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Sound / Video Card Readme PANDORA DIRECTIVE DEMO 4/18/96
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This file describes problems that you may run into with particular sound
and video cards.
------------------------
-- Sound Cards ---------
------------------------
The abbreviations SB and MSS are used extensively in the following
descriptions. SB represents Sound Blaster and MSS or WSS stands for
Microsoft Sound System (Windows Sound System).
If you are not sure which sound card is installed in your computer, please
check the documentation that came with your computer or call the support line
provided by your dealer. Also, please select your card if it is in the
device list, even if your card is supposed to be "Sound Blaster Compatible."
PCMCIA or MICRO CHANNEL Sound cards will not work with our sound drivers.
Under Windows 95, Sound Blaster Pro and Pro Compatibles will not have the
the T4 parameter set in the SET BLASTER enviroment variable. If this
parameter is not set, the auto detect feature of the demo will lock. You
can set up the card manually and it should work fine.
(To check your parameter type SET from the command line. Generally you
should see: SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4) If you do have this sound card and
are running under Windows '95, you will need to setup the card manually.
Due to the new Plug 'N Play standards, newer WSS compatibles may lock during
auto detection. These cards can still be set up manually. The settings
are generally at I/O 530, Interrupt *, and DMA 1.
The following list contains common problems and solutions that we have found
with particular sound cards. We have tried to make this list as
comprehensive and error free as possible. With the constant hardware changes
implemented in new computer systems, there are no guarantees.
Adlib Gold
----------
This sound card is supported directly and shouldn't require any changes.
Aria
----
For cards with this chipset, select either SB 1.0 (No Verify) or SB Pro
(No Verify) from the device list. You might also have to obtain an update
from your sound card manufacturer to fix the Sound Blaster compatibility
of this card.
AT&T VCOS Roadrunner
--------------------
This sound card is installed in most AT&T Globalyst computers. It is Sound
Blaster Pro compatible and should work using the SB PRO (NO VERIFY) option,
at I/O 220, Interrupt 5, DMA 1. If you set up the card and try the sound
test, but get no sound, try turning up the mixer volume by typing:
C:\VCOS\RR.OEM\MIXER <ENTER> and turning up the wave and master volumes
respectively. The auto detection feature will not detect your sound card as
Sound Blaster Pro, it will choose Sound Blaster 1.0 This setting may not
work.
Aztech
------
Sound Galaxy -- These cards have both Sound Blaster and Microsoft Sound
System emulation. They usually work correctly in SB mode. If that doesn't
seem to work, you can try switching to MSS mode. You may have to run a
utility program that came with the sound card to switch modes. Please check
the documentation that came with the card.
Sound Galaxy Nova 16 -- This card is supported directly and shouldn't
require any changes. The Sound Galaxy Washington 16 will also work under
this driver. Our testing has shown that under Windows 95, the DMA for
Windows and the DEMO should both be set to 1.
Crystal Lake Wavetable
----------------------
This sound card is seen mostly in the Hewlett Packard Pavilion Computers.
It requires a special configuration to run in MS-DOS mode under Windows '95.
Follow these steps and success is just a few keystrokes away.
1. CD\DOSBOOT
2. COPY C:\WINDOWS\CS*.*
3. EDIT CS4232.INI
[PNP]
WSSIO=534
WSSINT=10
WSSDMAPLAY=1
WSSDMACAPTURE=0
SBIO=220
OPIIO=388
OPIINT=5
GAMEIO=200
4232IO=538
4232INT=DISABLED
MPU401IO=DISABLED
MPU401INT=DISABLED
CDIO=DISABLED
CDINT=DISABLED
CDDMA=DISABLED
4. Make a shortcut specifying a new configuration.
CONFIG.SYS for MS-DOS mode;
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DEVICE=C:\CDROM\ACERCDH.SYS /D:CDROM
DEVICE=C:\DOSBOOT\CS4232C.EXE /O /V
AUTOEXEC.BAT for MS-DOS mode.
C:\MOUSE\MOUSE
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:CDROM
5. Set sound for SBPro no verify
6. If that does not work make sure that the mixer volume in windows shows
wave and master volumes at max.
