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AU8830 Windows 9x Driver README.TXT
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This is the Vortex AU8830 Windows 9x driver version 4.06.2048
CONTENTS
I. Overview
A. Windows 9x system requirements
B. New features
C. Known driver issues
D. Other issues & notes
II. Quick start
III. Software Installation
A. Driver installation
B. DirectX installation
C. Uninstalling the drivers
IV. Legacy audio compatibility
A. Checking your hardware configuration
B. Changing the hardware configuration
C. DOS Boxes
D. Real-mode DOS
E. Compatibility List
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I. Overview
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A. WINDOWS 9x SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
* 100MHz Pentium-compatible CPU.
* 16MB RAM (the Vortex hardware wavetable engine uses a native
4MB sample set. Samples are stored on disk and swapped to RAM
as required. Typical footprint is less than 2MB).
* 15MB hard disk space
* CD-ROM drive
* Access to Microsoft Windows 9x Installation CD-ROM.
* Good-quality speakers or headphones and connecting cables.
* Joystick and MIDI keyboard (optional).
B. NEW FEATURES
This section lists new features incorporated into this build of
the Vortex 2 drivers.
- Added A3Dverb reverb engine (optimized for 3DNow!)
- Added A3D 3.0 support
- Added initial EAX 1.0 support
- Added initial I3DL2 support
- Fixed A3D Property Set issues
- Fixed issue of Hardware Equalizer app not launching
properly
- Fixed issue of MIDI not working properly when A3D was
in use
- Improved SoundFont (SF2) support
- Modified 3D rendering slightly to reduce muffled sounds in
center of head
- Modified Vortex 2 Control Panel layout
C. KNOWN DRIVER ISSUES
This section summarizes some of the issues discovered during the
testing of this driver release. We will continue to research
these issues, and correct where possible.
- Hardware 3D support is limited to 16 streams in DS3D
and EAX-supporting games when reverb is enabled.
- Abomination: Reverb is considerably different than on
other EAX-compatible cards.
- Aliens vs. Predator: These drivers do not support
Voice Manager which may be preventing reverb from
being applied to the 3D streams in EAX mode.
- Baldur's Gate: Some systems experience crackling
in the audio when EAX is enabled (quad mode only).
- Descent Freespace: Works, though some systems may
experience loss of reverb after playing for a
while - direct path audio remains unaffected.
- Drakan: Reverb is considerably different than on
other EAX-compatible cards.
- Driver: Reverb is considerably different than on
other EAX-compatible cards.
- Expendable: Reverb is not as prominent as it is
on other EAX-comaptible cards.
- GP500: Some systems experience crackling in the
audio when EAX is enabled (quad mode only).
- Nocturne: Audio cuts out when in EAX mode.
- Planescape Torment: Reverb is not as prominent as it
is on other EAX-comaptible cards.
- Rogue Spear: The game's EAX implementation does not
work on these drivers.
- Ultima IX - Ascension: Reverb is not as prominent as
it is on other EAX-comaptible cards.
D. OTHER ISSUES & NOTES
This section summarizes some of the known issues external of the
Vortex driver that may affect your audio experience or install.
- Joystick Acceleration - Windows 9x always uses the standard
analog gameport by default. Use the Gameport control panel's
"Advanced" tab to select the Vortex gameport driver for a
boost in speed.
- Multiple sound cards - Some sound cards, such as Ensoniq
sound cards, do not correctly report their I/O port
utilization to the operating system, which can hang the
system.
- Diamond Monster 3D Graphics card - Download the latest
drivers from Diamond's WWW site to fix noise problems with
some games.
- Hercules Stingray 128 Graphics Card - In the "Display
Properties" control panel, enable "Allow PCI retries" to fix
audio problems.
- IBM 300GL and Sony VAIO USB - A system hang may occur during
Vortex driver installation. Disable USB temporarily if you
encounter a system hang.
- In order to disable AU30DOS.com from loading into memory on
your system for Real-Mode Dos, you must place a REM in front
of the line in your autoexec.bat file:
REM LH C:\WINDOWS\AU30DOS.COM
Deleting the au30dos.com line in your autoexec.bat file will
not work because the system registry will add the line back
if it is not present.
- Disabling "Sound Blaster Pro Emulation" in the Device Manager
of Windows 9x, will also disable Real-Mode Dos support which
prevents AU30DOS.com from loading into memory.
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II. Quick Start
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1. Remove any existing Vortex drivers from previous installations.
2. Install the Vortex hardware.
3. Install the Vortex Windows 9x drivers, Microsoft DirectX, and
Vortex demonstration applications.
