thanks alot for your help guys...
i tried changing the int to 7... no sound at all..
i dont really understand VDMS... i have to create a config.ini file all by myself, isit?
I dun really know how to configure my VDMS...
not really a computer expert..
sharon

Originally posted by Unregistered
i tried changing the int to 7... no sound at all..
i dont really understand VDMS...

It sounds like you have problems above and beyond "Pandora".

i have to create a config.ini file all by myself, isit? I dun really know how to configure my VDMS... not really a computer exp […]
Show full quote

i have to create a config.ini file all by myself, isit?
I dun really know how to configure my VDMS...
not really a computer expert..
sharon

Suggest that you try this:

Download Ms. Pac-Em from this thread:
showthread.php?threadid=1542

Use either installer and run MSPACEM.EXE with and without VDMSound. Without should give you poor audio and (probably) no music when starting the game. With VDMSound, should give you good quality sound effects and music.

Then start a new thread in the VDMSound forum and tell us your results. Since we're no longer dealing with the "Pandora Directive", I ask that you not reply here.

Nicht Sehr Gut wrote:

Actually there's been one notable glitch throughout all the posted configs in this thread. They all point to using 5 as the IRQ for sound.

Strange thing but I hear no difference - with IRQ 5 or 7 in Pandora Digi Config while IRQ is 7 in VDMSound it gives me the same result - rather good (although little inconstant) sound. Bigger problem is that I experienced some sudden crashes into desktop without a notice during playing. So for me is sadly again the best way to boot to DOS and play this game there with FakeCD (no need for CD switching).

apparently i didnt install the launchpad n the update of VDMS.
So i did n I tried to config my VDMS n ran with VDMS. They said no cd-rom drive... so i did a search n lots of ppl said to use low level CD-rom or something...
now i finally got the sound okay!! but the game now stops halfway and return to windows all of a sudden...
still... feel quite elated.
after installing so many things and bugging u guys... thanks
sharon

Originally posted by Jiri Strange thing but I hear no difference - with IRQ 5 or 7 in Pandora Digi Config while IRQ is 7 in VDMSound it gives me the same result

Well, I don't know what your circumstances are so it's impossible for me to figure why this would be. I will say that the "SoundBlaster 2.0" that XP emulates puts a lighter burden on the processor than SoundBlaster Pro or 16. If you were to use the basic SoundBlaster setting in Pandora, XP's and VDMSound's audio output would be similar. Even so, VDMSound still out-performs XP's emulation...even when you force it to use SB 2.0

Bigger problem is that I experienced some sudden crashes into desktop without a notice during playing.

Again, I don't know your present circumstances. If you are using the original executable without audio, it should be fairly stable.

If you've hacked the executable to bypass the sluggishness problem, then that's probably the source. Again, I'm just guessing here.

So for me is sadly again the best way to boot to DOS and play this game there with FakeCD (no need for CD switching).

Dual-boot, Dual-boot, Dual-boot,... Until something freely-available like DosBox arrives with the power of something like "Virtual PC", a Dual-boot with Win9x is your best option.

Originally posted by Unregistered apparently i didnt install the launchpad n the update of VDMS.

Ok, that definitely makes a difference.

So i did n I tried to config my VDMS n ran with VDMS. They said no cd-rom drive... so i did a search n lots of ppl said to use low level CD-rom or something...

Good. Using SAPUCDEX is also an option.

now i finally got the sound okay!! but the game now stops halfway and return to windows all of a sudden...

halfway? halfway through the intro? halfway through the game?

Well,I´m quite disappointed by the way this game "works"
So,I followed the steps given here,starting by deactivating all digi board off,etc.I also needed to download the tex4.exe file given in this topic to make it work...but what makes me angry is the fact that I get it working (but with bad sound,which doesn´t let me understand anything) and when I get back to the desktop and try to executing it again,it doesn´t work.