Crystal Clear -- Some older versions of this card are SB and MSS compatible
and to switch to MSS there is a file in the C_CLEAR directory called
CSACMOD1.EXE that you may need to run.
Diamond
-------
Sonic -- This card seems to work correctly under Sound Blaster 1.0 with
verification turned off. Select SB 1.0 (No Verify) from the device list, and
enter the correct I/O, Interrupt, and DMA for your Sound Blaster emulation.
Sonic LX -- This card emulates both Sound Blaster Pro and Microsoft Sound
System. MSS emulation uses 16 bit sound so the quality is better. If you
use the Sound Blaster mode, see the notes for the Sonic listed above.
Ensoniq Soundscape
------------------
Please check to make sure that you have version 1.20 or later of the Ensoniq
DOS drivers. If you have an older version, please contact Ensoniq, or the
manufacturer of your computer for an update. For DOS compatibility this card
requires environment variables to be set and the SSINIT.EXE initialization
utility. The Auto Detect option may detect this card as Sound Blaster 1.0 if
SB emulation is turned on. If so, click CONTINUE SEARCHING, or just select
the Ensoniq manually from the device list.
Example AUTOEXEC.BAT or DOSSTART.BAT
SET BLASTER=A220 IXX DX T1
SET SNDSCAPE=C:\SNDSCAPE (or SET SNDSCAPE=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM)
C:\SNDSCAPE\SSINIT.EXE /I
Ensoniq Soundscape PNP
----------------------
These sound cards require an Intel ISA configuration utility (Plug and Play
driver). This driver must be loaded in the CONFIG.SYS. The file is usually
named DWCFGMG.SYS. Otherwise it will require the same setup as the standard
Ensoniq Soundscape.
ESS Audiodrive
--------------
The 16 bit version of this card commonly used in the Compaq Desktop models
should work correctly when ESS Audiodrive is selected from the device list.
Sometimes Auto Detect will sense this card as a Sound Blaster 16. Just click
the CONTINUE SEARCHING button to keep searching and this card should be
detected. The 8 bit version of this card (installed in some notebook
computers with business audio) probably will not work.
Forte 16
--------
Setup this card in either MSS or SB mode. No changes will need to be made
to the setup of the card itself. Many Packard Bell computers use this sound
card.
Gateway 2000 Soundcards
-----------------------
Aztech (G2KAudio) -- This sound card can be setup as a SB 1.0 or as a
Microsoft Sound System. If you setup the card for MSS mode, the DMA on
this card MUST be changed to 1 instead of the default of 0. If the game
runs correctly the first time, then locks after exiting and running it again,
then you'll need to switch to SB mode, or change the DMA used with the MSS
emulation to 1. To change the DMA to 1 for MSS mode, you would need to open
the computer and change 2 jumpers on the sound card. Please contact Gateway
for help in doing this.
Ensoniq -- See Ensoniq Soundscape
Vibra16 -- See Sound Blaster 16
Genoa Audioblitz
----------------
This sound card is based on the Microsoft Sound System chipset and the game
seems to work better when the card is setup in MSS mode. To do this, run
the file called AB16.EXE from your GENOASND directory. Then select CONFIGURE
and mark the box for MSS mode (sometimes listed as WSS). Next click OK,
then QUIT TEST. Now run the game and select Microsoft Sound System from
the device list. Be aware that some other programs may require this card
to be set back in SB mode.
Gravis
------
Ultrasound / Ultrasound Max -- These cards are supported directly from our
device list and shouldn't require any changes. You will, however, need
to start the game by typing PANGRAV. This loads the necessary MIDI patches
before starting the game.
IBM Aptiva (MWAVE Audio)
------------------------
These sound cards are very dependent on environment variables and DOS
initialization files. Here is a general overview of how your Config.sys and
Autoexec.bat must look in order for your Sound Card to work with any DOS
Application. Some file names and directories may be different so you may
have to make some modifications.
CONFIG.SYS
DEVICE=C:\MWAV_ C\DHDD0420.EXE
AUTOEXEC.BAT
SET PATH =C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\;C:\MWW\DLL;C:\MWD\MANAGER
SET MWROOT=C:\MWD
SET LIBPATH=C:\MWD\MANAGER
SET MWAVPATH=C:\MWD\MANAGER;C:\MWD\MWGAMES
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1
C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:??
