According to Microsoft Knowledge Base http://support.microsoft.com/kb/125174/en:

Code 9 The text for this error code varies, depending on whether or not the device is BIOS/ACPI enumerated. If this is a BIOS or […]
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Code 9
The text for this error code varies, depending on whether or not the device is BIOS/ACPI enumerated. If this is a BIOS or ACPI enumerated device, the following text is displayed:
This device is not working properly because the BIOS in your computer is reporting the resources for the device incorrectly. (Code 9)

Contact your computer manufacturer to get an updated BIOS for your computer.

Solution button: None

If this is not a BIOS or ACPI enumerated device (such as an add-in adapter or a device that was plugged in to the computer), the following text is displayed:
This device is not working properly because the BIOS in the device is reporting the resources for the device incorrectly. (Code 9)

Contact the device manufacturer to get an updated BIOS for your device.

Solution button: None

This code means that the information in the registry for this device is invalid.

It may be possible to resolve this error by using Device Manager to remove the device and then running the Add New Hardware tool in Control Panel. If you continue to receive this error code, contact the hardware's manufacturer for the proper registry settings or updated drivers.

First and important question: what motherboard you have (brand, model, revision of motherboard if silkscreened, version of BIOS, etc.), also BIOS settings in "PnP/PCI Configurations" page.

tyuper wrote:

First and important question: what motherboard you have (brand, model, revision of motherboard if silkscreened, version of BIOS, etc.), also BIOS settings in "PnP/PCI Configurations" page.

The motherboard is an Asus P2B-F.

Award Modular BIOS v4.51PG / ASUS P2B-F ACPI BIOS Revision 1012

The BIOS setting in PNP and PCI setup:

PNP OS Installed: Yes
Slot 1 IRQ: Auto
Slot 2 IRQ: Auto
Slot 3 IRQ: Auto
Slot 4/5 IRQ: Auto
PCI Latency Timer: 0 PCI Clock

IRQ 3 Used By ISA: No/ICU
IRQ 4 Used By ISA: No/ICU
IRQ 5 Used By ISA: No/ICU
IRQ 7 Used By ISA: No/ICU
IRQ 9 Used By ISA: No/ICU
IRQ 10 Used By ISA: No/ICU
IRQ 11 Used By ISA: No/ICU
IRQ 12 Used By ISA: No/ICU
IRQ 14 Used By ISA: No/ICU
IRQ 15 Used By ISA: No/ICU

DMA 1 Used By ISA: No/ICU
DMA 3 Used By ISA: No/ICU
DMA 5 Used By ISA: No/ICU

ISA MEM Block BASE: No/ICU

SYMBIOS SCSI BIOS: Auto
USB IRQ: Enabled
VGA BIOS Sequence: AGP/PCI

Disable "PNP OS Installed" - BIOS is better in assigning resources for PnP cards than Win9x.

And watch for this screen:

It should show ISA/PNP devices and its resources.

tyuper wrote:

Disable "PNP OS Installed" - BIOS is better in assigning resources for PnP cards than Win9x. […]
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Disable "PNP OS Installed" - BIOS is better in assigning resources for PnP cards than Win9x.

And watch for this screen:

It should show ISA/PNP devices and its resources.

Done.

Here is a photo of the screen mentioned after disabling "PNP OS Installed". I'm not seeing any resources getting assigned to the sound card:

Win95 found the card, but I'm still getting the Code 9 error. The full text of the error message is: "Device failure. Try changing the driver for this device. If that doesn't work, see your hardware documentation. (Code 9.)"

(I have reinstalled the driver from the original disc several times, now, and given that the card was working perfectly earlier with the same driver, I'm feeling doubtful that the driver is the problem.)

I guess you don't have any other machine with ISA? This would be helpful to exclude motherboard fault (you said that problem happened after plugging PCI modem). 😐

Forgot one - did you try to use AWE64 in pure DOS (MS-DOS Mode in Win95)? Maybe CTCM* can detect card and write configuration data to its EEPROM.

*Creative PnP Configuration Manager

Actually CTCM does not write to the EEPROM at all.

However one could have a look either with CTCU or Win9x device manager which configuration profiles are saved on the EEPROM.
I would also set PnP OS = Yes as it is always much more difficult to configure new resources if others are already used. This may not be a problem with a single ISA-PnP card if CTCM flushes all set resources.

