Phil's boot menu presets are largely unnecessary. The "extended+expanded+cdrom+mouse" is what works with 99% of the games. But just having them there doesn't hurt either.

Please post your Config.sys and Autoexec.bat. There are some specific things you need to run during startup to initialize the AWE64.

Hi,

Here are the contents of autoexec and config.sys

AUTOEXEC
SET SOUND=C:\SB16
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E
SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S
C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q
C:\CTCM\CTCU /S
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $p$g
PATH C:\DOS
SET TEMP=C:DOS
GoTo %config%
:EMC
:XMC
:CMC
LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:OPTICAL
:ME
:XM
:CM
LH C:\DRIVERS\MOUSE.COM
:E
: X (i put a space here, otherwise it triggers an emoji)
:C

CONFIG.SYS
[COMMON]
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FILES=40
BUFFERS=40
LASTDRIVE=H

[menu]
menuitem=EMC, Expanded memory + Mouse + CD-ROM
menuitem=XMC, Extended memory + Mouse + CD-ROM
menuitem=CMC, Conventional memory only + Mouser + CD-ROM
meniltem=EM, Expanded memory + Mouse
menuitem=XM, Extended memory + Mouse
menuitem=CM, Conventional memory only + Mouse
menuitem=e, Expanded memory
menuitem=X, Extended memory
menuitem=C, Conventional memory only

menudefault=EMC,10

[EMC]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
DEVICE=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECCD.SYS /D:OPTICAL

[XMC]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECCD.SYS /D:OPTICAL

[CMC]
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECDD.SYS /D:OPTICAL

[EM]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM

[XM]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF

[CM]

[E]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM

[X]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF

[C]

Did the driver install package put the lines related to sound in your startup files or did you edit them manually?

I can point out the following:

• You're missing a call to AWEUTIL /S in AUTOEXEC.BAT, which is required to get any kind of music working.
• Digital audio should probably work with these settings, at least if the BLASTER settings are correct.
• Generally on my AWE64 I don't load anything in CONFIG.SYS, and I just run CTCM, AWEUTIL and MIXERSET from AUTOEXEC.BAT - after running CTCU once (not on every boot) to configure the audio settings. I don't think DIAGNOSE should be required for PnP cards.

dr_st wrote on 2020-10-08, 17:34:

Did the driver install package put the lines related to sound in your startup files or did you edit them manually? […]
Show full quote

Did the driver install package put the lines related to sound in your startup files or did you edit them manually?

I can point out the following:

• You're missing a call to AWEUTIL /S in AUTOEXEC.BAT, which is required to get any kind of music working.
• Digital audio should probably work with these settings, at least if the BLASTER settings are correct.
• Generally on my AWE64 I don't load anything in CONFIG.SYS, and I just run CTCM, AWEUTIL and MIXERSET from AUTOEXEC.BAT - after running CTCU once (not on every boot) to configure the audio settings. I don't think DIAGNOSE should be required for PnP cards.

Yes, these settings were added by the driver installation. I'll try to add AWEUTIL /S and see what happens.

Thank you

First i didn't find aweutil anywhere so i downloaded it and put it in the sb16 folder. I called it in the autoexec.bat but i got an error - ERR012: AWE32 initialization failed. Maybe I am missing something ?

john_popani wrote:

You may try with Unisound to see if your card is being detected and initialized correctly:

UNISOUND - Universal ISA PnP Sound Card Driver for DOS v0.81b

(With Unisound, these entries from creative are not needed: C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S , C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q , C:\CTCM\CTCU /S , AWEUTIL /S

JazeFox wrote on 2020-10-08, 20:22:

You may try with Unisound to see if your card is being detected and initialized correctly: […]
Show full quote

john_popani wrote:

You may try with Unisound to see if your card is being detected and initialized correctly:

UNISOUND - Universal ISA PnP Sound Card Driver for DOS v0.81b

(With Unisound, these entries from creative are not needed: C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S , C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q , C:\CTCM\CTCU /S , AWEUTIL /S

Thanks I'll try it for sure !

john_popani wrote on 2020-10-08, 20:03:

First i didn't find aweutil anywhere so i downloaded it and put it in the sb16 folder. I called it in the autoexec.bat but i got an error - ERR012: AWE32 initialization failed. Maybe I am missing something ?

