Here's my notes for the ~15th? time 🤣 I'm installing the DOS drivers for the Audigy 2 ZS. It finally worked! - you don't have to read the massive wall of text below, but just in case my notes help somebody else:
Super long notes to install Audigy 2 ZS DOS Drivers in Windows 98 SE
--Formatted new 120gb SSD drive--Pulled the ESS ES1869F ISA sound card to eliminate any conflicts--Reinstalled windows--Installed minimum drivers (so I could function) for: Unofficial nusb36e USB Driver, GeForce 4 Video Drivers, 7Zip, Daemon for ISO mounting
--Followed Joseph's directions:
Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2020-01-25, 07:10:1) Install Audigy WDM drivers normally from the CD
2) Run the Driver Utility Program and let it install VxD drivers
3) Make the […]
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1) Install Audigy WDM drivers normally from the CD
2) Run the Driver Utility Program and let it install VxD drivers
3) Make the EnableSB16Emulation=1 registry change as mentioned here
4) Install the DOS compatibility pack once
5) Go to Control Panel > Add New Hardware and manually add a second SB16 Emulation device as instructed in the linked thread
Installed Audigy 2 ZS WDM Drivers:
--ONLY choose those 4x programs you said (and I added Midi samples as well)
--During install asked me for Win98 CD
--Install told me 'ksproxy.ax: WDM Streaming ActiveMovieProxy was newer that the file I already have', do I want to keep the existing file? I choose YES.
--Then pop-up for new hardware found (during install of WDM drivers) - 'Windows is installing the software for your new hardware'...
--asked me again about a bunch of newer files which I choose keep newer....FYI, I've installed these WDM drivers a HALF DOZEN times before and it NEVER asked me this prior...using same exact Audigy CD...same exact Win98SE CD...
'Installation Complete, Yes I want to restart my computer now'
--black screen before Windows boots up with 'please wait while setup updated your files'
--ReadReg Application, completing install of your audio card (window under it with "Windows 98 setup, then building driver info database, win 98 setup then boot to Windows
--cancelled Audigy registration screen pop-up
Audigy 2 Driver Utility Program > install VxD Driver--update of Creative audio hardware drivers is in progress), reboot
--I don't know if I was supposed to make the registry edit before it rebooted or what...but I rebooted without doing that
--black screen with 'please wait white setup updates', then in Windows 'building driver info database, new hardware found, add new hardware wizard, PCI Input Controller'....this is also where I could have screwed up, do I choose automatic search for a better driver? Specify the location of the driver????
--I choose 'Automatic' for this first time, since you laid out the more detailed instructions of the manual process for the 2nd time...so I assume the first time I should do automatic.
--Another problem here is which CD should be in the drive? When you choose 'automatic' it automatically scans the CD for drivers...choices are Win98se CD, the Audigy CD, or no CD...since the Audigy CD couldn't find anything because that .CAB wasn't unzipped (like I talked about before), I just kept the Win CD in there.
--and it seems to be stuck on scanning D:\ADD-ONS\TSCLIENT\MSTSC\WIN16...at about minute 5 or 6 now...10 minutes later after ctrl+alt+del doesn't work I hard reset...
--Boots right back up to the add new hardware for PCI Input Controller, choose auto again, but this time had Audigy CD in drive...where it then asks me for the Win98 CD again 🤣...add new hardware Creative Game Port, windows has finished installing new hardware device
--Rebooted into pre-teal-screen = windows and creative driver update utility pops-up, updating of creative audio hardware drivers in progress, driver info database, new hardware found, flashing through 3x of them too fast to read/remember...back to Creative Driver Update Utility which tok about 6 minutes (thought it froze). Msg: 'In order for changes to take effect you should reboot' (assuming NO registry edit quite yet?), black screen please wait while setup updates...back to ReadReg Application, completing install of your audio card (is this a boot loop? 🤣), OK, NOW Windows is back up finally...
(and reminder, ALL of the above is just to get the VxD drivers installed...)
Edited the Registry....maybe/kinda...