I would force a default config like 220,5,1 with ctcm and set the same resources in Win9x. For this disabling the problematic PCI cards helps. Afterwards you can kick off a new auto configuration run for the PCI device.
You should also have a look which PCI device maps IRQs to ISA.

tyuper wrote:

I guess you don't have any other machine with ISA? This would be helpful to exclude motherboard fault (you said that problem happened after plugging PCI modem). 😐

Unfortunately, I do not have another suitable motherboard I can test with.

I may have another ISA sound card around, though.. I'll look for that.

I would really hate for this to be a motherboard fault.

tyuper wrote:

Forgot one - did you try to use AWE64 in pure DOS (MS-DOS Mode in Win95)? Maybe CTCM* can detect card and write configuration data to its EEPROM.

*Creative PnP Configuration Manager

I haven't retested under DOS since making the BIOS change you suggested, but it was under DOS that I first noticed that sound and gameport weren't working..

This box is intended to primarily be a DOS gaming machine.

I'll retest it under DOS.

Would it make sense to assign an IRQ to the ISA slot under BIOS?

elianda wrote:

For this disabling the problematic PCI cards helps.
Afterwards you can kick off a new auto configuration run for the PCI device.
You should also have a look which PCI device maps IRQs to ISA.

I removed the PCI card and the extra ISA sound card, to eliminate variables, once I noticed the problem. The issue has persisted even after the removal of these cards.

elianda wrote:

I would force a default config like 220,5,1 with ctcm and set the same resources in Win9x.

Thanks for the suggestion.. However, I'm afraid that I'm not knowledgable enough on this topic to fully grasp what you're recommending. 😢

I'll look in CTCM to see if I can find what 200,5,1 would map to, but if you can give me a pointer on how to make the same settings in Win95, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks again

@elianda: Thanks for correcting me in CTCM/CTCU thing! 😀

@Serious: Don't worry, it's "piece of cake". Start from Control Panel, open System and you will see Device Manager tab. Click that tab, search for "Sound, video and game controllers" - expand it and you will see your AWE64. Two-left-click on "AWE64 16 bit Audio (SB16 compatible)" and click on Resources tab. Uncheck "Use automatic settings". If Windows reports that it couldn't change settings, set the Basic configuration 0000 to 0004.

P.S 220,5,1 means: 220 is Input/Output Range (alternatively Sound Blaster adress), 5 is Interrupt Request and 1 is Direct Memory Channel.

With the Asus BIOS, you should see a list of PnP ISA cards that are being configured on the same screen as the memory count. Unlike other Award BIOSes, it does not list configured ISA cards and resources on the POST summery screen.

You should see "Soundblaster AWE64" after "Initialize PnP Cards"

On my Asus P5A, all I had to do to get the card working in DOS was to run CTCM, Windows 9x always picked it up without an issue.

tyuper wrote:

Two-left-click on "AWE64 16 bit Audio (SB16 compatible)" and click on Resources tab.

I only seem to have a General tab and Drivers tab.

NJRoadfan wrote:

With the Asus BIOS, you should see a list of PnP ISA cards that are being configured on the same screen as the memory count. Unlike other Award BIOSes, it does not list configured ISA cards and resources on the POST summery screen.

You should see "Soundblaster AWE64" after "Initialize PnP Cards"

Yep. It is showing up as Card-01.

NJRoadfan wrote:

On my Asus P5A, all I had to do to get the card working in DOS was to run CTCM, Windows 9x always picked it up without an issue.

Ok, so this is weird. I am getting this error when attempting to run CTCM:

"ERROR: Bad Resource or Data Checksum (VendorID 11230000) Expected=1a Actual=f7"
"ERROR: Bad Resource or Data Checksum (VendorID c7008c0e) Expected=1a Actual=f7"

I get this same message when I run CTCM in the C:\windows directory, CTCM from the DOS drivers I downloaded from here (which I installed in C:\AWE64), and the original copy of CTCM from the files I placed in C:\AWE64 ..

C:\windows\ctcm.exe is in my dosstart.bat file, and I think I would have noticed this before, so I think it just started happening..