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III. Software Installation
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A. DRIVER INSTALLATION
If you have older drivers in your system, please uninstall them
first, as described in Section C below.
1. Power on the system, placing the Install CDROM in the
CDROM drive.
2. Windows 9x displays "New Hardware Found" message and starts
driver installation.
3. If Windows prompts you to provide the drivers for the PCI
multimedia audio device, choose "Driver Disk Provided by
Manufacturer" and select the installation CD-ROM's root
("\Win9x") directory.
4. You may also be asked to insert the Windows 9x CD-ROM during
the install process.
Note: Some Windows 9x versions (OSR2) do not show this prompt.
Instead, they ask whether to search the diskette and CD-ROM drives
for the appropriate drivers.
Installed drivers may include Vortex PCI audio, Vortex wavetable,
Vortex mixer, DOS modem port, Vortex gameport interface, Vortex
MPU401 interface, and Vortex Sound Blaster emulation.
Depending on the version of Windows 9x and the configuration of the
system, you may be prompted to provide several file locations. Here
are the CD-ROMs and directory locations for which you may be
prompted:
Vortex Installation & Driver Disk \Win9x
Windows 9x Installation Disk \Win9x
Microsoft DirectX \Directx
Vortex Application Setup \A3DDemos
PCI Multifunction Audio Device \Win9x
You may be asked to reboot several times during installation.
Reboot when asked. Additional software will continue to load when
Windows restarts, until all components have been installed.
B. DIRECTX INSTALLATION
In most cases, Vortex installs DirectX automatically if the
driver install program does not detect a DirectX version greater
than 5.0 installed on your system.
1. When the DirectX setup panel opens, select "Reinstall
DirectX". (Even if you do not have DirectX installed on
your machine, the Microsoft DirectX setup program still
asks if you wish to reinstall).
2. You may receive some prompts as to whether to replace specific
DirectX files on your computer. If you've previously installed
an older version of DirectX on your machine, be sure to replace
any sound-related DirectX drivers. Video DirectX drivers do not
need to be changed.
C. UNINSTALLING THE DRIVERS
1. Open the Windows 9x control panel's "Add/Remove Programs"
applet.
2. To remove the drivers, double-click "Aureal Vortex". A
Vortex uninstaller application starts. In order for the
Process to complete, the system needs to be rebooted.
3. To remove the demo applications, double-click "Aureal
Vortex Applications". There is no need to reboot the
computer.
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IV. Legacy Audio Compatibility
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A. CHECKING DOS AUDIO CONFIGURATION
Be sure to configure the games for Sound Blaster Pro or Sound
Blaster operation. Typical settings are I/O 220h, IRQ5, and DMA3.
You can verify your system is configured for these settings the
resource tab under:
Control Panel->
System (Device Manager) ->
Sound Video, and Game Controllers->
Available settings:
I/O range: 220h, 240h, 260h, and 280h
Interrupt: 5, 7, 9(2), 10
DMA: 1, 3
Joystick port: 201h, 202h, 203h, 204h, 205h, 206h, and 207h.
MIDI port: 300h, 310h, 320h, and 330h.
Not all of these settings may be available, depending on the
hardware in your computer.
B. CHANGING THE HARDWARE CONFIGURATION
Generally, you should not need to change the hardware settings.
If you wish to use manual settings, use the following procedure:
1. Open "Sound Blaster Emulation", "Gameport Interface" or "MPU-
401 Interface" in the system control panel's "Sound, Video
and Game Controllers" tree.
2. Clear the "Use Automatic Settings" checkbox.
3. Select "Basic Configuration 0007"
(This lets you select all possible settings on your computer.)
4. Move the highlight to select the resource to change.
5. Press the "Change Setting" Button.
6. Change settings and press "OK."
When you change DOS audio settings, the drivers automatically
update the BLASTER environment variable in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
and DOSSTART.BAT configuration files.
C. DOS BOXES
Windows DOS boxes are launched from the "MSDOS prompt" in the
Windows 9x Start menu. Simply run the game as usual. The game
still needs to be configured for the Vortex hardware settings.
Vortex provides wavetable support in DOS boxes if the game
supports General MIDI output. To use wavetable in a DOS box:
1. Open the Vortex Control Panel MIDI tab.
2. Ensure that "Vortex Wavetable Receives DOS Box MIDI" is
selected.
3. Open the application in a DOS box. Configure the music to use
MPU-401 output.
The Vortex drivers can also send MIDI to other software wavetable
or external MIDI devices installed or attached on your computer.