It probably means that you have installed the wrong drivers. AWEUTIL must be part of any AWE32/AWE64 initialization kit. It can also mean that your CTCM/CTCU is wrong and didn't initialize the card correctly, which is why AWEUTL does not work.

Still, now that UNISOUND exists, I second the suggestion to try that.

The official DOS AWE64 driver is still available on Creative's website.

If memory serves, you want the ctcmbbs.exe and sbbasic.exe packages. The versions from that page should contain everything you need to set up the card under pure DOS, including aweutil.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2020-10-09, 08:28:

The official DOS AWE64 driver is still available on Creative's website.

If memory serves, you want the ctcmbbs.exe and sbbasic.exe packages. The versions from that page should contain everything you need to set up the card under pure DOS, including aweutil.

I've installed both those, i have sound on 95% of the games i tried, it's just with a few that i have strange issues. I tried using UNISOUND but the issue with Crazy Drake remains, the sound plays for 2 secs and cuts off. :\

john_popani wrote on 2020-10-09, 14:55:

Crazy Drake remains, the sound plays for 2 secs and cuts off. :\

I checked that game and sound cuts off when there is an IRQ problem (usually bad game config). If my card is configured with IRQ 5 but I select IRQ 7 in SETUP.EXE , I can reproduce that exact behavior. If I select IRQ 5, it works perfectly.
First of all, once sound card is initialized, run Crazy Drake's SETUP.EXE , select Sound Blaster, and choose "Auto detect" on every option, then save and quit SETUP. Run DRAKE.

EDIT: Fun note, on the first attempt, sound didn't work at all, that was because I load MS-DOS' DOSKEY.COM at boot. So yeah, I found that Crazy Drake doesn't like DOSKEY... I removed it from my autoexec and sound worked... Weird...

JazeFox wrote on 2020-10-09, 15:46:

I checked that game and sound cuts off when there is an IRQ problem (usually bad game config). If my card is configured with IRQ […]
Show full quote

john_popani wrote on 2020-10-09, 14:55:

Crazy Drake remains, the sound plays for 2 secs and cuts off. :\

I checked that game and sound cuts off when there is an IRQ problem (usually bad game config). If my card is configured with IRQ 5 but I select IRQ 7 in SETUP.EXE , I can reproduce that exact behavior. If I select IRQ 5, it works perfectly.
First of all, once sound card is initialized, run Crazy Drake's SETUP.EXE , select Sound Blaster, and choose "Auto detect" on every option, then save and quit SETUP. Run DRAKE.

EDIT: Fun note, on the first attempt, sound didn't work at all, that was because I load MS-DOS' DOSKEY.COM at boot. So yeah, I found that Crazy Drake doesn't like DOSKEY... I removed it from my autoexec and sound worked... Weird...

Wow, thank you for the suggestion, I am booting my machine as i am writing this and i'll test this.

john_popani wrote on 2020-10-09, 17:12:

JazeFox wrote on 2020-10-09, 15:46:

I checked that game and sound cuts off when there is an IRQ problem (usually bad game config). If my card is configured with IRQ […]
Show full quote

john_popani wrote on 2020-10-09, 14:55:

Crazy Drake remains, the sound plays for 2 secs and cuts off. :\

I checked that game and sound cuts off when there is an IRQ problem (usually bad game config). If my card is configured with IRQ 5 but I select IRQ 7 in SETUP.EXE , I can reproduce that exact behavior. If I select IRQ 5, it works perfectly.
First of all, once sound card is initialized, run Crazy Drake's SETUP.EXE , select Sound Blaster, and choose "Auto detect" on every option, then save and quit SETUP. Run DRAKE.

EDIT: Fun note, on the first attempt, sound didn't work at all, that was because I load MS-DOS' DOSKEY.COM at boot. So yeah, I found that Crazy Drake doesn't like DOSKEY... I removed it from my autoexec and sound worked... Weird...

Wow, thank you for the suggestion, I am booting my machine as i am writing this and i'll test this.

Worked like a charm, many thanks to everyone for the help. Game on !