Play a MIDI file using a media player. Windows has canyon.mid since the 3.1 days (likely since 3.0 with multi media enhancements). Try looking in c:\windows\media

Make sure the default MIDI device / the MIDI mapper configuration sends the music to the Yamaha board.

mkarcher wrote on 2021-10-21, 19:31:

Play a MIDI file using a media player. Windows has canyon.mid since the 3.1 days (likely since 3.0 with multi media enhancements). Try looking in c:\windows\media

Make sure the default MIDI device / the MIDI mapper configuration sends the music to the Yamaha board.

I did try to play any midi file, no dice.

Don't have any other sound cards, besides that one in the PC.

On top of that, OS usually hangs when I'm trying to.

Could this be a problem?

*Extremely* speed sensitive card. Anything faster than a 386 may have issues. I tested it recently and it was hit and miss on a K6-3+ slowed down. I had better luck on a MMX200 slowed down.

What CPU are you using?

I haven't played with mine much, but there should be an initialization program that runs in DOS before Windows loads if I remember correctly. Not sure if it is required if only using in Windows.

Shouldn't matter if it is the only sound device installed in the computer though I am not sure how much if any the output is amplified. Are you using powered speakers with it?

Edit: pretty sure mine is currently in an MMX-233 system and is working fine. Maybe there are different revisions of the card?

So, my system is way faster, than it should be... Celeron 1400.

Cyclone, I sent you a message.

Use any game and configure music to General MIDI at port 300. Card doesn't need any DOS drivers.

Can't say about speed sensitivity as I've used it only up to Pentium 133.

Just for sanity check, I brought yet another sound card into equation.

SB0100 this time, it works, nevertheless.

I go to Control Panel, Multimedia, MIDI, select Yamaha as Single Instrument.

When I'm trying to play midi files with Yamaha card in mind, PC hangs.

Everything else seems to work, maybe you guys need more pics of the card?

Not sure, how would DOSMID interpret this card, though, so I can't test that.

Do you have any slower computer?

kixs wrote on 2021-10-21, 20:54:

Do you have any slower computer?

I can try P2 400 on my P3B-F, will need a minute to set everything up.

All my leftover boards appear to be trashed, this will take longer, but I can slow down my P3 / Celeron,

I actually don't remember any sort of speed sensitivity on two SW60XG I have had in my hands (I have had to repair them), I used both on a 1.4GHz Tualatin machine without any apparent problems. It comes as a surprise to me that this card is supposed to be speed sensitive...

Picture of your card looks like the address is set at 300 ?

If it is going to work, efcon should definitely detect it.

The line in my autoexec.bat is the default:
C:\SW60XG\efcon /type:1 /line:100 /mic:100 /midi:100 /vcl:0

You are running efcon from pure DOS and not a Windows command prompt, right?

The system it has been in is a Pentium MMX 233 so it definitely works with a CPU that fast.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-22, 04:37:

Picture of your card looks like the address is set at 300 ? […]
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Picture of your card looks like the address is set at 300 ?

If it is going to work, efcon should definitely detect it.

The line in my autoexec.bat is the default:
C:\SW60XG\efcon /type:1 /line:100 /mic:100 /midi:100 /vcl:0

You are running efcon from pure DOS and not a Windows command prompt, right?

The system it has been in is a Pentium MMX 233 so it definitely works with a CPU that fast.

It is 300, yes.

I ran EFCON under WIn98's DOS mode, as I'm pretty sure it is already in the autoexec.bat, might recheck that little factoid.

Regarding the speed, I need to procure an AT style keyboard, and try Socket 7 for once.

You can just us an adapter to go from PS/2 to AT.. or USB to PS/2 / AT for that matter though it is cheaper and easier to just get a PS/2 / AT keyboard.

Generally, the DOS mode utilities like that will not work under a Windows command prompt.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-22, 13:26:

You can just us an adapter to go from PS/2 to AT.. or USB to PS/2 / AT for that matter though it is cheaper and easier to just get a PS/2 / AT keyboard.

Generally, the DOS mode utilities like that will not work under a Windows command prompt.

Okay then, will burn floppies or a CD to install 6.22.

You can just hit F8 when booting to do a selective startup.

You don't need to install 6.22.

You can also make config.sys and autoexec.bat menus to be able to boot multiple configurations.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-22, 13:47:

You can just hit F8 when booting to do a selective startup.

You don't need to install 6.22.

You can also make config.sys and autoexec.bat menus to be able to boot multiple configurations.

Funny enough, I did exactly that to do DOS stuff, like DOSMID and light gaming.

EFCON didn't detect the card.

Not sure if it matters but it isn't a PnP card so you may need to set the BIOS to non-PnP.

Have you tried cleaning the edge connector on the card? What about making sure a different ISA card works in the motherboard?

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-22, 15:22:

Not sure if it matters but it isn't a PnP card so you may need to set the BIOS to non-PnP.

Have you tried cleaning the edge connector on the card? What about making sure a different ISA card works in the motherboard?

It's GA-6VXTE-A, creme de la creme of my collection.

It only has one ISA slot, being a 694T board.

100% functional, other soundcard seems to work absolutely fine.

Set the BIOS to non-PnP? I can try that right now!

"Plug and Play Aware O/S, is it?"

Opened my autoexec.bat just now, same line, no deviations.
"C:\SW60XG\efcon /type:1 /line:100 /mic:100 /midi:100 /vcl:0"

I even double checked the system.ini and control.ini for that matter, some line weren't complete, and corrected them.

All according to the manual, of course.