Also Id be glad if someone could offer these :

������������������������������������������������������������������������Ŀ
� Copyright (c) 1998-2000 VIA Technologies Inc. �
� �
� VIA AC97 PCI Audio Device ReadMe.Txt �
� for �
� Factory Testing Tools/Utilities �
� �
� * This readme file is used to provide the information for installation �
� and Uninstall "VIA AC97 PCI Audio Device" drivers. �
����������������������������������������������

FLOPPY :
����SNDTST
� 24.WAV 24 kHz wave file
� 48.WAV 48 kHz wave file
� PANEL.EXE PCI & AC97 codec register sets control program
� SNDTST.EXE VT3068 sound chennels testing program.
�
����VIAFM
� VIAFM.ROM VIA Software FM ROM (Used to add into BIOS)
� VIAFMTSR.COM VIA Software FM TSR (Used to execute at DOS mode)
�
����VIAPTST
� DOS4GW.EXE Enter Protect mode Watcom DOS4GW program
� VIAPTST.EXE VIA Audio Production Diagnostic Tools Main program
� VIAPTST.INI The Initial file used by VIA Audio Production Testing Tools

Especially the VIAPTST.EXE

This should be asked in Marvin. This forum is just for DOS gamers. Maybe a mod can move it for you.

Moved.

Ow, Marvin, now I can see. Would be nice if this could be moved then. Sorry. 😀

1st - Why are you looking for drivers for your video card? The Unichrome should have a VBE 3.0 bios anyway, so you won't need drivers. If you face any incompatibility issues then you can look for tools to help you with them. Look at this compatibility matrix. Savage4/Savage2000 chips usually fare very well, so I'd guess the Unichrome will run most DOS games without issue.

Also, for the sound card, I believe some late VIA chips needed an option to enable legacy support in BIOS. If its not there, maybe it is just hidden and some BIOS modding tools could help you with that. If not, then you are out of luck. IMHO you'd be better off installing Windows 98 SE (or even Millenium). If the drivers are VxD they will usually come with some legacy support, and WDM drivers use WIndows 98's built in SBPro emulation, so either way you are set.

Thanks for the compatibility matrix !! I just wandted to be sure there are NO such kind of S3 drivers for DOS.

BIOS modding is also something I thought of...

As Linux Knoppix runs very great already from USB livestick, but wont install becasue of some xorg issue...isnt there a Live Linux that would start up fullscreen DOS Box...leting me use the AC97 in emulated mode ?

Unlike WIndows 98, Linux doesn't run on top of DOS, so you'd have to rely on stuff like DOSBox, which will be slower than running stuff under Windows 98. If you really want to go that route, any mainstream distro should allow you to install DOSBox.

I tried "Virtual Sound Blaster" by Andrew Zabolotny.

It does indeed "enable" SoundBLaster Pro, but some games stay silent, and "Electro Body" for example played sound, but added a high pitched noise to it, that really hurt my ears. (v1.03)

v2.02 had such a high pitched noise added to the game sound, that it killed my ears. 😖

"Virtual Sound Blaster" emulates a Sound Blaster through the PC speaker. It is very limited and gives neither general MIDI nor stereo support.

So that might explain the high pitched noise, coming thorugh my headset, that was attached to the "Headset Out" of the computer ?

Possibly, yeah. It is probably more agreeable on a desktop PC with a true speaker (not a buzzer) connected.

Attaching a headphone DOES play everything sent to the PC Speaker...to the audio-out...straight to the headphone.
Even without SOundBlaster emulation.

Which also hurts when trying Electro Body.

Xenon 2 PC Speaker Bleeping does sound awesome though.

itsmemario wrote:

Hi, […]
Show full quote

Hi,

got a HP Thin Client T5530, 800 MHz Eden CPU (CN700), 128 MB RAM and 2GB DOM (SSD).

Northbridge : VIA CN700
Southbridge : VT8237
Graphics : VIA S3 UniChrome (Pro)

WinXP is slow, so I installed DOS.

The detected AC97 Soundchip (vt8233, 8235, 8237), using Knoppix Live USB Stick,
can NOT be "activated" via set blaster variables in autoexec.bat nor can the "lost" VIA drivers do anything :
LOADHIGH C:\DOS\VIA\VIAUDIO.COM
LOADHIGH C:\DOS\VIA\VIAFMTSR.COM

"install.exe" of the VIA driver says "Can not Find VIA Audio Device !!!"

BIOS gives a "integrated Audio Enabled/Disabled"
So no legacy support ? 🙁

I only get PC Speaker output. (tested using Impulse Tracker)

If I start "viaudio.com" from DOS I get :
"If you want to run DOS legary game, please enable sound blaster Pro in BIOS setting first. [yes it says legary ;p]

The S3 grpahics chip does not seem to have any drivers for DOS. THats what I read while readin vogons.

"According to Wikipedia; "UniChrome is an updated S3 ProSavage used in VIA's integrated graphics chipsets."

"I remember reading that it uses some parts of Savage 2000, but the 3D is based on Savage4."

Will univbe be any help here ?

Thanks in advance and have a nice weekend !

From the readme:
DOS and OS/2 drivers are for VT82C686A/VT82C686B/VT8231 south bridges only.

MPXPlay may be able to talk to the codec, but it looks like SBPro emulation only works with the older motherboards.

I guess this is a dead end then. Thank you anyway for your infos ! 😀

Mainbaord is a :
06115-1
48.3s101 011 P537H / Islands MB

VT6103 Tahoe Network chip
VT1211 Super I/O Chip

is all I could see, as the Southbridge cooler seem to be glued to the chips/board. 😖

Don't disregard Windows 98 just yet! I find that, for several PCI boards, it provides better compatibility than the DOS driver itself!
Adlib emulation will only be present on VxD drivers, though, and it is usually atrocious. But for SFX and GM you'll be fine.

For now I tried "Puppy Linux Teenpup", which comes with Dosbox.

Way faster then XPs DosBox, but still laggy. I actually have to downcycle the CPU cycles 2 times. @_@

Dosbox + Sound + Adlib 😀

Im going for W95 or XP Embedded for the next test.