You could try to find Intel's AHCI DOS driver, but it's super limited. I don't know if it supports CD audio. I've never tried it. Intel's driver has a few issues with data disc's.

OK, I did some testing on my Intel B75 motherboard, a NEC IDE DVD drive, and a SATA adapter. Intel's AHCI driver is crap. While the Intel driver will load at boot time and SHCDEX loads with it when I have the motherboard in AHCI mode, it won't read a multi-session CD (Loom in my case) at all.

I also tested GCDROM. It loads with the motherboard in "IDE" mode (i.e. native SATA), and it will read the Loom CD as well as play back the audio tracks.

XDVD2 also loads with the motherboard in "IDE" mode, and it will read the Loom CD as well as play back the audio tracks.

I will add that I've had trouble with both GCDROM and XDVD2 on newer boards (a H97 motherboard in my case) so I don't doubt that you have issues with them on a Z790 board. It might not matter what combination of IDE device and SATA adapter you use.

Finally, I tested Rloew's AHCICD.SYS driver with my B75 motherboard in AHCI mode. Unlike the Intel driver, Rloew's driver will read the Loom CD. Unfortunately, it won't play the audio track (the Loom program complains that it's not a "Talkie" CD). I suspect that Rloew never got around to implementing the Audio CD playback functions like he did in his Windows 9x driver. Pity. He probably didn't think anyone would need it since he developed the driver to aid the installation of Windows 9x from CD.

There's a wrapper for Intel's AHCI.SYS but I never tried, as for AHCI I mainly use Japheth's driver with JEMM, or Rloew's AHCICD.SYS if not using JEMM. Both appears to work okay on a X99 system, though I haven't really confirmed whether CD audio can work with them...

Also, on that same system, it appears optical drives behind AHCI controllers, which cannot be handled by UDVD2, can somehow be handled by ELTORITO driver found on latest FreeDOS Testing ISO. It doesn't appear perfect, however, as when I tried installing FreeDOS from that ISO, after copying about 100-200MB of files it slowed down to a crawl (which also caused packages such as fpc to fail). I wonder if ELTORITO is simply handling the optical disk via what was exposed by the AHCI BIOS (which had some known issues documented in AHCIFIX.386/AHCIFIXD.SYS by the same person who made the wrapper for AHCI.SYS)...

Jamesnp wrote on 2024-10-15, 17:46:

It works in Windows 98 with cd audio.

Does CD audio work in Win98 using analog mode? I mean using the CD audio cable connecting between IDE optical drive and sound card. That connection is no longer present on SATA optical drives anymore.

That's not the same as digital audio playback which doesn't require such cable, and is not supported in DOS at all. In Win98, if audio only works when "digital CD audio" checkbox is checked then no, you're not going to make it work in DOS.

On the other hand: Is there any good utility to actually test whether DOS CD audio output path is functional provided the CD audio cable is connected to the sound card, with an Audio CD disc inserted, and the same analog path already confirmed working on e.g. Windows?

LSS10999 wrote on 2024-10-16, 02:43:

On the other hand: Is there any good utility to actually test whether DOS CD audio output path is functional provided the CD audio cable is connected to the sound card, with an Audio CD disc inserted, and the same analog path already confirmed working on e.g. Windows?

Don't know of a utility but typically it's enough to do a mode sense query, if it supports page Eh (CD-ROM Audio Control Parameters) then it supports audio commands.

I used an analog audio cable for my tests above in DOS. I don't have many sound cards that work properly with chipsets newer than an Intel 800-series, but I have a Crystal PCI card that works with adlib and (as I found out tonight) CD analog audio in my B75 motherboard.

Rloews Windows 9x AHCI driver works with both analog/digital cables from my IDE drive, and they also work with digital audio playback via the SATA cable in Windows 98/Me when configured in the Device Manager.

Would anyone happen to have a build of the AHCIWRAP.SYS noted above? That looks like a great solution. I don't have the JWASM installed on my PC that the GitHub instructions suggested, and I don't have time to find, install, and build the wrapper right now.

Never mind. I found JWASM, and I made the .SYS file. I'm about to test it.

I'm out of time to test, but I managed to get the AHCIWRAP.SYS working on my B75 board. Good news is that audio played back on Intel's AHCI.SYS once I figured out how to properly configure the wrapper (I had to remove the /s[x] switch from the CONFIG.SYS line). Loom started and played back the intro audio to choose the skill level. Unfortunately, the program crashed after that and returned to the DOS prompt.

That's progress, I guess.

I have an IDE cdrom drive hooked to sata. The audio cable goes directly to the sound card (YMF 744). What I noticed is that the choice of SATA channel to connect to is detrimental to DOS drivers being able to pick up the device.
In my case I hook the CD drive to the very first SATA channel, and UDVD2.SYS is then able to find it. I typically change the BIOS to emulate IDE mode when I want to play native DOS on the machine, but IIRC even the AHCI BIOS works and UDVD2.SYS is able to locate the drive.

So yeah, try moving the sata cable to different sata connectors and see if one hits the jackpot.

fosterwj03 wrote on 2024-10-16, 01:34:

Finally, I tested Rloew's AHCICD.SYS driver with my B75 motherboard in AHCI mode.  Unlike the Intel driver, Rloew's driver will read the Loom CD.  Unfortunately, it won't play the audio track (the Loom program complains that it's not a "Talkie" CD).  I suspect that Rloew never got around to implementing the Audio CD playback functions like he did in his Windows 9x driver.  Pity.  He probably didn't think anyone would need it since he developed the driver to aid the installation of Windows 9x from CD.

