Theres a driver install procedure on winXp that will give a3d support, the sound can crack a bit in some games with a3d enabled but for your case doesnt matter.

You should try it, xp is better with managing resources and at least you will get confirmation that everything really works. Not just, it worked once.

Maybe its something dumb, as just the contacts on the pci are a bit dirty and card just needs to be reinserted.

Does Device Manager should the device and driver are loaded without error? Are there any messages in the event log?

If it appears to work but there's no sound, are you just using the front stereo output? If so try the rear with a 3D sound demo. Maybe something is dodgy with the front jack or amp. And the rear working or not could narrow it down to either a hardware or software issue.

If you haven't also remove the card and clean the contact pins and try different PCI slots.

Dolenc wrote on 2023-05-06, 13:54:

Theres a driver install procedure on winXp that will give a3d support, the sound can crack a bit in some games with a3d enabled but for your case doesnt matter.

You should try it, xp is better with managing resources and at least you will get confirmation that everything really works. Not just, it worked once.

Maybe its something dumb, as just the contacts on the pci are a bit dirty and card just needs to be reinserted.

I'll see about trying then once I get a chance, and maybe i'll need to see if the pins are dirty

SScorpio wrote on 2023-05-06, 14:18:

Does Device Manager should the device and driver are loaded without error? Are there any messages in the event log?

If it appears to work but there's no sound, are you just using the front stereo output? If so try the rear with a 3D sound demo. Maybe something is dodgy with the front jack or amp. And the rear working or not could narrow it down to either a hardware or software issue.

If you haven't also remove the card and clean the contact pins and try different PCI slots.

yes it shows the device and drivers, it even shows there are no errors and that it works fine. I've gotten the card to somewhat work now with the version 2015 drivers, but now it's freezing up after a while of playing MIDI files or using games like duke nukem 3d

HellFire376 wrote on 2023-05-05, 18:24:

with KX133 VIA based chipset

At VIA based motherboard you should firsteble instal VIA-4-in-1 chipset driver.
Or get such glitches ....

shevalier wrote on 2023-05-07, 05:23:

HellFire376 wrote on 2023-05-05, 18:24:

with KX133 VIA based chipset

At VIA based motherboard you should firsteble instal VIA-4-in-1 chipset driver.
Or get such glitches ....

That's one of the first things I did, and the chipset driver does stabilize the system a lot more.

Try installing Windows 2000 to test.
On buggy hardware, it is usually not installed or BSODed.

I have two fully functional Aureal Vortex 2 cards with the AU8830A2 chip. One is a Diamond MX300, and the other is a product by Aureal.
I’m using Windows 98 SE on a retro PC with a Pentium 3 1.4. Generally, both cards work great in Windows and DOS.

However, when playing certain games with A3D sound, like Soldier of Fortune or Quake 3, there are cases where the game crashes with an AU30WAVE(5) driver error, regardless of which card is used. I’ve tried several drivers, including 2021, 2048, and definitely some older versions, but the crashes persist.

Is this a driver issue, or could it just be that some games inherently have this problem, and I should just accept it?

Krzysztof Zakrzewski wrote on 2024-12-30, 13:23:

I have two fully functional Aureal Vortex 2 cards with the AU8830A2 chip. One is a Diamond MX300, and the other is a product by […]
Show full quote

I have two fully functional Aureal Vortex 2 cards with the AU8830A2 chip. One is a Diamond MX300, and the other is a product by Aureal.
I’m using Windows 98 SE on a retro PC with a Pentium 3 1.4. Generally, both cards work great in Windows and DOS.

However, when playing certain games with A3D sound, like Soldier of Fortune or Quake 3, there are cases where the game crashes with an AU30WAVE(5) driver error, regardless of which card is used. I’ve tried several drivers, including 2021, 2048, and definitely some older versions, but the crashes persist.

Is this a driver issue, or could it just be that some games inherently have this problem, and I should just accept it?

I've used mine in several P3 systems with win 98, I don't think I've ever had any issues with games, definitely not with quake 3

bertrammatrix wrote on 2024-12-31, 21:42:

Krzysztof Zakrzewski wrote on 2024-12-30, 13:23:

I have two fully functional Aureal Vortex 2 cards with the AU8830A2 chip. One is a Diamond MX300, and the other is a product by […]
Show full quote

I have two fully functional Aureal Vortex 2 cards with the AU8830A2 chip. One is a Diamond MX300, and the other is a product by Aureal.
I’m using Windows 98 SE on a retro PC with a Pentium 3 1.4. Generally, both cards work great in Windows and DOS.

