The MSI 690T is an AM2 board, so I assume that's a typo .

That said, when running under real-mode DOS (not in a Windows DOS box), I imagine that you are not initializing the Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS (PCI), as that would be a potential source of conflicts with the AWE64 .

The way the AWE64 initialization works, the settings configured in Windows 9x are written to a file that is then used by the DOS initialization utility ( CTCM.EXE). Having a separate DOS 7.1 bootable environment prevents that from working . As a workaround, you could try copying c:\windows\CTPNP.CFG into a manually created c:\windows directory on your DOS 7.1 boot environment .

In the long run, to avoid such issues with AWE64 settings changes (and possibly others), I suggest you get rid of the DOS 7.1 boot environment and just use the Windows 9x one along with a BOOTMENU, if you need a different config for real mode DOS than for actual Windows . I also suggest you consider disable automatic Windows starting by modifiying MSDOS.SYS . That way you can easily access real mode DOS when needed and just start Windows with the "win" command . You should even be able start Windows in one of your BOOTMENU configs by appending the win command to it .

EDIT: Another option is to use Unisound to initialize your AWE64 to the settings you want in your DOS 7.1 boot environment independently of your Windows 98 one .

EDIT2: I just tried Tyrian 2000 on an AWE64 connected to an SC-88VL and configured to port 330h . Everything works fine . Machine is a P3 1400 512K on a 815EP board with two other sound cards .

darry wrote on 2020-07-14, 21:07:

The MSI 690T is an AM2 board, so I assume that's a typo . […]
Show full quote

The MSI 690T is an AM2 board, so I assume that's a typo .

That said, when running under real-mode DOS (not in a Windows DOS box), I imagine that you are not initializing the Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS (PCI), as that would be a potential source of conflicts with the AWE64 .

The way the AWE64 initialization works, the settings configured in Windows 9x are written to a file that is then used by the DOS initialization utility ( CTCM.EXE). Having a separate DOS 7.1 bootable environment prevents that from working . As a workaround, you could try copying c:\windows\CTPNP.CFG into a manually created c:\windows directory on your DOS 7.1 boot environment .

In the long run, to avoid such issues with AWE64 settings changes (and possibly others), I suggest you get rid of the DOS 7.1 boot environment and just use the Windows 9x one along with a BOOTMENU, if you need a different config for real mode DOS than for actual Windows . I also suggest you consider disable automatic Windows starting by modifiying MSDOS.SYS . That way you can easily access real mode DOS when needed and just start Windows with the "win" command . You should even be able start Windows in one of your BOOTMENU configs by appending the win command to it .

EDIT: Another option is to use Unisound to initialize your AWE64 to the settings you want in your DOS 7.1 boot environment independently of your Windows 98 one .

EDIT2: I just tried Tyrian 2000 on an AWE64 connected to an SC-88VL and configured to port 330h . Everything works fine . Machine is a P3 1400 512K on a 815EP board with two other sound cards .

You're right, my motherboard is a MSI 694T. I'll try to remove my sound blaster PCI and see if that changes anything.

EDIT: Didn't change anything. I use BootIT. The windows 98 and Dos 7.1 are (2) seperate instances on 2 seperate partitions. When the Dos 7.1 option is selected, the windows 98 partition is disabled (hidden from dos). I took your advice and I was able to copy the ctpnp.cfg and map the awe64 to 330h, but again it still hangs. FM and AWE audio modes work GREAT... I wonder if it's my card? I'll post my autoexec.bat and config.sys. Would you mind glancing over them?

Here is my CONFIG.SYS:

1DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS W/e/l/c/o/m/e /t/o MS-DOS 7.10...
2DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS C/o/p/y/r/i/g/h/t M/i/c/r/o/s/o/f/t C/o/r/p. A/l/l /r/i/g/h/t/s /r/e/s/e/r/v/e/d.
3REM DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
4DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEMX.EXE /MAX=32768 /X2MAX32
5DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM
6DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
7DEVICE=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
8REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\POWER.EXE
9DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:IDE-CD
10REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(,,1)
11COUNTRY=001,437,C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS
12SHELL=COMMAND.COM /P /E:640
13DOS=HIGH,UMB
14FCBS=4,0
15FILES=30
16BUFFERS=20,0
17LASTDRIVE=26
18STACKS=9,256
19SET PATH=C:\DOS;..;C:\SB16;C:\CTCM;C:\GRAVIS\PCGPPro;C:\GRAVIS\GRAVUTIL;

Here is my AUTOEXEC.BAT:

1@ECHO OFF
2PROMPT $P$G
3SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
4SET MIDI=SYNTH:2 MAP:E MODE:1
5SET SOUND=C:\SB16
6SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
7REM C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S
8C:\SB16\AWEUTIL /S
9C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q
10SET DIRCMD=/4
11MODE CON RATE=32 DELAY=1
12REM MODE CON CP PREPARE=((437)EGA.CPI)
13REM MODE CON CP SELECT=437
14REM KEYB US,,KEYBOARD.SYS
15LH KILLER
16LH DOSKEY
17LH DOSLFN /Z:C:\DOS\CP437UNI.TBL
18LH MSCDEX /D:IDE-CD
19LH SHARE /L:30
20REM LH NLSFUNC
21REM LH SMARTDRV
22LH CTMOUSE
23REM For compatiblity purpose:
24LH CTMOUSE > NUL
25ECHO.
26REM For locking volumes to enable "direct disk access":
27CALL LOCKDRV.BAT
28BREAK ON
29LFNFOR ON
30ECHO Now you are in MS-DOS 7.10 prompt. Type 'HELP' for help.
31ECHO.

NovaFiddler wrote on 2020-07-14, 21:54:

You're right, my motherboard is a MSI 694T. I'll try to remove my sound blaster PCI and see if that changes anything. […]
Show full quote

darry wrote on 2020-07-14, 21:07:

The MSI 690T is an AM2 board, so I assume that's a typo . […]
Show full quote

The MSI 690T is an AM2 board, so I assume that's a typo .

That said, when running under real-mode DOS (not in a Windows DOS box), I imagine that you are not initializing the Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS (PCI), as that would be a potential source of conflicts with the AWE64 .

The way the AWE64 initialization works, the settings configured in Windows 9x are written to a file that is then used by the DOS initialization utility ( CTCM.EXE). Having a separate DOS 7.1 bootable environment prevents that from working . As a workaround, you could try copying c:\windows\CTPNP.CFG into a manually created c:\windows directory on your DOS 7.1 boot environment .

In the long run, to avoid such issues with AWE64 settings changes (and possibly others), I suggest you get rid of the DOS 7.1 boot environment and just use the Windows 9x one along with a BOOTMENU, if you need a different config for real mode DOS than for actual Windows . I also suggest you consider disable automatic Windows starting by modifiying MSDOS.SYS . That way you can easily access real mode DOS when needed and just start Windows with the "win" command . You should even be able start Windows in one of your BOOTMENU configs by appending the win command to it .

EDIT: Another option is to use Unisound to initialize your AWE64 to the settings you want in your DOS 7.1 boot environment independently of your Windows 98 one .

EDIT2: I just tried Tyrian 2000 on an AWE64 connected to an SC-88VL and configured to port 330h . Everything works fine . Machine is a P3 1400 512K on a 815EP board with two other sound cards .

You're right, my motherboard is a MSI 694T. I'll try to remove my sound blaster PCI and see if that changes anything.

EDIT: Didn't change anything. I use BootIT. The windows 98 and Dos 7.1 are (2) seperate instances on 2 seperate partitions. When the Dos 7.1 option is selected, the windows 98 partition is disabled (hidden from dos). I took your advice and I was able to copy the ctpnp.cfg and map the awe64 to 330h, but again it still hangs. FM and AWE audio modes work GREAT... I wonder if it's my card? I'll post my autoexec.bat and config.sys. Would you mind glancing over them?

Here is my CONFIG.SYS:

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1DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS W/e/l/c/o/m/e /t/o MS-DOS 7.10...
2DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS C/o/p/y/r/i/g/h/t M/i/c/r/o/s/o/f/t C/o/r/p. A/l/l /r/i/g/h/t/s /r/e/s/e/r/v/e/d.
3REM DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
4DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEMX.EXE /MAX=32768 /X2MAX32
5DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM
6DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
7DEVICE=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
8REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\POWER.EXE
9DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:IDE-CD
10REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(,,1)
11COUNTRY=001,437,C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS
12SHELL=COMMAND.COM /P /E:640
13DOS=HIGH,UMB
14FCBS=4,0
15FILES=30
16BUFFERS=20,0
17LASTDRIVE=26
18STACKS=9,256
19SET PATH=C:\DOS;..;C:\SB16;C:\CTCM;C:\GRAVIS\PCGPPro;C:\GRAVIS\GRAVUTIL;

Here is my AUTOEXEC.BAT:

Copy code to clipboard

1@ECHO OFF
2PROMPT $P$G
3SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
4SET MIDI=SYNTH:2 MAP:E MODE:1
5SET SOUND=C:\SB16
6SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
7REM C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S
8C:\SB16\AWEUTIL /S
9C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q
10SET DIRCMD=/4
11MODE CON RATE=32 DELAY=1
12REM MODE CON CP PREPARE=((437)EGA.CPI)
13REM MODE CON CP SELECT=437
14REM KEYB US,,KEYBOARD.SYS
15LH KILLER
16LH DOSKEY
17LH DOSLFN /Z:C:\DOS\CP437UNI.TBL
18LH MSCDEX /D:IDE-CD
19LH SHARE /L:30
20REM LH NLSFUNC
21REM LH SMARTDRV
22LH CTMOUSE
23REM For compatiblity purpose:
24LH CTMOUSE > NUL
25ECHO.
26REM For locking volumes to enable "direct disk access":
27CALL LOCKDRV.BAT
28BREAK ON
29LFNFOR ON
30ECHO Now you are in MS-DOS 7.10 prompt. Type 'HELP' for help.
31ECHO.

If Duke Nukem 3D works with the AWE64 MIDI port set to 330h and produces music through SC-55mkII, then your sound card is probably fine .

As a test, I suggest trying with this minimalist setup . If that works, you can start re-adding stuff to see what makes it break . I put back himem.sys instead of himemx.exe because that works for me, but feel free to try with either .
By the way, I took the liberty of putty your SET PATH= statement in your autoexec.bat, where it belongs .

Your SET CTCM= should be set to the directory which contains the ctpnp.cfg file . In this case, CTPNP.EXE does not care because it is being loaded in config.sys, but if you want to able able to run CTCM.EXE from the DOS prompt, the variable should set correctly .

CONFIG.SYS:

1DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS W/e/l/c/o/m/e /t/o MS-DOS 7.10...
2DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS C/o/p/y/r/i/g/h/t M/i/c/r/o/s/o/f/t C/o/r/p. A/l/l /r/i/g/h/t/s /r/e/s/e/r/v/e/d.
3REM DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
4DEVICE=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
5DOS=HIGH,UMB
6FILES=30

AUTOEXEC.BAT:

1@ECHO OFF
2SET PATH=C:\DOS;..;C:\SB16;C:\CTCM;C:\GRAVIS\PCGPPro;C:\GRAVIS\GRAVUTIL;
3PROMPT $P$G
4SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
5SET MIDI=SYNTH:2 MAP:E MODE:1
6SET SOUND=C:\SB16
7SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
8REM C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S
9C:\SB16\AWEUTIL /S
10C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q
11ECHO Now you are in MS-DOS 7.10 prompt. Type 'HELP' for help.
12ECHO .

darry wrote on 2020-07-14, 23:07:

If Duke Nukem 3D works with the AWE64 MIDI port set to 330h and produces music through SC-55mkII, then your sound card is probab […]
Show full quote

NovaFiddler wrote on 2020-07-14, 21:54:

You're right, my motherboard is a MSI 694T. I'll try to remove my sound blaster PCI and see if that changes anything. […]
Show full quote

darry wrote on 2020-07-14, 21:07:

The MSI 690T is an AM2 board, so I assume that's a typo . […]
Show full quote

The MSI 690T is an AM2 board, so I assume that's a typo .

That said, when running under real-mode DOS (not in a Windows DOS box), I imagine that you are not initializing the Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS (PCI), as that would be a potential source of conflicts with the AWE64 .

The way the AWE64 initialization works, the settings configured in Windows 9x are written to a file that is then used by the DOS initialization utility ( CTCM.EXE). Having a separate DOS 7.1 bootable environment prevents that from working . As a workaround, you could try copying c:\windows\CTPNP.CFG into a manually created c:\windows directory on your DOS 7.1 boot environment .

In the long run, to avoid such issues with AWE64 settings changes (and possibly others), I suggest you get rid of the DOS 7.1 boot environment and just use the Windows 9x one along with a BOOTMENU, if you need a different config for real mode DOS than for actual Windows . I also suggest you consider disable automatic Windows starting by modifiying MSDOS.SYS . That way you can easily access real mode DOS when needed and just start Windows with the "win" command . You should even be able start Windows in one of your BOOTMENU configs by appending the win command to it .

EDIT: Another option is to use Unisound to initialize your AWE64 to the settings you want in your DOS 7.1 boot environment independently of your Windows 98 one .

EDIT2: I just tried Tyrian 2000 on an AWE64 connected to an SC-88VL and configured to port 330h . Everything works fine . Machine is a P3 1400 512K on a 815EP board with two other sound cards .

