I have a very similar configuration in a 486 (non PNP EISA) I'm recently working on:

- 3com Etherlink III (3c509) ISA
- Adaptec 1540CP (same as yours, minus the floppy controller if I remember correctly)
- SB 32 PNP (CT3670)

Actually two of these cards can be used as non-PNP cards. 3com has a configuration utility software to set the PNP off, and assign permanent resources to the card. You can do the same on Adaptec with switches and its BIOS utility.

This makes your SB the only thing to worry about, and Creative PNP utility will take care of that from your autoexac.bat or cobfig.sys without a fuss.

Mine works without an issue both in DOS and Windows 3.11 at the moment.

PS: I write that down from my memory, I'll check for any further info when I get back home. I also can help (if I can) with your more specific questions about this trio.

Should I try the Intel PNP driver?

If you mean ICU (Intel Configuration Utility): yes, you actually need to. DOS has no PNP, nor does your BIOS. So you must install ICU. After that, all your cards will work.

@tayyare Thanks! Disabling PNP on the Etherlink III worked! Everything's working now.

maximpactbuilder wrote:

@tayyare Thanks! Disabling PNP on the Etherlink III worked! Everything's working now.

I've run into this issue a few times myself. Then I forget how I fixed it, years pass, I pull a new Etherlink III out of the bin, and run into the same issue again. It can be difficult to remember ever setup procedure for lots of old hardware.

maximpactbuilder wrote:

@tayyare Thanks! Disabling PNP on the Etherlink III worked! Everything's working now.

No problem 🤣

ICU is only required if you have a non-Creative PNP card (which cannot be setup as non-PNP) in a non-PNP setup. Creative PNP utility (CTCM/CTCU) takes care of Cretive PNP cards better than ICU, based on my experience.

Also it is helpful to note that, ISA PNP era is a short lived one and most of the cards from that era are actually transient products that can be configured as non-PNP devices.