C:\MWD\MANAGER\DOSMGR.EXE SBPROQR.SCR /Q
CALL MWAVE START
Logitech
--------
Soundman 16 -- This card should work correctly as either a SB 1.0 or Pro
Audio Spectrum 16.
Soundman Wave 16 -- This card is SB 1.0 or SBPro compatible and should work
as such in the game. If you run into problems, try selecting the No Verify
versions of the SB 1.0 and SB Pro.
MAD 16 / ISP 16 / Media Magic
-----------------------------
All 3 are based on a Microsoft Sound System chipset and should work when
setup in MSS mode. To switch between sound modes, you may have to run a
utility program that came with the card. The program is usually called
M16INIT.EXE or ISPINIT.EXE. When running this program click on CONFIGURE,
then WSS, then OK, then QUIT TEST. Then run the game and select the Microsoft
Sound System option from the device list. You may have other programs that
require your sound card to be back in SB mode. If so, you can use the
M16INIT.EXE or ISPINIT.EXE utilities to do so.
Mediavision
-----------
Jazz16 -- If you are using Windows 3.1, this card will not work correctly in
DOS after exiting from Windows. You must make a boot disk that does not boot
directly into Windows or REMove the WIN command from your AUTOEXEC.BAT. If
auto detect does not find anything, Select SB Pro (No verify) manually from
the list.
Premium 3D -- This card should work correctly as either an SB 1.0 or SB Pro.
If you are having problems select either SB 1.0 or SB Pro (No verify) options.
ProAudio Spectrum -- Please refer to the section below entitled ProAudio
Spectrum.
Microsoft Sound System
----------------------
This card should not require any changes. Just select Microsoft Sound System
from the device list. If your sound card emulates the Microsoft Sound System,
please make sure that the DMA is set to 1. If the game runs correctly the
first time, then locks up when trying to restart the game, it probably means
that the DMA is not set to 1.
Mitsumi - Mozart
----------------
This card should work as SB Pro (No Verify). This card will work best when
setup in Microsoft Sound System mode. To switch modes, go to the sound card
directory (normally MOZART or MITSUMI) and run the mode switching program
called MZTMODE.EXE. To switch to Windows Sound System mode, type MZTMODE WSS.
To switch to Sound Blaster mode, type MZTMODE SB. You may want to create a
batch file that switches to MSS mode before starting the game, then switches
back to SB mode when it exits.
NEC
---
NEC ready machines come with a Crystal sound card that is Sound Blaster Pro
compatible. If you experience problems in DOS contact NEC technical support.
Sound Harmony -- This card is essentially an Ensoniq Soundscape. To
initialize this card type SETSOUND in the Windows directory. For more
information see Ensoniq Soundscape.
ProAudio Spectrum
-----------------
This card should work as a Sound Blaster 1.0 or ProAudio Spectrum. If your
card is the ProAudio Spectrum 8 bit, it may incorrectly detect as Pro Audio
Spectrum 16. If this happens select ProAudio Spectrum with the same
settings. If the card is a ProAudio Spectrum 16, select ProAudio Spectrum 16
from the device list. This sound card uses 2 interrupts (IRQ's) so please be
sure that there aren't any other devices in your computer that are in
conflict with these IRQ's. Usually the ProAudio side is set to IRQ 7 and the
Sound Blaster side is set to IRQ 5. Do not set both interrupts to the same
number or the sound will not work. e.g. DEVICE=C:\PROAUDIO\MVSOUND.SYS D:5
Q:7 S:1,220,1,5
Reveal
------
Stereo FX -- Can be setup as either an SB Pro or MSS card. There is usually
a utility program called SETMODE.EXE that is used to switch modes. Type
SETMODE /MSS to select MSS mode or SETMODE /SBP for SB mode. The SETMODE
program is usually in the MMP16P\UTILITY directory.
