Sound problems can manifest in numerous ways. They can range from distorted, missing or clipped sounds to error messages like "Waveout Open" or "Rave" to system lockups. Here are the steps that will help resolve most of these problems:
· Insure that the sound card is not being used by any other applications. When the sound card is in use by a background utility, it will not work properly. Follow the steps in Section 3 to minimize the chance of this happening.
· Check the mixer. Your sound card has a mixer that it uses to balance the different types of sounds the computer uses. You should find a speaker icon in the corner of your screen on your Task Bar. Double-click on this icon to access the mixer. Make sure that not only the master volume is at an acceptable level but also that the relative levels of the different sound types are equally balanced. With most mixers, MIDI is the music setting and Wave is the digital sound effects setting. If you are experiencing distorted sounds, try turning all sound levels down to about two-thirds of maximum.
· Check to assure that all Windows sound drivers are installed. From the Start menu, choose Settings and than Control Panel. Choose Multimedia and then the Advanced tab. In the device tree that you see, check under Audio Devices and MIDI Devices and Instruments. If you do not have any entries under these categories, your sound card is not supported directly by Windows '95. You will need to consult your system documentation or manufacturer for further assistance.
· Check the MIDI Mapper setup. Improper MIDI music setup can result in problems. From the Start menu, choose Settings and then Control Panel. Choose Multimedia and then the MIDI tab. Change the setting from Single Instrument to Custom Configuration then click on Configure. You will see a MIDI map with 16 rows with a setting like "MIDI for OPL2/OPL3 Internal Synthesis" listed in it. If you have a 16-bit sound card like a Sound Blaster 16, make sure that the setting is listed in rows 1 through 10 only. If you have an 8-bit sound card like the Sound Blaster or Thunderboard, make sure that the setting is listed in rows 13 through 16 only. If you are not sure what type of sound card you have, set this up as an 8-bit. To remove a setting, highlight it, select Change, pull down the selection menu and choose (none). When done, click Save As, choose a name and click OK. Click Apply and try the game.
· Check the CD Audio cable. Some CD games store their audio tracks the same way a music CD does. If you do not have a special cable running from the CD to the sound card, you will not hear it. To test this out, play a music CD in the drive and see if you can hear it through your computer's speakers. If you can't, check with your system manufacturer about getting a CD audio cable installed. Alternately, if you plug a set of stereo headphones into the jack on the front of the CD ROM drive, you should be able to hear the audio properly.