--last time I double-clicked on the "EnableSB16Emulation" and manually changed 0 'dword' value to 1. This time I made a text .reg file in Notepad (and checked it in DOS 'edit' just to make sure no extra characters were added - it was good). Double clicked on it...and nothing was added to the registry... One thing to note, that post you linked to says "CreativeTech" with no space. Mine has a space "Creative Tech". Just in case I tried it without no space too, and rebooted....STILL doesn't add any registry value(s), and the directions from that linked post says "add the entry to the registry. Once this is done and you reboot, the system will try to install SB16 emulation from the SB16.inf." ...I'm NOT getting the system to add anything automatically.... (and this is before the directions say to manually go to Add new Hardware)....so I go back to double clicking on the registry value and changed it to "1" (actually "00000001")
-- When I reboot, I FINALLY get the teal screen, something flashed up quickly then it says "System Settings Change, to finish setting up your new hardware you must restart", restarted.
--NOW, I FINALLY have the one single "Creative SB16 Emulation" with a yellow exclamation point in my System Properties!
Installed the Dos compatibility pack (#4 on your list) from the audigy2-dospack\driver\setup, prompted to reboot, so I did
--black screen saying updating
--teal screen w/ quick flash-up of another driver loading? prompt, then back into windows
Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2020-01-25, 22:16:
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add New Hardware > Next > Next > No, the device isn't in the list > No, I want to select the hardware from a list > Sound, video and game controllers > Creative Technology, Ltd > Creative SB16 Emulation > Next > Finish.
--did the above then prompted to restart
Looks like there's an error in Autoexec or config - will have to take a pic on next reboot--went away next reboot
IT WORKS!!!!!! (THANK YOU Joseph!)
Both in Windows, AND in DOS (as long as you run the Audigy patch ever time).
I'm going to research how to load those larger/better SoundFonts for the Audigy 2 ZS, but now that I think about it that might have become a moot point...
I did some testing and only about 6 out of ~30 or so DOS games had proper Sound FX and Midi sound when played through windows (Doom 1 & 2, Duke3d, Hexen/Heretic and Quake all worked in Windows). The others (when played inside Windows) usually have Sound FX but NO Midi sound, so to get those working correctly I have to 'reboot to DOS' mode, and in DOS mode I loose the ability to use those more advanced SoundFonts on the Audigy 2 ZS (i.e. to get closer to sounding like a Roland SC-55) -- since those SoundFonts ONLY work in Windows... so that's making me rethink everything...
OR, do you think I'm doing something wrong here? Is it normal for the VAST majority of DOS games NOT play nice inside Windows 98 SE? ...and this is probably why everybody is using actual Roland SC-55's, Dreamblasters, or other devices/solutions to get that type of superior sound to work in DOS proper?
Besides the above, I'll continue to test out the Audigy 2 ZS some more. I can now use proper SoundBlaster 16-bit sound, right? (where on the ESS it was only 8-bit unless the game happened to have an actual ESS mode - which I haven't found one which does yet)
What Midi/Music modes do I want to test the most? My go-to was 'Generic Midi' before (but ONLY in Windows, where I could use the Audigy/WDM Windows drivers to get Midi sound), but if I take Duke Nukem 3d for example it has options for: Ultrasound, SB, Sound Man 16, Pro Audio Spectrum, AWE 32, SoundScape, Wave Blaster, General Midi, Sound Canvas, Adlib. In Windows through Multimetia Properties > Midi tab, I can choose SB Audigy Midi port, Sw Synth, Synth A, Synth B - which to use? (or will this change once I load those larger SoundFonts?)
Oh, one random thing, some games, when choosing Sound FX, weren't giving me IRQ/DMA options which the Audigy had available. I have A220 I5 DMA1/5 (I'll have to take better notes next time I see this). Do I choose this for BOTH 8-bit and 16-bit option? (and in Duke Nukem 3D I don't think "5" was an option for 16-bit - they were higher so I couldn't coose one.....so I don't know how I can use 16-bit on the Audigy on games like this - again, I'll try this when I'm back home and take better notes).