Sound144 -- Found in Packard Bell computers. These cards, like most Aztech
chipsets are Sound Blaster Pro and Microsoft Sound System Compatible. Type
SETMODE /MSS to select MSS mode or SETMODE /SBP for SB mode. The SETMODE
program is usually in the SOUND144\UTILITY directory.
SC400 - SC500 -- These sound cards come in the Reveal Multimedia upgrade kit.
Like most Aztech chipsets the cards are Sound Blaster Pro and Microsoft Sound
System Compatible. There is an SNDINIT.EXE file in the SC400 or SC500
directory. For MSS Compatibility, you must run the SNDINIT file and select
configuration. Switch the mode from SB to WSS. You may have to switch back
to SB mode for other games you have.
Roland RAP-10
-------------
This card is supported directly and shouldn't require any changes.
Sound Blaster
-------------
SB 1.0 -- This card should work correctly without any problems. If you have
an older version of this card, select SB 1.0 (No Verify). We have found
that the Micro Channel version of this card (Found in some IBM PS/1 models)
does not work correctly with our sound drivers.
SB Pro -- This card should work without any problems. The only problem you
may encounter would be if you have the card is set to an IRQ that is unstable
on your system. IRQ 10 commonly has this problem. If you do have problems
try SB Pro (No verify). If that does not work you will have to look at
changing your IRQ and/or DMA settings.
SB 16 -- The only common problems we have seen are with motherboards that
cannot use the High (16-bit) DMA with our sound drivers and when this card
is set to an I/O port other than 220H. If your sound card is using one of
the high DMA's, and you are having problems, run the DIAGNOSE.EXE or
SBCONFIG.EXE program in the SB16 or VIBRA16 directory and select, USE 8 BIT
DMA for the high DMA setting. If your sound card is using an I/O port other
than 220H you may need to select the SB 16 (No Verify) option at the bottom
of the device list.
Sound Blaster AWE32 -- The Sound Blaster AWE32 Digital Sound device is
identical to the SB16. Auto Detect will choose SB 16 so just accept it.
Since the AWE32 is identical to the SB16. the same problems apply.
Sound Blaster AWE32 and 16 PNP -- These sound cards require an Intel ISA
configuration utility (Plug and Play driver). This driver must be loaded
in the CONFIG.SYS. The file is usually named DWCFGMG.SYS.
Turtle Beach
------------
Maui -- This card does not support any Digital playback so it will not work
as a Digital sound device. You can, however, use this card for MIDI sound.
Monte Carlo -- This card seems to work better in MSS mode. To do this, go
to the MCARLO directory and type MCMODE MSS to switch to Microsoft Sound
System before starting the game.
*** NOTE for Sound Blaster and Compatible cards ***
Many sound cards that use FM-synthesis,(not wavetable) for MIDI music (this
includes the majority of Sound Blaster and compatible cards) use I/O port
388. For example, the configuration line for many Sound Blaster cards
will read SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6. The P330 refers to the
external MIDI port, not the internal MIDI port that our game will use for
FM synthesis. If you do not have a daughterboard or some other external
MIDI device, you will need to use the default selection of 388.
------------------------
-- Video Cards ---------
------------------------
The Pandora Directive Demo setup program is equipped with the option to
install a Universal VESA driver (UNIVBE 5.1) every time you run the game.
If you do not know what kind of video card you have and you need a VESA
driver or your current VESA driver is not working properly, select the
option to load the Universal VESA driver when you install the demo. Below
is a list of video cards that may experience problems with the UNIVBE
Universal VESA driver. If you are unsure of the brand of video card in
your system, and you have MS-DOS 6.XX or Windows 3.XX on your system, type
MSD from the DOS prompt and look under video section. This utility will
usually help to find the brand and/or model of video card installed.
Video cards that if used with UNIVBE will crash The Pandora Directive Demo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATI Mach32
Cirrus Logic CL-GD5430
Video cards that are not 100% compatible with UNIVBE
----------------------------------------------------
If your video card is not supported with the UNIVBE driver, you can still
get the demo to work, you will just need to load a VESA driver manually
before installing the game.
