Check volume of AuxB using essvol.

Thanks! That works but not always.

When I boot into Windows, I cannot get any audible MIDI in DOS even after a soft reboot (Ctrl-alt-del or Windows "restart" option). Only a hard reset or powering the system off and booting directly to DOS gives me music, if I add the '/a' parameter to ESSVOL.

I'm really wondering what the drivers are adjusting, or have adjusted, in the card because I didn't need the '/a' parameter before.

Perhaps the first issue (no MIDI after Windows) might be because something is changed in the PnP registers. The technical manual of the ESS1878 (different card) has this passage:

[PnP "Program Vendor-Defined Card-Level" register] 28h: leave all of the bits set to 00h until Windows starts up. The Windows driver will write this register to allow sharing MPU-401 and H/W volume interrupts.

I managed to read out some of the registers of the card with a simple C program. The PnP registers are less easily accessible, but if I stay curious about the answer I will try to read them as well.

I'm really wondering what the drivers are adjusting, or have adjusted, in the card because I didn't need the '/a' parameter before.

It added AuxB to the Windows mixer, where it is most likely muted. I normally put essvol in my autoexec.bat and in windows/dosstart.bat so that whatever volumes were set in Windows, are reset when booting or exiting to DOS.

Ah, but it's not muted for me. And running ESSVOL after going to DOS from Windows has no effect.

Which drivers do you use? The ones found on Vogonsdrivers?