Some ideas in what could have changed? I didn´t touch anything,just exited the game. I´ve tried setting everything again but I get a VDMSOUND error about SBController.dll not working.

Thanks

Jiri, my game crashes into the desktop without notice too.
But I have 2 types of crashes.
ONE: sudden crash
TWO: when i insert another cd, xp opens the data of the cd and get me back to windows! I believe that could be because the cd i used i a burnt one since my original seemed to have worn off its metallic coat.
sharon

I haven´t played Pandora in XP for long so I also haven´t switched CD much, but I don´t recall a crash during CD switching. But sudden crashes occurred quite often (and yes, I´ve used hacked executable), although I don´t remember exactly where. I think that when I restarted game, I was usually able to go on second try through the place where the game had crashed. It would be interesting to know if Malko had also these problems. By the way, even worse experience is with Under a Killing Moon in XP - I was able to start that game after similar (not exactly the same) adjustment as with Pandora, but the game always crashes when dialog with Chelsea by the newsstand ends, regardless if I have sound enabled or not. So, as Nicht said: Dual-boot, Dual-boot, Dual-boot... At least at this moment.

Originally posted by Meisner Well,I´m quite disappointed by the way this game "works"
So,I followed the steps given here,starting by deactivating all digi board off,etc.I also needed to download the tex4.exe file given in this topic to make it work...

Well, if you read what I had said before posting it, you would see I had warned about the different versions of Pandora out there. The location where I hacked the executable was different from at least two other people's versions. The only reason I had posted it was that Malko seemed really desperate.

but what makes me angry is the fact that I get it working (but with bad sound,which doesn´t let me understand anything) and when I get back to the desktop and try to executing it again,it doesn´t work.

Remember, you're dealing with a game that was never designed run on an NT OS. Things like this will happen.

Some ideas in what could have changed? I didn´t touch anything,just exited the game.

No real way without hands-on access. I would replace the modified TEX4.EXE with the unmodified original and configure it to run with no sound.

Of course, the first thing to do would be to figure how to do that. Hrrmm... I'll take a look at the config file and see if there's a way that it can be done.

Originally posted by Unregistered (sharon)Jiri, my game crashes into the desktop without notice too.
But I have 2 types of crashes.
ONE: sudden crash

That's indicative of hacking the executable. More likely to happen when you're using a different version's executable. Don't know if that's the case here...

TWO: when I insert another CD, XP opens the data of the CD and get me back to windows!

Sounds like Windows is trying to "open" the CD automatically for you. Next time you swap the CD, hold down your left shift key until the CD-ROM drive finishes spinning up and identifying the CD. After several seconds it should be safe to let up on the shift key.

Originally posted by Jiri experience is with Under a Killing Moon in XP - I was able to start that game after similar (not exactly the same) adjustment as with Pandora, but the game always crashes when dialog with Chelsea by the newsstand ends, regardless if I have sound enabled or not.

Hrmm. I don't think mine did that. Then again, it's been a while and I don't remember anything beyond successfully asking for a dinner date and leaving.

So, as Nicht said: Dual-boot, Dual-boot, Dual-boot... At least at this moment.

Yep. Win9x is a good thing to keep around as long as you can run it on your hardware.

I recently found Win98 will bomb out on any Intel processor running faster than 2.1GHz (98SE can handle it), so it's days are numbered.

Nicht Sehr Gut wrote:

I recently found Win98 will bomb out on any Intel processor running faster than 2.1GHz (98SE can handle it), so it's days are numbered.