Diamond Viper
-------------
Weitek P9000/P9100 such as Diamond Viper (9000), Viper Pro (9100), Viper Pro
SE (9100). These video cards possess two separate chips on for VGA and one
for Windows. The P9x00 chip is not hardware compatible with VESA
specifications and cannot support double buffering which is required by most
SVGA games. Hence games like The Pandora Directive may flicker (if it works
at all). Note that UNIVBE 5.1 has limited support for the Diamond Viper
However you must ensure that you have changed the mode by loading VPRMODE.COM with VESA
as the command line switch.
Matrox
------
The following applies to the Matrox MGA Ultima, MGAA Ultima Plus,
MGA Impression, MGA Impression and MGA Impression Lite.
(**NOT** the Matrox Millenium).
Matrox MGA boards have one chip with two parts VGA and MGA. The very fast
MGA core is hardware incompatible with the VESA standard. UNIVBE 5.1 does
provide support for the VGA core but it is 60-80 times slower than the MGA
core and will produce very poor SVGA performance under DOS.
Compaq QVision 2000 (not QVision 1024/1280 which are supported) are based
on an OEM version of the Matrox MGA Impression boards so refer to the above.
IBM 8514/a and clones such as the ATI Mach8 chipset
---------------------------------------------------
The 8514/a is a chip that is not hardware compatible with the VESA standards
specifications and can never be supported.
Video cards that will work with some tweaking
---------------------------------------------
ITT AGX 014/015/016/017
-----------------------
The ITT chipsets are IBM XGA clones with VGA built in. A common problem that
you may have is that some ITT boards shipped without built in BIOS support
for VESA. The only solution it to load the VESA driver that came with the
graphics card on diskettes.
TSENG ET4000 with 24 bit RAMDAC
-------------------------------
There is a bug in some TSENG ET4000 BIOS that cause UNIVBE to hang in the
detection phase. You must run UVCONFIG -s10 -c3 -m1024 -d7 to work around
the bug.
ATI Mach64
----------
Newer Mach64 chipsets like the Mach64-CT may hang during the detection is
run. They will, however work correctly by running UVCONFIG -s1 -c11 -d7.
If this does not work there is nothing you can do with version 5.1 of the
UNIVBE drivers.
Video cards directly supported
------------------------------
Acer Labs ALi CAT-32/64 (M3141/3145)
Ark Logic ARK1000VL, ARK1000PV
Avance Logic AL2101/2201/2228/2301/2302/2364 SuperVGA
Ahead V5000A, V5000B
ATI Technologies 18800, 28800, Mach32, Mach64
Chips & Technologies 82c45x, 655xx, 643x0 WinGine
Cirrus Logic CL-GD62xx, 5402, 5422/4/6/8/9, 5430/4
Cirrus Logic LCD CL-GD64xx
Compaq IVGS/AVGA, QVision QV1024/1280
Everex Viewpoint, Viewpoint/NI, Viewpoint/TC
Genoa Systems GVGA
Hualon HMC86304/14
MXIC 86000/86010 SuperVGA
NCR 77C20/21/22E/32BLT
Oak Technologies OTI-037C/057/067/077/087
Paradise/Western Digital PVGA1A, WD90C1x/2x/3x
Primus 2000 SuperVGA
RealTek RTG3103/3105/3106 SuperVGA
S3 86c911/924/801/805/928/864/964/866/868/968/Trio32/Trio64
Sierra Semiconductor Falcon/64
Trident 88/8900/9x00/8900CD/8900D/9200CXr/9400CXi/9420DGi
Tseng Labs ET3000, ET4000, ET4000/W32/W32i/W32p
UMC 85c408/18
Video7 VEGA, HT208/209/216
The following is a list of the most common video card questions and answers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION:
I have an ATI video card and the VESA driver on the demo CD does not work.
What do I do?
ANSWER:
You need to run the VVESA.COM file that came with your computer. It can
usually be found in one of the following directories: C:\MACH32, C:\MACHPCI
or C:\PBTOOLS\VGAUTIL. If you received any disks with your computer entitled
Video card drivers or utilities, you might check there. If you can't find
this driver, you will need to contact either ATI or the manufacturer of your
computer.
QUESTION:
I have a laptop and my video display is made by Chips and Technology. The
drivers on the demo CD do not seem to work. What do I do?
