First post, by VenomSpark
- Rank
- Newbie
Hi all again 😀
I'll try be very fast and direct this time: I have a sound card PCI "ESS ES1989S ALLEGRO A571-T20 from X WAVE" (pratically this one https://www.ebay.it/itm/155459169232) and i had a modern ASUS (can't really remember the name right now, but i was a Socket 775 mobo from 2006 or 2004) and it all worked perfectly until that PC somehow died (constantly beeps for ram despite i tried like almost 100 different DDR2 sticks but still beeps and won't boot anymore)
Recently i got access to my old PC as replace, which i wanted really use this card like for DOS like i did on other one as surprisingly despite a "modern" motherboard with Pentium 4 775, DDR2 512MB and a GF6200 TC PCI-E, the DOS 6.22 (the one with W98) worked very perfectly. But not with this, from 2000. just LMFAO.
So i mounted this card on this PC:
ASUS CUV-4X EA (the A was automitcally added after i updated to latest bios possible for this mobo) with VIA Apollo 133 Chipset (yikes!)
250W Power Supply
Pentium III Coppermine 866Mhz Socket 370
256MB Kingstone SDRAM PC-133
Sparkle nVidia GeForce 2MX-400 AGP4x
and the ESS 1989S Allegro sound card.
Im running on Windows 98 SE Italian version, i think the latest build. The problem is: under Windows, the card looks like working just great, all 3D games sounds are there, music on media player works ecc. expect, sadly and what Im most wanting, DOS games.
So i tried the ESS audio drivers downloaded here for the exact model, and i downloaded the DOS drivers from here always for ESS which come with some .com, .ini files ecc.
I putted them all on C:\ as written on readme, and added the right (or at least) lines on both Autoexec.bat and Config.sys and when I boot W98, right before it starts i see the Allegro startup dos telling that is all enabled on PCI IRQ: 5, A220, DMA: 1 and stuff. So i was wow it works, but it just don't.
Under windows there ain't anything about DOS emulation settings (at least I don't), which i had with the SB Live! card i had (SB16 Emulation menu on system managment), so i can't change really anything at all from Windows. I tried few games but all are muted and just with PC Speaker playing.
So i tried to boot into real MS DOS mode, using the PhilComputerLab Easy Menu which give you lot of options for auto-booting on MS DOS, i always use the Expanded Memory + Mouse, of course modding the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat on the .PIF file for match the ESS card, just exactly the same i did with other 2006 PC and always worked like a charm.
When DOS is ready, after Cutemouse ok message i see the Allegro menu again telling that looks like is alla fine: PCI IRQ 5 ecc. BUT after those information i get something like "DMA is on VIA DDMA Mode" may be this the cause? i just don't know what it means 🤣
After this, i can hear something on some games but not all: Duke3D and Blood says there is a DMA conflict on Sound FX (i can hear music tho), no matter what kind of sound card type, DMA, IRQ i choose. Jazz Jackrabbit is mute, Keen just recognize PC Speaker and so on.
So, TL;DR the same card that worked on a 2006 PC don't work on DOS on a 2000 PC. I am missing something out?
Poorly solutions i've tried: Put the card on ANY PCI slot (it have like 6 i think) but the story is the same. I also noticed that somehow the GF2MX have IRQ 7, which i think can be a problem, but anyway looks like any slots i put the card in is the same story.
Also messing with the PCI Reserved IRQ on the bios, expecially 5 and 7, looks like don't work. Sorry for long post, but is the only step and help i REALLY need for complete this machine to work, it just sucks not having sound on DOS like i did before and need this card because it don't need EMM386.exe to work like the SB16 PCI and\or SB Live! 5.1 i have, also the Live! sounds really bad on some games (DN3D Theme on Setmain.exe is slow and choppy, on Wolf 3D when you walk on walls and there is that bad noisse the game goes like 5-10fps or slow downs, also some other games have problems so these cards sadly are not good, with the ESS i had no problems at all)
Thanks for any help and sorry for bad english or informations, if anything else is needed (more info on system, windows, settings, drivers used) just ask and i can check whenever i can (the PC is right next to the main one)