[Guden Oden]

I recently got myself an Audigy2 sound card and found that Creative has removed the control panel applet that let me view which settings the DOS audio emulator uses. Now, the emulator's still IN there somewhere because I get bogus audio from some software (read: digital eardrum-shattering squeals) when I have the wrong parameters set, and the MIDI port is still at address 330.

So, I need some sort of program that can autodetect a soundblaster-type card (preferably soundblaster 16), can anyone help out? I know a few DOS-era games can do that for example, but I can't remember which one(s) it was.

Thank you!

[Dio]

I went and checked and unfortunately my DOS-era game won't do it and report the results, although I can post some code that can check particular ports for various bits.

I did find the 'default' parameters noted though, which are IO:220; IRQ:5 for SB16/AWE32, 7 for SB1/SB2/SBPro; DMA 1 (and 5 for SB16).

A220 I5 D1 H5 T6 would be the default BLASTER config variable for a SB16.

[Guden Oden]

I know the default parameters, but in a PnP system they're unlikely to be available (which sucks ), if you can help out somehow I'd appreciate it.

[Joe DeFuria]

I'm not sure exactly what problem you are trying to adress or what type of performance concerns you have, but have you tried using a sound emulator to run DOS apps in WinXP/NT? For example:

VDM Sound

Basically, you just set the DOS app to use standard Sound Balster Pro (Maybe it was SB16, I forget...) settings for IRQ/DMA, and you're set.

If you use VDM Sound, make sure you install 2.0.4, the 2.0.4 update2, and the VDSM launcher is convenient....

[Guden Oden]

VDM is annoying and too fiddly (install this, patch with that, blaha-blaha) when Creative supports sound in DOS mode. I just need to know what low-level parameters to enter in the Duke Nukem setup program. There's too many combinations to do it by trial and error.

Also, VDM hasn't been updated in absolutely bloody AGES, and I don't trust programs that aren't kept alive by their authors.

[PeterAce]

There is also DOSBox:

DOSBox also emulates CPU:286/386 realmode/protected mode, Directory FileSystem/XMS/EMS, Tandy/Hercules/CGA/EGA/VGA/VESA graphics, a SoundBlaster/Gravis Ultra Sound card for excellent sound compatibility with older games...

You can "re-live" the good old days with the help of DOSBox, it can run plenty of the old classics that don't run on your new computer!

DOSBox is totally free of charge and OpenSource.

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/news.php?show_news=1

[Dio]

That works quite nicely, with a few caveats I found testing my own game on it.

- soundblaster 16 isn't supported yet
- SB Pro mixer doesn't seem to be working
- Gravis Ultrasound support is there, but none of the standard GM patches means my music won't play. I wonder if I can still find the drivers for my old GUS...
- it's slow. The game ran OK on a fast 386, and this looks like treacle, so I'd guess about 16MHz 386 performance.

But it's still a pretty good DOS emulator, and not just for Windows either.

[Joe DeFuria]

Originally Posted by Guden Oden

Also, VDM hasn't been updated in absolutely bloody AGES, and I don't trust programs that aren't kept alive by their authors.

Well, I've used it recently, and it worked great....

[darkblu]

Originally Posted by Guden Oden

I know the default parameters, but in a PnP system they're unlikely to be available (which sucks ), if you can help out somehow I'd appreciate it.

not that it would be of great help to you, but from what i remember of those days, to automatically get the blaster's setting was not trivial - one had to do irq probing (hook all irq interrupts and cause the device to interrupt), but that's after one knows the base io port of the device. now, how to get the latter has completely vanished from my memory..

[Dio]

There are ways to probe for the IO, as you say the IRQ isn't too difficult to find, but then finding the DMA can be very tricky