Not really... The Aureal Vortex 2 allows software backends but it's very lousy with odd games, and even the ones that work gave me lots of hanging notes and problems in Windows 98; I used the latest reference drivers BTW (2048). The wave slider doesn't even effect DOS games and you're completely stuck with clipping and distortion (sounds really awful), unless the game has sfx volume adjustment. I haven't tried any other drivers though. This card is probably better suited in a real-mode DOS environment, but it only appears to use hardware modules in real-mode DOS (no software or soundfont support AFAIK).

If you're dead set on running your DOS games inside Windows 98, the Sound Blaster Live with WDM drivers up to 09-2001 work fantastic. These are the newest ones I'd go withHow to get Sound Blaster Emulation in Win9X/ME via live!5.1 with newer-current mobo's (no nmi-ddma). I tried the newer one from 03-2002 but it gave me problems with DOS titles. It has the best emulation I've seen (sound is crystal clear, odd games work, supports soundfonts, no crashes in Duke 3D sewers, and digital cd audio works). They're one of the most modern implementations for DOS sound, so you don't set any DOS environment variables; this also means you won't have sound in real-mode DOS for DOS games, only in Windows 98/ME.

Thanks for the info, I wasn't able to get my SBLive working due to lack of NMI, so I was ready to scrap the idea of using it. Will those drivers you posted work with either My SBlive CT4670 or SB0220?
I don't require realmode DOS for this particular machine, so I'm not too concerned about that.

Thanks again.

Yes. It should work with ct4670. CT4670 is a Sound Blaster Live! Value PCI according to Creative; my particular card is a Live! Value ct4780 and it works fine. You have to manually specify driver location during install as "Sound Blaster Live! Value (WDM)". I don't know what type of Live! the sb0220 is so I'm not sure that'll work (it should if it's a emu10k1 sound blaster live! like most, but you have to specify the correct type).

Yes, it's a Live! Value 1st generation. Could you perhaps provide me with a direct link to the driver? Or perhaps upload it for me here? http://filegooi.co.za/uploadbay/uploads

My antivirus blocks driverguide's downloader.

Thanks.

http://filegooi.co.za/get2/49d9a3252ae742ac4a … 1b77/CT4780.ZIP

You should install audiohq from this cd http://speedy.sh/jaqGd/Sound-Blaster-Live-Val … -1713330760.zip. You select to install Sound Blaster Live, select custom install when it asks, then deselect all options (including DOS drivers), and proceed with setup. It'll try installing the VXD drivers and usually the gameport driver will revert to the multimedia device, so you have to update the multimedia device to the gameport driver again; Windows should keep the WDM drivers installed for the Sound Blaster Live!, but if not you'll have to update them to the WDM drivers again too. I recommend this because it is the lightest version of audiohq I've seen with surround mixer, speaker setup, and soundfont manager. It even has all the profiles you need for corresponding games (Starcraft, Quake 2, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy VII, etc) and I think they work with DOS games even.

Totempole wrote:

My antivirus blocks driverguide's downloader.

(see: DriverGuide.com’s Not-so-surprising Scammy Tactics)

Thanks for the info, but unfortunately the CT4670 wasn't supported by those drivers. Are there WDM drivers available for the CT4670 that will work in Windows 98, and if not Windows ME? I'd really like to get DOS games working within Windows on a PC that doesn't support NMI.

Microsoft did add Microsoft GM synth to directx for 98, in addition to sbpro emulation. If any card with dos support has WDM drivers, they should work no problem with the microsoft GM synth. It's just a matter of finding the right drivers for your particular card. ESS solo cards for example, only have FM synth but you can install WDM drivers and you end up with both FM synth and Microsoft GM software synth working for DOS games, inside Windows 9x/me.

So are there WDM drivers available for the SB Live! CT4670, on either Win9x or Me?

Yes (see attachment).

These are reported to have ct4670. Personally hope it gets hosted somewhere before they completely disappear. I didn't check them for virus's though!

If I were you I'd install the audiohq as mentioned in my previous post, and install this after.

Thanks for that. I'll give it a try tomorrow and post the result here.