D. REAL-MODE DOS
DOS runs in real mode when Windows 9x is not loaded, or when you
restart the computer in MSDOS mode from Windows 9x. In real mode,
make sure the game is configured correctly. Select Sound Blaster
or Sound Blaster Pro for both the Music and the Effects device
(unlike in DOS box where you can select MIDI for Music). You can
select MPU-401 output if you have an external synthesizer connected
to the Vortex MIDI port. Make sure the settings for I/O, IRQ, and
DMA match the configuration for the Vortex card.
When you install the Vortex drivers from CD-ROM, Vortex adds some
lines to your computer's AUTOEXEC.BAT and DOSSTART.BAT files:
PATH=C:/WINDOWS
AU30DOS
SET BLASTER=A240 I5 D3 T4
AU30DOS is the Vortex real-mode DOS driver, which is installed in
your default Windows directory (C:\WINDOWS by default). If Vortex
detects an upper memory manager, it attempts to load AU30DOS high
(see your memory management documentation for more information).
Your computer finds AU30DOS via the PATH statement, which includes
a reference to your Windows directory. Your computer then executes
the AU30DOS program during boot. When AU30DOS is executed, you
see text similar to:
VORTEX DOS AUDIO DRIVER (2.002) Copyright (c) 1997-1999 Aureal Semiconductor
PCI AUDIO PRO enabled at Ports 220-22Fh, Interrupt 5, DMA 3, Joystick 201h.
Some games require the "SET BLASTER" line to find the sound card
in your system. In the above example, the BLASTER environment
variable is set to I/O port 240h, interrupt 5, and DMA channel 3.
The "T4" parameter sets the Type of Sound Blaster to Sound Blaster
Pro.
When exiting from Windows to MS-DOS, the computer runs DOSSTART.BAT
file in the Windows directory, in much the same way as it runs
AUTOEXEC.BAT when you boot. Vortex thus places the AU30DOS.COM
command and BLASTER environment variable in the DOSSTART.BAT file.
These lines reinstall the Vortex DOS driver and reset the BLASTER
environment variable. You do not need to run DOSSTART.BAT in Windows
boxes.
E. COMPATIBILITY LIST
Correct audio operation has been verified on the following games.
* Games that run in a DOX box are flagged with and asterisk.
** Games that run in a DOS box, whereas the original Sound Blaster
Pro card requires real-mode DOS, are flagged with two asterisks.
11th Hour* Magic Carpet 2*
1942 Pacific Airwar Master of Orion*
3D Labyrinth* Master of Orion 2*
7th Guest* Masters of Magic**
Absolute Zero* Math Ace*
Abuse* Math Rescue*
Aces of the Deep MAX*
Across the Rhine* MDK**
Aegis Mech Warrior 2*
Alien Legacy* MegaRace*
Alone in the Dark* MegaRace II**
Are you Afraid of the Dark Metaltech Earthsiege*
Armored Fist Mickey's 123*
Armored Fist 2* Might and Magic II
Bailey's Bookhouse* Might and Magic III
Baseball 94 (FPS) Mortal Kombat 1*
Baseball Tonight* Mortal Kombat 2
BattleChess Mortal Kombat 3
Battledrome MS Flight Sim 5*
Beast Within(Gabriel 2)* Nascar Racing
Betrayal at Krondor* Nascar Racing 2*
Big Red Racing* NBA Jam TE*
Bioforge NBA Live 95*
Black Thorne * NBA Live 97
Blake Stone* Need for Speed**
Blood* Nemesis**
Blood Bowl NHL Hockey 96
Breach 3* NHL Hockey 97**
Brett Hull Hockey 95 Night Trap*
Bureau 13** Necropolis*
Busy Town* Orion Conspiracy*
Caesar 2* Out of this World
Capture the Flag* Pandora Directive**
Carmageddon* Panzer General*
Carmen Sandiego* PGA Tour*
Castle of Dr Brain** Phantasmagoria*
Castle Wolfenstein 3D* Piranha*
Chaos Engine* Police Quest 4*
ChronoMaster* Populous II*
Circle of Blood* Power F1 Racing*
Circuit Racer* Power Monger
City of Lost Children* Prince of Persia 1*
Civilization* Prince of Persia 2*
Commanche Overkill Privateer 1
Command & Conquer* Privateer 2
Commander Blood Psychic Detective
Commander Keen 4* Pure War Game
Conqueror* Quake 0.9x*
Conspiracy* Quake 1.0x*
Constructor** Railroad Tycoon*
Corridor 7* RAMA*