ANSWER:
You need to locate the VESA video driver that came with your laptop, usually
called VESA.EXE or VESA530.EXE etc. If you do not have the driver on your
hard disk or on utility diskettes that came with the computer, you will
need to contact your vendor to obtain the driver.
QUESTION:
I hear a lot of static when sound is played in the demo, what can cause this?
ANSWER:
If you have a video card that uses the Cirrus Logic chipset, this sound
problem is actually being caused by the video card. There is a driver on
the demo CD that will fix the problem. Go to the PANDEMO directory on your
hard drive and type D:\ATS\ATS <ENTER> (where D: is your CD-ROM drive).
This will copy several files to this directory. Type 542XVGAL to load the
driver, then try starting the demo. If this fixes the problem, you will
need to run this utility every time before starting the demo. If this
driver doesn't not load, or doesn't resolve the problem, try 542XVGA then
start the game.
QUESTION:
I have a Compaq or Dell computer with an S3 Trio64 Video chipset and after
playing a while the graphics break up and I get multiple images all over
the screen. What is wrong?
ANSWER:
Some S3 Trio64 chipsets have a flaw in the onboard VESA BIOS. To correct
this problem you need to run UNIVBE51.EXE. This is a shareware VESA
driver that replaces the built-in VESA driver. This file is included on
the demo CD in the ATS directory. It is a self-extracting file that contains
information about how to use it.
QUESTION:
I have a Diamond Stealth 64 and after playing a while the graphics break up
and I get multiple images all over the screen. What could be the problem?
ANSWER:
Some Stealth video cards have a documented flaw in their BIOS. You will
need to contact Diamond Multimedia Systems and obtain a BIOS revision.
The new revision should correct the problem.
QUESTION:
I have a Diamond Stealth 64 and when running under Win '95, the screen will
go black after a few seconds. What could be the problem?
ANSWER:
The newer versions of the Win '95 drivers for this card are the problem.
If the screen goes black, hit the F4 key to switch to VGA mode and the game
should return. Then hit F2 to return to the default SVGA mode. We are
not aware of any other solutions, at least at this time.
QUESTION:
What VESA driver do I use with my Diamond Viper video card?
ANSWER:
The VPRMODE.COM is the file you need to use. go to the C:\VIPER directory
on your hard drive and type: VPRMODE VESA <ENTER> If you don't have a
VIPER directory on your hard drive, the driver is also on our demo CD in
the VESA\DIAMOND directory.
QUESTION:
I have a Packard Bell that uses a Headland video card. When I start the
demo, the picture is scrambled, what is the problem?
ANSWER:
For this video card, you need to have the driver HTVESA.COM loaded. If the
graphics appear scrambled, you probably just need to change the way it is
loaded. The correct syntax for loading this driver is HTVESA /1. If the
graphics are distorted, it is probably being loaded like this HTVESA /2.
If you change the 2 to a 1 in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file and reboot, this should
resolve the problem. For example change the line C:\HTVESA.COM /2 to
C:\HTVESA.COM /1.
QUESTION:
Every time I try to start the demo I get an error message that says,
'Memory Allocation Error, Cannot load command, system halted.' What do I do?
ANSWER:
This error is usually caused by 1 of 2 things. Either you do not have a
VESA video driver loaded, or you have an incompatible mouse driver.
If you have a Paradise, Western Digital or Trident video cards try the
following. You will need to load a VESA driver that is compatible with
your video card. When loading this driver in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, make sure
that you add it AFTER the mouse driver line.
For the Paradise or Western Digital cards copy the VESA1D.EXE from the demo
CD's VESA\WESTERN directory to your PANDEMO directory. Then type VESA1D
<ENTER> before running the demo. For Trident video card copy the VESA.EXE
from the demo CD's VESA\TRIDENT directory and type VESA <ENTER> before
starting the demo.
QUESTION:
I have a Toshiba laptop and I cannot find the correct VESA driver for it.
Are there any on the demo CD that will work?
ANSWER:
Most Toshiba laptops use the Western Digital chipset. You can use
the SETVESA utility to install a Western Digital driver. Your laptop must
have at least 512K of VIDEO memory to run the demo.