Here's a collection of wdm drivers. They contain maybe all wdm drivers (besides the old liveware CD). I know your card is in a newer driver, and maybe the sb0220. I wouldn't use anything newer than year 09-2001 (had problems with sbpro crackling with 03-2002).

http://speedy.sh/R2exH/live-wdm-s.exe

Sorry for the late feedback, but I only got around to trying the drivers now. After updating the drivers from VXD to WDM, the sound stops working. It works until about halfway through the startup sound, then the only audio I get is a bunch of clicks and pops. Oddly enough though, Midi still works fine.

Update: Since I would be unable to use the CT4670 card in a pure DOS environment due to lack of NMI support, I decided to give Windows ME a shot. Using the WDM drivers provided by Holering (Thanks), I can now run my DOS games with both Sound and General Midi.

Thanks to Holering for all of the help. I was almost ready to give up on the idea of using this card for the abovementioned purpose.

The Roland Virtual Sound Canvas is pretty good as well in case you are looking for GM/GS.

I just found out, with Vortex 2 if you disable directsound in Aureal Vortex control panel software backends work good. I had to keep directsound off in Yamaha software synthesizer if I kept directsound enabled in Aureal Vortex control panel.

Munt *might* work on Win9X, but it looks like Bass Midi only supports XP and up. If you get munt running, you'll need the ROMs for it. PM me, and I an help with that.

*EDIT*

I just found a copy of YAMAHA.S-YXG50.VSTi.Plugin.v1.0 on my HDD, and it says "WinALL" under OS support. That might work. I can't track down the Virtual Sound Canvas from Roland. The built in windows version of SC sounds like utter ass. That's why I switched to Bass Midi with the sound canvas sound font, when I'm not using munt for MT-32/CM-32L support.

Here's a dropbox link to the Yamaha plugin

Here's some Roland files you'll need, if Munt works on Win9x.

It's ~54MB, but here's a Roland SC-55 soundfont in sf2 format.

I *think* this is the 8MB GM soundfont off the good Waveblaster model. It's in sf2 format, also.

*EDIT 2*

I did some digging, and found the Roland VSC-88 on 4shared. Definitely scan it before using it, and I'm not sure if it's Win9x compatible, but I think it'll work. All the newer revs, like the VSC-MPI are WINNT based and above.

ElectricMonk wrote on 2014-09-29, 15:21:

Munt *might* work on Win9X, but it looks like Bass Midi only supports XP and up. If you get munt running, you'll need the ROMs […]
Show full quote

Munt *might* work on Win9X, but it looks like Bass Midi only supports XP and up. If you get munt running, you'll need the ROMs for it. PM me, and I an help with that.

*EDIT*

I just found a copy of YAMAHA.S-YXG50.VSTi.Plugin.v1.0 on my HDD, and it says "WinALL" under OS support. That might work. I can't track down the Virtual Sound Canvas from Roland. The built in windows version of SC sounds like utter ass. That's why I switched to Bass Midi with the sound canvas sound font, when I'm not using munt for MT-32/CM-32L support.

Here's a dropbox link to the Yamaha plugin

Here's some Roland files you'll need, if Munt works on Win9x.

It's ~54MB, but here's a Roland SC-55 soundfont in sf2 format.

I *think* this is the 8MB GM soundfont off the good Waveblaster model. It's in sf2 format, also.

*EDIT 2*

I did some digging, and found the Roland VSC-88 on 4shared. Definitely scan it before using it, and I'm not sure if it's Win9x compatible, but I think it'll work. All the newer revs, like the VSC-MPI are WINNT based and above.

Heyyyy... you wouldn't happen to have those files still, would you? Dropbox links showing invalid.

EDIT:
SC-55

8MBGMSFX.SF2 (8MB GM good Waveblaster) <-- click, then click the download icon at the top-right (second to the right of 'Raw'). Mind the .cfg file with the patch, I assume you download that to the same directory as the .sf2 .. but the path can probably be take out of it.

Roland ROMs

S-YXG50 VSTi

S-YXG50 SF2

S-YXG50 for 3.x, NT 3.5, NT 4, 95, & 98

S-YXG50 for NT / 2000