Creature Shock* Raptor*
Crusader Ravenloft*
Cyber Mage** Reading Carnival
Cyberia** Realms of the Haunting*
CyberWar* Rebel Assault 1
D* Rebel Assault 2*
Daggerfall Chronicles** Rebel Runner*
Dark Forces Red Baron*
Dark Light Conflict** Redneck Rampage**
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands* Relentless
Day of the Tentacle* Return to Ringworld*
Death Gate* Return to Zork*
DeltaV Ripley's Believe it
Descent 1* Rise of the Triad*
Descent 2 * Rocketeer
Desert Strike Savage Warrior*
Dig* Scorcher*
Doom 1* Screamer 2*
Doom 2* Scud Attack*
Dragon Lore SDI 2040*
Dragon's Lair Seawolf*
Duke Nukem 2 ** Shadow Caster
Duke Nukem 3d* Shadows of Cairn
Earth Treks* Shadows of Riva**
Ecstatica* Shattered Steel**
Epic Pinball Silent Hunter*
Eradicator Silver Pinball*
ESPN 2 Extreme Games* SimAnt*
Extractors* SimCity*
F117a Demo* SimIsle*
F22-Lightning 2* Simon The Sorcerer*
Fable* Sunny's Back to the Forest*
Falcon 3.0 SlipStream 5000**
Fade to Black* Space Quest 4*
Fast Attack* Space Quest 6*
FIFA 97 Spycraft*
Fleet Defender Star Command*
Flight Unlimited Star Control 1*
Fighter Duel Star Control 2*
Football Pro 95 Star Control 3*
Football Pro 96 Star Fighter**
Full Metal Jacket* Star Trek: 25TH**
Full Throttle* Star Trek: Final Unity
Future Shock* Steel Panthers*
FX Fighter** Steel Panthers 2*
Gabriel Knights* Stellar 7*
Gene Wars* Stonekeep
Global War* SU 27 Flanker**
Grand Prix II** Super Karts*
Great Naval Battles* Syndicate Wars*
Gunship 2000 System Shock*
HardBall 3* Table Sports 3D*
Hardball 4** Tank Commander
Hardball 5* TekWar**
Harpoon 2* TerraNova*
Harpoon 2 Deluxe Terminator 2029*
Hell* Test Drive Off Road*
Heretic* Theme Park*
Hexen* Thunder Strike Air Assault*
Hi-Octane Thunder Truck Rally
Hind Tie Fighter*
Hocus Pocus Time Treks*
I Have No Mouth* Tomb Raider**
Inca TonyLaRussa Baseball3*
Incredible Machine* Top Gun*
Indiana Jones Torin's Passage*
IndyCar Transport Tycoon*
Iron Assault TreeHouse*
Iron Cross* Twinson's Odyssey*
Jack Nicklaus* Ultima 7
Jagged Alliance* Ultima 8
Jagged: Deadly Games* Ultimate Football 95
Jane's Adv. Fighters Under a Killing Moon
Jane's Longbow* Unnecessary Roughness*
Jazz Jackrabbit* Unnecessary Roughness 95*
Jill of the Jungle* USNF
Jumpjet* Vikings*
Kid Pix* Warcraft*
Kids Zoo* Warcraft 2*
Kings Quest 5 Wetlands*
Kings Quest 6* Wing Commander 2
Krush Kill & Destroy* Wing Commander 3*
LawnMower Man Wing Commander 4*
Leisure Suit Larry 5* Wing Commander Armada
Leisure Suit Larry 6* Wings of Glory
Lemmings Chronicles Winter Sports
Lighthouse* Witchaven*
Links386 Pro Witchaven 2**
Lord of the Realm 2* Word City*
Lord of the Rings* X-Com*
Lost Eden* XCom Terror from Deep*
Machiavelli the Prince X-Wing*
Madden 97* XCAR*
MadDog McCree* Z*
MadDog McCree 2* Zephyr
Magic Carpet 1* Zone Raiders*
Zork Nemesis
(i) Autodetect
Some older games do not detect audio hardware automatically. You
can still use Vortex legacy audio support for these games by
configuring the hardware resources manually:
* Carmaggedon * Fast Attack
* Castle of Doctor Brain * Grand Prix II
* Command and Conquer * Hard Ball 4
* Constructor * MDK
* Cyberwar * Witchaven 2
(ii) Sound Blaster/Sound Blaster Pro Selection
If both options are available, pick "Sound Blaster Pro" for best
quality. The following games work if "Sound Blaster" is selected:
* Battlechess * NHL Hockey 96
* Cyberia (use DMA1) * NHL Hockey 97
* Death Gate * Ripper
* FIFA97 * Spycraft
* NBA Live 97
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Aureal, A3D, A3D-I, A3D-Interactive, and the Aureal logo are trademarks
and Vortex is a registered trademark of Aureal Inc.
All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners.
(C) Aureal Inc. 1996-2000. All Rights Reserved.
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Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.