No tears as far as I´m concerned. Since most of my Windows games work under XP (except of Amber and Feeble Files), I prefer dual boot with DOS only. I´ve recently screwed up my Win98 installation probably with Scitech Display Doctor and I decided that I can´t stand blue screens od death anymore, so I deleted Win98 and now using just its ripped part, DOS 7.1, besides of XP 😀

Originally posted by Jiri ...so I deleted Win98 and now using just its ripped part, DOS 7.1, besides of XP

*jinx*
You know that now, according to Murphy's Law, you're going to come across a title that will only run properly within a Win9x environment. *heh*

Nicht Sehr Gut wrote:

*jinx*
You know that now, according to Murphy's Law, you're going to come across a title that will only run properly within a Win9x environment. *heh*

Feeble Files and Amber are such titles, but it is possible to get them running in Connectix Virtual PC (but Feeble is very slow on my computer, especially during cutscenes). And I almost forgot, there is really a special title, Ark of Time - "vesa not supported" in XP, Win98SE and DOS as well. Also in Virtual PC and last version of DOSBox. It works with GeForce2 cards only in Win98 with Scitech Display Doctor 7 Beta (unsupported and DANGEROUS product without any possibility of registration). But it definitely isn´t reason to install Win98 again.

Originally posted by Jiri Feeble Files and Amber are such titles, but it is possible to get them running in Connectix Virtual PC (but Feeble is very slow on my computer, especially during cutscenes).

Well, there you go. You can add "The Time Machine" to that list. I'm pretty sure it would run horribly under VPC as it's one of the more recent "XP Incompatible" titles. And for any titles that require 3D acceleration but aren't XP compatible, you're really sunk.

And I almost forgot, there is really a special title, Ark of Time - "vesa not supported" in XP, Win98SE and DOS as well.

Hrmm...That one sounds familiar.

It works with GeForce2 cards only in Win98 with Scitech Display Doctor 7 Beta (unsupported and DANGEROUS product without any possibility of registration).

Did you try the official (and now, free) 6.53/6.7 versions? As far as the GF2 is concerned, it seems that it and the GF4 seem to have a lot of problems with VESA titles. Hrrmm. By chance have you come across a "mouse stuck" in the upper part of you screen in some VESA games?

But it definitely isn´t reason to install Win98 again.

There are others, but whatever works best for you.

Nicht Sehr Gut wrote:

Did you try the official (and now, free) 6.53/6.7 versions?

Yes and without success - in DOS (and 6.7 also in XP) they report no supported chip detected, 6.53 in WinXP NTVDM detects WinBond W9970CF with 1MB but it didn´t help with anything.

Nicht Sehr Gut wrote:

As far as the GF2 is concerned, it seems that it and the GF4 seem to have a lot of problems with VESA titles. Hrrmm.

I have mainly adventure VESA games, and most of them work pretty well in XP. For example Shannara, Death Gate, Sherlock Holmes And Case Of The Rose Tatoo, I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream (Pandora and Killing Moon have glitches but none of them are graphic related). Some have problems, but solvable with various utilities - like Toonstruck or Discworld 2. Riddle of Master Lu and Orion Burger work only in DOS (and they report no VESA in XP), but I think it is not primarily GeForce2+VESA related problem - they simple don´t like XP for some reason and I doubt they would work in this OS with other card. The same goes for Noctropolis and Fable. So if the game uses some usual VESA mode (like 640x480x256 colors) it should work quite good with GeForce2, often even in XP, sometimes in DOS only.
Ark is a specific problem - it is the only VESA game I can´t get running in DOS (it is the game for DOS and strange one, it was released with outdated engine at the time when games normally used DirectX and were written for Windows). Is it possible to tell exactly what VESA mode a particular game wants? I now presume Ark wants something like 640x480x24bpp. GeForce2 doesn´t have 24bpp modes and when I tried to add them with VBEPlus I was not succesful. 15bpp modes are also missing but I managed to add them with VBE15bpp utility.

