Most likely you'll need to be running as a user in the 'Super Users' or 'Administrators' groups. Also, you should try upgrading to DirectX 9.0a (weird, I know) and also get all the latest "security" ""patches"" from Microsoft.

Very likely a video problem (dirver/hardware/DirectX).
Cheers,
V.

Thank you, guys.
I'll try all the tips you gave me and let you know in a few days.
Bye, Ciao!
Dom

I'm just curious: what kinds of effects can the video card driver in Win2K/XP have on VDMSound? I thought that the video in the NTVDM was largely independent of the Windows video drivers.

I've tried the solutions you gave me, but nothing worked.
I'm already "Administrator".
Yet I started Windows XP in the particular "free-nothingloaded" mode (I don't know the English name of that) by pressing F8 at the boot. You know what? Only in that case, DOS Games start (but without sound, since I cannot activate my sound card in that mode). The strange thing is that, even in this case, the video card driver is always the "ATI RADEON 9000", so I don't think is a video card problem. I've also tried to reduce color bit depht in normal mode, but nothing changed.
I can't figure out this!

HunterZ, he said "It's not a VDMSound problem, they won't run at all!!!" 😀

Weird weird. Sounds like you've got some busted video drivers. Try reinstalling them.

*BrAiN fArT* I meant to say "DOS apps" or "the NTVDM" instead of "VDMSound". I don't know what I was thinking when I mistyped 🤣 😜

Try running these VgaUtils:
http://www.simtel.net/pub/dl/51867.html

You might also try running VBETEST.EXE from UniVBE v6.7:
http://www.scitechsoft.com/products/enterpris … ree_titles.html

It allows you to individually test SVGA video modes. When you start up VBETEST, it should come up with text like this:

OEM string: IBM SVGA BIOS, (C) 1993 International Business Machines Version: VBE 1.2 with 4096 Kb memory […]
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OEM string: IBM SVGA BIOS, (C) 1993 International Business Machines
Version: VBE 1.2 with 4096 Kb memory

Select test to perform:

[0] - Interactive Tests
[Q] - Quit

You then select zero for Interactive tests:

Select color mode to test: […]
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Select color mode to test:

[0] - 4 bits per pixel modes [3] - 16 bits per pixel modes
[1] - 8 bits per pixel modes [4] - 24 bits per pixel modes
[2] - 15 bits per pixel modes [5] - 32 bits per pixel modes
[6] - Text modes
[Q] - Quit

Then select 1 for 8 bits per pixel modes (it's also a good idea to test for 16 bits and 24 bits later):

Which 8 bit video mode to test: [0] - 640x400x8, 1 page, Banked+Linear […]
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Which 8 bit video mode to test:

[0] - 640x400x8, 1 page, Banked+Linear
[1] - 640x480x8, 1 page, Banked+Linear
[2] - 800x600x8, 1 page, Banked+Linear
[3] - 1024x768x8, 1 page, Banked+Linear

Test modes like these to see what kind of response you get. The 640x480x8 mode is the most important as it's the most commonly used.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I figured out the problem.
You were right, video drivers aren't Dos-Compatible.
So you'll say: "Update them!"
Well, I can't.
My video card is an ATI Mobility Radeon 9000, not a plain Radeon, so I cannot install Catalyst (I tried, but they refuse to install). On my pc's manufacturer's site there's only one version of the video drivers for my card and it's the one which is currently installed.
All I can do is to forward this bug to my pc's manufacturer and hope for a new official version of the driver.
Thanks for the help!
Dom

Originally posted by Diduz All I can do is to forward this bug to my pc's manufacturer and hope for a new official version of the driver.

Until then, try DosBox for 386 ("real" mode) games and earlier.

By the way, did you try the video tools I mentioned? I find it hard to believe that your video chipset won't support any DOS video mode...

I tried to run them, but they hang after a few seconds.
I'm already a Dosbox user, but it doesn't support protected mode and 486 games (by now).
Oh, well, I will survive. 😉
Bye,
Dom

Originally posted by Diduz I tried to run them, but they hang after a few seconds.

OUCH. That's bad. Wow, makes the GF4 card look like a winner by comparison.

Hrmm... This whole laptop display thing... need to learn more...

Even my ALBION box specifically states, "NOT COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT IN LAPTOP DISPLAYS". Hrmmm...

Some do better than others.

My Win9x laptop with an ATI RAGE Mobile-P works fine for pretty much anything you can throw at it. I imagine the compatibility rate goes WAAAY down if I try to run an NT OS on it (not to mention with only a 450MHz Celeron, it probably won't work too well either 😉)

Heh. XP here. Most VESA stuff I've tried (not much recently, I admit) has worked on the Gf4Ti4200 that's in there now, the GF3, and the TNT2Ultra that were in here at one point or another.

Snover wrote:

Some do better than others.

My Win9x laptop with an ATI RAGE Mobile-P works fine for pretty much anything you can throw at it. I imagine the compatibility rate goes WAAAY down if I try to run an NT OS on it (not to mention with only a 450MHz Celeron, it probably won't work too well either 😉)

450MHz is more than enough to run 2K/XP, as long as you have at least 256MB of RAM to throw at it. Laptops seem to skimp a LOT on RAM though for whatever reason, so I'd be willing to bet that that would be your biggest performance bottleneck.

I've noticed that trying to install anything other than the factory-installed custom-hacked OS on most laptops will result in extreme instability anyways... I haven't yet seen a laptop that I liked.