I did quick search on internet and found something:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/d … t/16720954.aspx
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/micro … nce/LVA9nHieYBk
http://forum.hardware.fr/hfr/WindowsSoftware/ … jet_22670_1.htm

Why does my Soundblaster AWE64 soundcard not work? Some people have reported that after working fine for a while, the card sudde […]
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Why does my Soundblaster AWE64 soundcard not work?
Some people have reported that after working fine for a while, the card suddenly stops working, and may report the message "The BIOS of this device is incorrectly reporting the resources for this device. Try getting an updated BIOS from your system manufacturer. Error code (9)." For some reason the BIOS update for this problem can only be found on the Dell site. Do the following:

go to http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Dri … driverId=r19293
search for aweflsh.exe and download the file
Running AWE64Flsh.exe will create a diskette with the flashing utility and
an upgrade of the AWE drivers for Windows 95. Follow the instructions
regarding the flashing of the AWE-64 card (important!), but do not use the drivers
included, because they are old (release 12). Download the latest drivers (sbw9xup.exe) from the Creative Labs web site, http://support.creative.com/Downloads/welcome.aspx

When Windows starts, if MSGSRV32.EXE crashes in SB16SND.DRV, you still have problems. You can follow Creative Labs advice: suppress all AWE entries in Peripherals Manager

create a C:\REMOVESB.BAT file containing:
CD \WINDOWS\SYSTEM
DEL SB*.*
DEL WFM*.*
DEL CIF*.*
DEL CSPMAN.DLL
DEL SYNTHGM.SBK
CD ..
DEL AWE*.*
REM ^ (for AWE cards only)
CD INF
REN SB16AWE.INF SB16AWE.CLI
REN *.BIN *.CLI

reboot and go in DOS mode

execute C:\REMOVESB.BAT

reboot



When Windows detects the AWE-64 card, indicate the directory where you
extracted files from sbw9xup.exe.

If you still have problems: reboot and go into BIOS Settings. Set "P&P OS" to No. Reboot.

This program resets the AWE-EEPROM (it says for model ct4520, but it works with the ct4390 and ct4550 as well.

I'm not sure about this method, but it shouldn't hurt if you try it on "dead" AWE64 Gold. 🤣

One thing I would try is bypassing your "dirty" win95 installation all together and try again, either by replacing the HDD with a spare and install a fresh windows install or you could always create dos boot disk and just test in pure dos, using different drivers then the ones from the currant windows install
I'm willing to bet that even though the drivers have been uninstalled, there are still not back to the original state pre hardsid card

tyuper wrote:

search for aweflsh.exe and download the file Running AWE64Flsh.exe will create a diskette with the flashing utility and an upg […]
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search for aweflsh.exe and download the file
Running AWE64Flsh.exe will create a diskette with the flashing utility and
an upgrade of the AWE drivers for Windows 95. Follow the instructions
regarding the flashing of the AWE-64 card (important!), but do not use the drivers
included, because they are old (release 12). Download the latest drivers (sbw9xup.exe) from the Creative Labs web site

I seem to remember needing to flash the BIOS on this card back when it was relatively new, to fix some issue.. So I'm feeling like this may very well be the solution.

I'll give it a try and will report back soon..

chinny22 wrote:

One thing I would try is bypassing your "dirty" win95 installation all together and try again, either by replacing the HDD with a spare and install a fresh windows install or you could always create dos boot disk and just test in pure dos, using different drivers then the ones from the currant windows install
I'm willing to bet that even though the drivers have been uninstalled, there are still not back to the original state pre hardsid card

This sounds like a good idea. If the flash doesn't do it, I will give this a try next.

tyuper wrote:

I'm not sure about this method, but it shouldn't hurt if you try it on "dead" AWE64 Gold. 🤣

Flashing the card's BIOS did the trick! 😀

Thanks very much for all of your help!

Now I'm going to play some Silpheed..!

Dell frequently has the goofiest firmware flashes and hardware-specific diagnostic tools available (never in a million years would I suspect they had an AWE64 firmware flash) and I think the Internet should be doing a better job at mirroring them and hacking away any Dell-only code in their flash tools so that they can be used by other utilities.

That said, kudos! 😁

Stiletto wrote:

Dell frequently has the goofiest firmware flashes and hardware-specific diagnostic tools available (never in a million years would I suspect they had an AWE64 firmware flash) and I think the Internet should be doing a better job at mirroring them and hacking away any Dell-only code in their flash tools so that they can be used by other utilities.

That said, kudos! 😁

In this case, I found and tried the flash disk I made back in 1999.. I figured since it solved a problem for me before, I'd give it a try before trying the one on the link.

I wouldn't have thought to try it, though, without tyuper's suggestion. So kudos to him 😀

Good to hear that your AWE64 regained consciousness 🤣