arse, but, good lord.

Whoops, too many christian references. I need to go bathe in the blood of some virgins. Be back later. 😁

nonono, read the post again. I don't want them under 2000, I want them under DOS.

I wasn't even trying to install them under 2000 (I got rid of it a year ago) I was just using the APCOMPAT tool that comes on the CD because it offered a quick and easy fix to the problem I thought I was having.

I...see...
&&*cough*