So this was with a SB0100 card, the one that finally worked under Windows XP.

I am now trying with a CT4870 and a WDM driver but get the freeze on Updating System Settings.

HugoBoss1985 wrote on 2025-07-26, 13:16:

After installing the drivers, the system freezes, or when restarting it black screens after Windows 98SE loading or I get a Memory Parity Failed BSOD.

I had similar issues with a classic SB Live! (an older model than the SB0100, I think) on my K7S5A mainboard. Disabling the "Legacy Emulation device" in Windows 98 helped (but prevented SB support for DOS boxes). I also remember issues with the SiS onboard PCI bus master IDE drivers, especially in the version shipped on the mainboard CD, which may or may not be related to the SB Live! issue I had.

Anyway, try booting Windows 98 in safe mode and disabling the legacy emulation driver.

mkarcher wrote on 2025-07-26, 14:30:

HugoBoss1985 wrote on 2025-07-26, 13:16:

After installing the drivers, the system freezes, or when restarting it black screens after Windows 98SE loading or I get a Memory Parity Failed BSOD.

I had similar issues with a classic SB Live! (an older model than the SB0100, I think) on my K7S5A mainboard. Disabling the "Legacy Emulation device" in Windows 98 helped (but prevented SB support for DOS boxes). I also remember issues with the SiS onboard PCI bus master IDE drivers, especially in the version shipped on the mainboard CD, which may or may not be related to the SB Live! issue I had.

Anyway, try booting Windows 98 in safe mode and disabling the legacy emulation driver.

Thanks for your reply and the help!

So you mean I should try to disable the SB16 emulation (in safe mode) in the device manager?
If I install the WDM version driver (which is what I am trying, because Windows XP also installs WDM driver and not VXD) I don't not see the SB16 Emulation in device manager.

Or do you mean something else/some other way of disabling the legacy emulation driver?

HugoBoss1985 wrote on 2025-07-26, 15:16:

So you mean I should try to disable the SB16 emulation (in safe mode) in the device manager?
If I install the WDM version driver (which is what I am trying, because Windows XP also installs WDM driver and not VXD) I don't not see the SB16 Emulation in device manager.

Exactly that is what I meant, although I remember the name to be something like "legacy support", not "SB16 emulation", but that's what I meant. It's quite likely I was using a VxD driver instead of the WDM driver, especially as VxD provides a better technological foundation for SB16 emulation. Did the installation of the WDM driver add any SB Live drivers to config.sys or Autoexec.bat? If yes, disabling those lines is worth a shot as well.

mkarcher wrote on 2025-07-26, 15:58:

HugoBoss1985 wrote on 2025-07-26, 15:16:

So you mean I should try to disable the SB16 emulation (in safe mode) in the device manager?
If I install the WDM version driver (which is what I am trying, because Windows XP also installs WDM driver and not VXD) I don't not see the SB16 Emulation in device manager.

Exactly that is what I meant, although I remember the name to be something like "legacy support", not "SB16 emulation", but that's what I meant. It's quite likely I was using a VxD driver instead of the WDM driver, especially as VxD provides a better technological foundation for SB16 emulation. Did the installation of the WDM driver add any SB Live drivers to config.sys or Autoexec.bat? If yes, disabling those lines is worth a shot as well.

Thanks again.
I think we both mean the same thing but in my case it is called "SB 16 emulation".
I have already tried (a lot of fresh installs back...) to disable that through safe mode but that did not help.
That entry in Device Manager only appears if I choose to install a VxD driver. With the WDM driver it does not appear.

I will check the config.sys and Autoexec.bat

About the SIS IDE drivers... I was reluctant to install the latest ("side123") IDE drivers for the SIS chipset because I read about that corrupting stuff.
I tried it and then my OS will not load, stuck at blinking underscore.
Removed it and can boot in OS normally again.
Maybe it is because i am using a Compact Flash card?
Or maybe it was better to install those IDE drivers right after finishing the clean Windows 98SE install (Before trying to install Creative card)?

I should also mention, like in my other topics... that all the Soundblaster Live! cards I have and tried (SB0100, CT4870, SB0220) work fine in the 2nd PCI slot.
It's just that I have only 2 PCI slots and because of form factor and (cpu) cooling fysical limits I really need the SB Live! to work in the 1st slot.

I just don't understand why I could get the cards working under Windows XP in the first slot but only in the second slot under Windows98SE.
Even though they are recognized in the first slot under Windows98SE.

You could be on to something though with that Emulation thing.

Because I believe XP installs the WDM drivers, so there is no Emulation installed? And hence why it is working under Windows XP (in the first PCI slot)?

So I removed the CF card with 98SE again and connecte the HDD with XP on it.

And audio working in 1st PCI slot with SB Live! ... so frustrating.
I can see that the installed driver is a generic microsoft driver.

It should be possible to get this working under Windows 98SE, I just don't get it and spend so much time trying.

mkarcher wrote on 2025-07-26, 15:58:

HugoBoss1985 wrote on 2025-07-26, 15:16:

So you mean I should try to disable the SB16 emulation (in safe mode) in the device manager?
If I install the WDM version driver (which is what I am trying, because Windows XP also installs WDM driver and not VXD) I don't not see the SB16 Emulation in device manager.

Exactly that is what I meant, although I remember the name to be something like "legacy support", not "SB16 emulation", but that's what I meant. It's quite likely I was using a VxD driver instead of the WDM driver, especially as VxD provides a better technological foundation for SB16 emulation. Did the installation of the WDM driver add any SB Live drivers to config.sys or Autoexec.bat? If yes, disabling those lines is worth a shot as well.

I first disabled the card in safe mode because I keep getting automatic driver installs in normal Windows 98SE.
So i tried to check some things with "run" and "msconfig.exe" in safe mode.
Autoexec.bat tab and Config.sys tab are both empty.
I checked "startup" tab and there was a "devldr16.exe" enabled.
I Googled that and found out that had something to do with dos sound emulation, so I disabled it.

When I rebooted to normal Windows and re-enabled the card it seemed to a moment to celebrate because nothing crashed and the speaker icon appeared in the right corner!
But several seconds later the system froze again.
I get the memory parity BSOD again now each time I boot.

Anything more I can try?
How come autoexec.bat and config.sys are empty when i check with msconfig.exe?

Should I try to add/modify something there?
Maybe this is in IRQ/Interrupt issue that can be solved that way?

mkarcher wrote on 2025-07-26, 15:58:

HugoBoss1985 wrote on 2025-07-26, 15:16:

So you mean I should try to disable the SB16 emulation (in safe mode) in the device manager?
If I install the WDM version driver (which is what I am trying, because Windows XP also installs WDM driver and not VXD) I don't not see the SB16 Emulation in device manager.

Exactly that is what I meant, although I remember the name to be something like "legacy support", not "SB16 emulation", but that's what I meant. It's quite likely I was using a VxD driver instead of the WDM driver, especially as VxD provides a better technological foundation for SB16 emulation. Did the installation of the WDM driver add any SB Live drivers to config.sys or Autoexec.bat? If yes, disabling those lines is worth a shot as well.

Well I finally figured out the problem!

It was an IRQ/Interrupt conflict with the onboard Realtek Lan Controller.
After disabling that in the device manager the SB Live! works in PCI slot 1! 😁

I will now try to change IRQ/Interrupts of the onboard lan.
Because that worked fine in Windows XP the the SB Live! in the 1st PCI slot.

It is not important the important thing now is that I can finally use the computer the way I want to.