I'd recommend checking this forum for the latest VDMSound 1.2.0 (beta) and use it instead 2.0.4, because it has a kindlier installer for newbies. I would forget abandon loader if necessary. I don't think you really need it and I prefer to run a program/game by myself.
DosBox doesn't have nothing in common with the abandonware loader. DosBox is a complete (almost) DOS Emulator, which runs quite well imho (the programmers are doing a great job), while abandonware loader is just that, a loader (a program that is launched before others, taking up resources, and probably messing everything up).

eL_PuSHeR wrote:

I'd recommend checking this forum for the latest VDMSound 1.2.0 (beta) and use it instead 2.0.4, because it has a kindlier installer for newbies. I would forget abandon loader if necessary. I don't think you really need it and I prefer to run a program/game by myself.
DosBox doesn't have nothing in common with the abandonware loader. DosBox is a complete (almost) DOS Emulator, which runs quite well imho (the programmers are doing a great job), while abandonware loader is just that, a loader (a program that is launched before others, taking up resources, and probably messing everything up).

VDMSound 2.1.0, you meant.

Anyhow, to put into MAME-fan terms:
Abandon Loader is a frontend, not an emulator.

DOSBox is like MAME, not MAME32. No GUI comes with it but it is a full-fledged emulator. But it requires you to know DOS commands and be familiar with a command-line interface (although you can always try Dosboxfro or something).
See: http://dosbox.sf.net

Apparently DOSBox supports Test Drive 3:
http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/comp_list.php?s … ID=270&letter=T

VDMSound is like the sound emulation part of MAME (in some cases, it IS the sound emulation part of MAME), ripped out and made its own "sound emulator". Like R. Belmont's M1, in a way, except it actually lets you play the game through Windows (er, sometimes). EXCEPT it works in combination with Windows 2000/XP's OWN internal "DOS" - the Command Prompt.

------------------

To FULLY emulate the game, use DOSBox (or BOCHS, or DODGE, or MESS, or Virtual PC, etc. etc.)

To PARTIALLY emulate the game, use VMWare.

To NOT emulate the game (running it natively) but emulate the sound part of the game while you're at it, use VDMSound or SoundFX 2000.

To NOT emulate the game but run the game natively, create a DOS FAT32 partition on your hard drive and dual-boot Windows and DOS. You could also try a bootdisk.

Different solutions might get different games running better or faster or slower or worse. The only solutions that VOGONS will fully support are VDMSound and DOSBox, but we have other forums where you can post for help with the other solutions.

Do you understand now?

P.S. You're a girly-man if you need a frontend. 😀 AFAIK, no serious posters here use AbandonLoader. Of course, this is all IMHO.

Ooops! my mistake. Just a typo. Of course I meant 2.1.0ß. Thanks Schadenfreude for the correction.

Anyway there is another way of running a game that is, using the internal emulation of DOS under windows, without using anything else. Under WinXP (NTVDM -> NT Virtual DOS Machine for short) (i'm not sure if it is also true for Win2000) you got some limited Sound Blaster 2.0 emulation too. There are some weird times where a game fails using VDMSound (which is way better than SB's emulation NTVDM provides) but will work "as is", so you should try everyway at your disposal when some dos game isn't working.

well thanks for the info...
the game did run (with no sound) before i even dl. vdmsound..
then wondering why i had no sound, i found out about vdmsound.
and why it`s needed!
i downloaded newest version, but didnt get the 1patch or the launchpad. (right away)

i got another game thinking i should try a different game.
"alone in the dark 3" that loads and stays at the beginning screen, and if i hit any buttons it crashes back to desktop!

now is when i downloaded abandon loader, around the same time ...thanks to some sticky threads i realized there was more to download for vdmsound...(the 1patch and the launchpad).
after getting these files i did`nt notice anything different .

until i tried "test drive 3" again and got sound for the first time!
i`m guessing that the patch and the launchpad added another thing when you right click on your file (now theres a little music note)...that wasnt there b4!!!

i also realized "test drive 3" was not at all the game i was looking for...i later found it "hard drivin" and or "race drivin" with the big loop!!! now i have that but i dont think its compatible(on the list) cause it runs but with no sound?

and alone in the dark 3 still doesnt run either its not on the list either i dont think!

i already deleted abandon loader ...
i`ll keep messing around and hopfully i`ll figure some new stuff out!
btw..i tried downloading some games and all i got was a "rar" file that was only a couple hundred kb... what are these and are they openable or playable ?
thanks again
for any tips anyone has

The musical note option gives you the opportunity to customize all settings under VDMSound. Thus, you can tweak a particular picky game that refuses to work with the default parameters.

Originally posted by Qlone i also realized "test drive 3" was not at all the game i was looking for...i later found it "hard drivin" and or "race drivin" with the big loop!!! now i have that but i dont think its compatible(on the list) cause it runs but with no sound?

Recommend that you run all of these with DosBox as they are all speed-sensitive.