You're right, my motherboard is a MSI 694T. I'll try to remove my sound blaster PCI and see if that changes anything.

EDIT: Didn't change anything. I use BootIT. The windows 98 and Dos 7.1 are (2) seperate instances on 2 seperate partitions. When the Dos 7.1 option is selected, the windows 98 partition is disabled (hidden from dos). I took your advice and I was able to copy the ctpnp.cfg and map the awe64 to 330h, but again it still hangs. FM and AWE audio modes work GREAT... I wonder if it's my card? I'll post my autoexec.bat and config.sys. Would you mind glancing over them?

Here is my CONFIG.SYS:

Copy code to clipboard

1DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS W/e/l/c/o/m/e /t/o MS-DOS 7.10...
2DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS C/o/p/y/r/i/g/h/t M/i/c/r/o/s/o/f/t C/o/r/p. A/l/l /r/i/g/h/t/s /r/e/s/e/r/v/e/d.
3REM DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
4DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEMX.EXE /MAX=32768 /X2MAX32
5DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM
6DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
7DEVICE=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
8REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\POWER.EXE
9DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:IDE-CD
10REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(,,1)
11COUNTRY=001,437,C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS
12SHELL=COMMAND.COM /P /E:640
13DOS=HIGH,UMB
14FCBS=4,0
15FILES=30
16BUFFERS=20,0
17LASTDRIVE=26
18STACKS=9,256
19SET PATH=C:\DOS;..;C:\SB16;C:\CTCM;C:\GRAVIS\PCGPPro;C:\GRAVIS\GRAVUTIL;

Here is my AUTOEXEC.BAT:

Copy code to clipboard

1@ECHO OFF
2PROMPT $P$G
3SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
4SET MIDI=SYNTH:2 MAP:E MODE:1
5SET SOUND=C:\SB16
6SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
7REM C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S
8C:\SB16\AWEUTIL /S
9C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q
10SET DIRCMD=/4
11MODE CON RATE=32 DELAY=1
12REM MODE CON CP PREPARE=((437)EGA.CPI)
13REM MODE CON CP SELECT=437
14REM KEYB US,,KEYBOARD.SYS
15LH KILLER
16LH DOSKEY
17LH DOSLFN /Z:C:\DOS\CP437UNI.TBL
18LH MSCDEX /D:IDE-CD
19LH SHARE /L:30
20REM LH NLSFUNC
21REM LH SMARTDRV
22LH CTMOUSE
23REM For compatiblity purpose:
24LH CTMOUSE > NUL
25ECHO.
26REM For locking volumes to enable "direct disk access":
27CALL LOCKDRV.BAT
28BREAK ON
29LFNFOR ON
30ECHO Now you are in MS-DOS 7.10 prompt. Type 'HELP' for help.
31ECHO.

If Duke Nukem 3D works with the AWE64 MIDI port set to 330h and produces music through SC-55mkII, then your sound card is probably fine .

As a test, I suggest trying with this minimalist setup . If that works, you can start re-adding stuff to see what makes it break . I put back himem.sys instead of himemx.exe because that works for me, but feel free to try with either .
By the way, I took the liberty of putty your SET PATH= statement in your autoexec.bat, where it belongs .

Your SET CTCM= should be set to the directory which contains the ctpnp.cfg file . In this case, CTPNP.EXE does not care because it is being loaded in config.sys, but if you want to able able to run CTCM.EXE from the DOS prompt, the variable should set correctly .

CONFIG.SYS:

Copy code to clipboard

1DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS W/e/l/c/o/m/e /t/o MS-DOS 7.10...
2DEVICE=C:\DOS\ECHO.SYS C/o/p/y/r/i/g/h/t M/i/c/r/o/s/o/f/t C/o/r/p. A/l/l /r/i/g/h/t/s /r/e/s/e/r/v/e/d.
3REM DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
4DEVICE=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
5DOS=HIGH,UMB
6FILES=30

AUTOEXEC.BAT:

Copy code to clipboard

1@ECHO OFF
2SET PATH=C:\DOS;..;C:\SB16;C:\CTCM;C:\GRAVIS\PCGPPro;C:\GRAVIS\GRAVUTIL;
3PROMPT $P$G
4SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
5SET MIDI=SYNTH:2 MAP:E MODE:1
6SET SOUND=C:\SB16
7SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
8REM C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S
9C:\SB16\AWEUTIL /S
10C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q
11ECHO Now you are in MS-DOS 7.10 prompt. Type 'HELP' for help.
12ECHO .

Thank you for the advice! I'll try this minimal config this evening.