Profile for Hercules GeForce 2MX:

Available modes are:
100 - 640 x 400 8 bits per pixel
101 - 640 x 480 8 bits per pixel
102 - 800 x 600 4 bits per pixel
103 - 800 x 600 8 bits per pixel
104 - 1024 x 768 4 bits per pixel
105 - 1024 x 768 8 bits per pixel
106 - 1280 x 1024 4 bits per pixel
107 - 1280 x 1024 8 bits per pixel
10E - 320 x 200 16 bits per pixel
10F - 320 x 200 32 bits per pixel
111 - 640 x 480 16 bits per pixel
112 - 640 x 480 32 bits per pixel
114 - 800 x 600 16 bits per pixel
115 - 800 x 600 32 bits per pixel
117 - 1024 x 768 16 bits per pixel
118 - 1024 x 768 32 bits per pixel
11A - 1280 x 1024 16 bits per pixel
130 - 320 x 200 8 bits per pixel
131 - 320 x 400 8 bits per pixel
132 - 320 x 400 16 bits per pixel
133 - 320 x 400 32 bits per pixel
134 - 320 x 240 8 bits per pixel
135 - 320 x 240 16 bits per pixel
136 - 320 x 240 32 bits per pixel
13D - 640 x 400 16 bits per pixel
13E - 640 x 400 32 bits per pixel
145 - 1600 x 1200 8 bits per pixel
146 - 1600 x 1200 16 bits per pixel

Nicht Sehr Gut wrote:

By chance have you come across a "mouse stuck" in the upper part of you screen in some VESA games?

No.

Originally posted by Jiri Yes and without success -

A shame...

...most of them work pretty well in XP. For example Shannara, Death Gate,

DeathGate being one of the titles where people have been having problems...

Is it possible to tell exactly what VESA mode a particular game wants?

No easy way, no.

I now presume Ark wants something like 640x480x24bpp. GeForce2 doesn´t have 24bpp modes and when I tried to add them with VBEPlus I was not succesful.

That sounds like reasonable logic.

15bpp modes are also missing but I managed to add them with VBE15bpp utility.

*bah*
I haven't dealt with 15-bit since the NV1, not much use for it really.

Profile for Hercules GeForce 2MX: Available modes are: 100 - 640 x 400 8 bits per pixel etc... […]
Show full quote

Profile for Hercules GeForce 2MX:
Available modes are:
100 - 640 x 400 8 bits per pixel
etc...

Seems likes it's fairly capable VESA-wise.
Hrmm. No "stuck-mouse syndrome", eh? That's an odd one. I can't seem to find a pattern other than it seems to happen mostly to GeForce owners (but has never happened to me).

Nicht Sehr Gut wrote:

No "stuck-mouse syndrome", eh? That's an odd one. I can't seem to find a pattern other than it seems to happen mostly to GeForce owners (but has never happened to me).

I don´t know, maybe it´s not graphic card related but it depends on type of OS. I have WinXP and I´ve read some complaints from Win2K users.

Originally posted by Jiri I don´t know, maybe it´s not graphic card related but it depends on type of OS. I have WinXP and I´ve read some complaints from Win2K users.

Hrmmm...maybe it's a mix. Just certain video cards with Win2k.

heh to get this thread alive again 😁 .

Im having serious problems with pandora now ive read everything and i still dont have a solution

DOS says: VESA DRIVER NOT INSTALLED OR DETECTED. CHECK YOUR MANUAL OR REINSTALL THE DRIVER.
press any key to continue

when i press any key it doesnt do any think. i have to switch back to XP and shu down the hard way wich causes my screen to get F*cked up.

Also ive had only once that i got "do you want to continue were you were left? [YES] [NO]

But then the mouse pointer wasnt there 😠

I've installed PD on several XP systems now with success!

Thanks also to Jiri for his settings which made MPU-401 possible for me! 😀

However, on my girlfriend's system I have a new problem accuring:

Sound and Videosequences work just fine, however, the game is much to slow (3D and Buttons/Panel!). Of course I have installed the patched TEX4.EXE! The funny thing is, the first time I ran it it was smooth and perfect. The second time and since then it's just awfully slow... The Configuration Menu shows that I have ~ 17500 K/S of graphic speed, but it seems like 100 K/S to me... Any idea how this could have happened?