Good to know the cause is AHCI. will try this,thank you for your tests. FYI i was able to run IDE optical drive on x99 with oakcdrom.sys
Trying on z790 cause problems.
There is a %50 chance that my IDE Sony NEC Optiarc drive initiliazed at boot up. When it doesnt , it hangs after boot screen.

LSS10999 wrote on 2024-10-16, 02:43:

There's a wrapper for Intel's AHCI.SYS but I never tried, as for AHCI I mainly use Japheth's driver with JEMM, or Rloew's AHCICD […]
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There's a wrapper for Intel's AHCI.SYS but I never tried, as for AHCI I mainly use Japheth's driver with JEMM, or Rloew's AHCICD.SYS if not using JEMM. Both appears to work okay on a X99 system, though I haven't really confirmed whether CD audio can work with them...

Also, on that same system, it appears optical drives behind AHCI controllers, which cannot be handled by UDVD2, can somehow be handled by ELTORITO driver found on latest FreeDOS Testing ISO. It doesn't appear perfect, however, as when I tried installing FreeDOS from that ISO, after copying about 100-200MB of files it slowed down to a crawl (which also caused packages such as fpc to fail). I wonder if ELTORITO is simply handling the optical disk via what was exposed by the AHCI BIOS (which had some known issues documented in AHCIFIX.386/AHCIFIXD.SYS by the same person who made the wrapper for AHCI.SYS)...

Jamesnp wrote on 2024-10-15, 17:46:

It works in Windows 98 with cd audio.

Does CD audio work in Win98 using analog mode? I mean using the CD audio cable connecting between IDE optical drive and sound card. That connection is no longer present on SATA optical drives anymore.

Yes it is analog in.with a cd audio cable.
Will try this wrapper as well,thank you.

fosterwj03 wrote on 2024-10-16, 04:06:

I'm out of time to test, but I managed to get the AHCIWRAP.SYS working on my B75 board.  Good news is that audio played back on Intel's AHCI.SYS once I figured out how to properly configure the wrapper (I had to remove the /s[x] switch from the CONFIG.SYS line).  Loom started and played back the intro audio to choose the skill level.  Unfortunately, the program crashed after that and returned to the DOS prompt.  

That's progress, I guess.

Yeah you tried before me, good to know.

wbahnassi wrote on 2024-10-16, 09:10:

I have an IDE cdrom drive hooked to sata. The audio cable goes directly to the sound card (YMF 744). What I noticed is that the choice of SATA channel to connect to is detrimental to DOS drivers being able to pick up the device.
In my case I hook the CD drive to the very first SATA channel, and UDVD2.SYS is then able to find it. I typically change the BIOS to emulate IDE mode when I want to play native DOS on the machine, but IIRC even the AHCI BIOS works and UDVD2.SYS is able to locate the drive.

So yeah, try moving the sata cable to different sata connectors and see if one hits the jackpot.

I got only 4,hope this makes a difference in my case. Thank you for suggestion

fosterwj03 wrote on 2024-10-16, 03:53:

Never mind. I found JWASM, and I made the .SYS file. I'm about to test it.

Did you made a different build ? Page has a ready to download .sys ver 1.2 in releases.

Jamesnp wrote on 2024-10-16, 16:35:

fosterwj03 wrote on 2024-10-16, 03:53:

Never mind. I found JWASM, and I made the .SYS file. I'm about to test it.

Did you made a different build ? Page has a ready to download .sys ver 1.2 in releases.

I don't think so. I downloaded JWASM, and ran it against the latest files on the GitHub page.

I think the Intel AHCI driver has serious deficiencies even with the wrapper.

Udvd2.sys didnt work. Rloew's ahcicd makes it possible to load mscdex but when i try to dir the drive, it hangs.
So this facilitates using fakecd and fifa96 works with all of cd files that were before copied in another pc. Only need aureal vortex2 dos mode or cmedia 8738 with sbemu to work now 😀
I dont have yamaha :ı
fosterwjo3 can you please share the relevant part of your config.sys about ahciwrap and a link to the intel ahci file?
Have you tried with ahcifixd.sys?

Gotta try eltorito driver with freedos.
I guess its not possible to use it in msdos

LSS10999 wrote on 2024-10-16, 02:43:

There's a wrapper for Intel's AHCI.SYS but I never tried, as for AHCI I mainly use Japheth's driver with JEMM, or Rloew's AHCICD.SYS if not using JEMM. Both appears to work okay on a X99 system, though I haven't really confirmed whether CD audio can work with them...

Can you please share a link for Japheths driver so newbies like me will later find it easier. ( And for me now as i couldnt find it 😀

Here's the direct download link to AHCIWRAP.SYS:

https://github.com/PluMGMK/ahciwrap.sys/relea … .0/AHCIWRAP.SYS

Here's the direct link to Intel's AHCI.SYS:

http://www.win3x.org/win3board/ext/win3x/down … oad.php?id=3751

I used the following string in my CONFIG.SYS file for the AHCI wrapper (I put both the wrapper and the device driver in "C:\CDROM"):

DEVICE=C:\CDROM\AHCIWRAP.SYS C:\CDROM\AHCI.SYS /D:MSCD001

I use "MSCD001" as the device name, but you can use whatever you like instead. It just needs to match the device name in your MSCDEX.EXE call in AUTOEXEC.BAT

Jamesnp wrote on 2024-10-16, 19:34:

Can you please share a link for Japheths driver so newbies like me will later find it easier. ( And for me now as i couldnt find it 😀

I was referring to AHCICD.DLL which you can find from official JEMM binary releases.

It requires JEMM and use JLOAD to load it. Consumes very little conventional memory.