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Yamaha sound cards hate me - driver issues with YMF724

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First post, by Ace

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It seems Yamaha sound cards hate me. I previously got 2 motherboards with built-in Yamaha YMF740s, neither of which will POST, then ended up purchasing a YMF724 that would prevent any and all computers I put it into from POSTing. Today, I picked up another YMF724(YMF724E-V version) and installed it in my IBM Personal Computer 300PL. When I booted the computer with the YMF724, it worked perfectly. Computer POSTed and booted into Windows 95.

I then proceeded to install drivers for the YMF724(I had some drivers on my laptop which I transferred to the 300PL). And again, like with the other YMF724 and the YMF740s before it, I'm faced with ANOTHER problem. Here's what happens: when I install the drivers for the YMF724, the only device installed is YAMAHA DS-XG PCI Audio CODEC. Never mind that, but the sound card doesn't even work. I check in the Device Manager and notice that the sound card's Device Manager entry has an exclamation point on it. This is what Windows tells me when I view the properties:

This device is either not present, not working properly, or does not have all the drivers installed. (Code 10)

I can't get rid of this! Even when I try to install the other parts of the YMF724's drivers, I get a Blue Screen of Death with an "Invalid VxD Dynamic Link" error. It screwed up Windows 95 so badly, I had to reformat the hard drive. I have since installed Windows 98(not SE), and I still can't get the YMF724 to work correctly.

Did I ONCE AGAIN get a defective YMF724 or are my drivers crap? Or is the computer at fault? I know the YMF724 will work with DOS stuff on the 300PL as its motherboard uses an Intel 440BX chipset(it doesn't have SBLink, on the other hand).

EDIT: I just installed DOS drivers for the YMF724, and when entering the SETUPDS program, I'm greeted with this error message:

CODEC might not be connected

WTF??? What the hell is this? Is the sound card broken?

Reply 1 of 3, by Anonymous Coward

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I've also had some issues with the YMF724. It really doesn't like certain VLB graphics cards, and prevents the system from posting. Though I've seen similar behaviour with Crystal chipsets as well.

"Will the highways on the internets become more few?" -Gee Dubya
V'Ger XT|Upgraded AT|Ultimate 386|Super VL/EISA 486|SMP VL/EISA Pentium

Reply 2 of 3, by Ace

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I only have a single AGP graphics card in the computer(a 3DFX Voodoo 3), but it does have a Crystal CS4235 sound card which I've disabled in the computer's BIOS(it's built into the motherboard). Will I have to fit the YMF724 into another computer? I've got an IBM Personal Computer 300GL I could fit the YMF724 into if all else fails(it does not have any VLB graphics cards nor does it have a built-in Crystal sound card). I found some WDM drivers for Windows 98 for the YMF724 and will give it a go before calling it quits with the YMF724 on the 300PL(I REALLY want the YMF724 to work on that computer as I've put it together as a hybrid Windows 9x/MS-DOS gaming computer, but I NEED authentic OPL2/OPL3 FM Synthesis, however all the sound cards I have with authentic OPL3 ALWAYS screw up when trying to play the floppy disk edition of X-Wing on that computer and any computer with a CPU faster than 133MHz(or 400MHz with any SoundBlaster 16/AWE32 with the CT1747 combo YMF262/YAC512/ISA interface). X-Wing is a game I absolutely have to play with FM music; General MIDI won't cut it for me).

EDIT: Oh no!!! I think I ended up with YET ANOTHER BROKEN YMF724!!! I just installed the WDM drivers, which work but are completely useless for DOS games, and I can't hear a peep coming out of the Line Out, and out of the Speaker Out, there's an INSANELY loud hiss and the sound comes out very faint and COMPLETELY screwed up.

I'm telling you: Yamaha sound cards hate me. This is the 4th one I find and just like all the others before it, either they don't work at all or have problems. Son of a *****! I think I see why the DOS drivers give the "CODEC might not be connected" error. Maybe the codec is broken. I might have some sound cards I could steal the codec from. *checks spare PCI sound cards for codecs*

Reply 3 of 3, by Ace

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I discovered something with the YMF724: while I can't hear anything off the YMF724 itself, I can clearly hear my laptop's audio output when it's passed into the YMF724's Line In. Is this an indication the YMF724 is damaged and the codec is fine? Or is part of the codec damaged? It does appear to me as though some pins on the YMF724 are either slightly corroded or improperly soldered. I guess I should try to reflow the solder on the YMF724.

Creator of The Many Sounds of:, a collection of various DOS games played using different sound cards.

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