However, when playing certain games with A3D sound, like Soldier of Fortune or Quake 3, there are cases where the game crashes with an AU30WAVE(5) driver error, regardless of which card is used. I’ve tried several drivers, including 2021, 2048, and definitely some older versions, but the crashes persist.

Is this a driver issue, or could it just be that some games inherently have this problem, and I should just accept it?

I've used mine in several P3 systems with win 98, I don't think I've ever had any issues with games, definitely not with quake 3

Generally, games run based on the example of Quake 3 (version 11.1, as this version supports A3D). However, there are locations that cause crashes with the error AU30WAVE(5) driver error. The same issue occurs with Soldier of Fortune. You can progress through a few levels, but eventually, you encounter a location that causes a crash.

Krzysztof Zakrzewski wrote on 2025-01-01, 17:44:

bertrammatrix wrote on 2024-12-31, 21:42:

Krzysztof Zakrzewski wrote on 2024-12-30, 13:23:

I have two fully functional Aureal Vortex 2 cards with the AU8830A2 chip. One is a Diamond MX300, and the other is a product by […]
Show full quote

I have two fully functional Aureal Vortex 2 cards with the AU8830A2 chip. One is a Diamond MX300, and the other is a product by Aureal.
I’m using Windows 98 SE on a retro PC with a Pentium 3 1.4. Generally, both cards work great in Windows and DOS.

However, when playing certain games with A3D sound, like Soldier of Fortune or Quake 3, there are cases where the game crashes with an AU30WAVE(5) driver error, regardless of which card is used. I’ve tried several drivers, including 2021, 2048, and definitely some older versions, but the crashes persist.

Is this a driver issue, or could it just be that some games inherently have this problem, and I should just accept it?

I've used mine in several P3 systems with win 98, I don't think I've ever had any issues with games, definitely not with quake 3

Generally, games run based on the example of Quake 3 (version 11.1, as this version supports A3D). However, there are locations that cause crashes with the error AU30WAVE(5) driver error. The same issue occurs with Soldier of Fortune. You can progress through a few levels, but eventually, you encounter a location that causes a crash.

Just out of interest- have you tried a different pci slot?

bertrammatrix wrote on 2025-01-01, 21:21:

Krzysztof Zakrzewski wrote on 2025-01-01, 17:44:

bertrammatrix wrote on 2024-12-31, 21:42:

I've used mine in several P3 systems with win 98, I don't think I've ever had any issues with games, definitely not with quake 3

Generally, games run based on the example of Quake 3 (version 11.1, as this version supports A3D). However, there are locations that cause crashes with the error AU30WAVE(5) driver error. The same issue occurs with Soldier of Fortune. You can progress through a few levels, but eventually, you encounter a location that causes a crash.

Just out of interest- have you tried a different pci slot?

Yes, I tested it in each of the three PCI slots.
I also changed the assigned IRQ address, but it made no difference.

For context:
In general, the card works fine in both DOS and Windows 98 SE.
Games with A3D run correctly, for example, Unreal Tournament works flawlessly without crashing.

The crashes occur in Quake 3 and Soldier of Fortune in A3D sound mode, but they are not frequent and happen under the same circumstances. I haven't experienced errors in other games.

This thread:

Quake 3 and A3D

mentions that there are several versions, some with A3D, some not, some better then others, maybe worth looking into. It sounds like the implementation may have been buggy and removed from game options in later versions as a result.

bertrammatrix wrote on 2025-01-02, 01:15:

This thread: […]
Show full quote

This thread:

Quake 3 and A3D

mentions that there are several versions, some with A3D, some not, some better then others, maybe worth looking into. It sounds like the implementation may have been buggy and removed from game options in later versions as a result.

I never had issues with A3D 2.0 in Quake 3 on my Vortex 2, other than the setting needing to be turned back on each time you start the game (it doesn't get saved). As mentioned in the thread that you linked, A3D support was removed with patch 1.25. All versions of Quake 3 prior to that still support it. For example, you can safely apply patch 1.17 and A3D will work just fine.

As for the quality of the implementation, I thought it was pretty good. If you properly set up your Vortex 2 for headphone use, you can often pinpoint enemies by sound alone. This can sometimes give you an edge in a competitive environment.