ES688 AudioDrive OS/2 Drivers
Version 2.06
Software Release Notes
December 16, 1996
About This Release
ESS Technology is providing updated OS/2 drivers for the ES688
AudioDrive chip in this Software Release. These drivers are
complete updates to prior ESS releases for OS/2 Warp 3.0.
This document provides:
- a description of the changes to the drivers
- installation notes
Please read this document completely before you upgrade your
system, and follow the instructions carefully.
Release Information
Product: ES688 AudioDrive OS/2 Device Drivers,
Version 2.06
Drivers: ES688 (with OPL3), ES688 PnP
OS: OS/2 Warp 3.0 and 4.0
Release Date: December 16, 1996
Release Description
The ES688 AudioDrive OS/2 Drivers Software Release incorporates
new changes done to the previous release, Version 2.05.
Version 2.06 Changes
1. The OS/2 driver has been modified to run correctly in OS/2
Warp 4.0.
Version 2.05 Changes
1. WIN-OS/2 driver increases the interrupt rate for SpeechViewer
III.
Version 2.04 Changes
1. WIN-OS/2 driver fixes the small buffer record/playback
problem in SpeechViewer III.
Version 2.03 Changes
Limited MPU-401 support in ES688 PnP
If MPU-401 is enabled, the OS/2 driver will send out MIDI data
when MIDI files are played. If MPU-401 interrupt is enabled,
MIDI in data can be received. A MIDI file has to be opened for
the MIDI in data to be sent to the FM synthesizer. MIDI record
is not supported. If a MIDI file is played while MIDI in is
receiving, the MIDI file has priority. After a stop command is
sent to the MIDI file, MIDI in will continue generating FM
music. Note that the stop command is only sent when the MIDI
file play is completed or rewound or there are switching between
two MIDI files.
Wave files contention handling
The driver can handle some wave files contention if it is not
already handled by MMPM/2.
Known Problems in Warp 3.0
1. Opening too many MIDI files makes the OS/2 system unstable.
This problem is related to MMPM/2 and depends on system
resource. On systems with 8 Mbs memory, the limit is 3;
16 Mbs, 6.
2. Tempo in MIDI files may not be 100% accurate due to timing
delay and MMPM/2 architecture.
3. Running MCI commands "seek wave to #" and then "play wave" to
a 16-bit wave file sometimes generates very loud static
noise. Likewise using "record wave from #" to record a
16-bit wave file may generate wrong file. It all depends on
the seek position.
4. Due to the nature of MIDI music, turning MIDI in on while the
MIDI in data are coming may not generate the right sounds.
It is recommended to stop the MIDI in source first before
enable MIDI in.
Installation Notes
To install the new drivers successfully the following steps must
be taken:
1. Open an OS/2 Window and run the EINSTALL.EXE program on the
installation disk by typing "A:EINSTALL." The program first
runs ESDETECT.EXE to auto-detect the chip, then calls
ESUNINST.EXE to remove old drivers. That program will create
a backup of CONFIG.SYS named CONFIG.ESS and remove the audio
device lines from CONFIG.SYS. It also creates a backup of
MMPM2.INI named MMPM2.ESS and removes the audio drivers
information from MMPM2.INI. In addition, it removes any
other ESS driver information in COMPLIST.INI. After then,
the installation program calls Multimedia Application Install
program, MINSTALL.EXE.
2. When Multimedia Application Install program brings up, a
check mark beside ES688 AudioDrive means that item is already
selected. To toggle selection, click the mouse on the item.
Click the Install button to start the installation. Once the
drivers are installed, shutdown OS/2 and reset the computer
for the new ES688 drivers to take effect.
3. If the installation cannot be completed, read the logs
EINSTALL.LOG in \MMOS2\INSTALL subdirectory and MINSTALL.LOG
in \MMOS2\INSTALL subdirectory or root directory to find out
the problem.
4. If WIN-OS/2 is installed in the system, start WIN-OS/2 and
run "A:\SETUP" to install WIN-OS/2 drivers. Change the
WIN-OS/2 settings to the following if necessary:
AUDIO_ADAPTER_SHARING = Required
INT_DURING_IO = On
5. Since OS/2 Warp 3.0 MINSTALL.EXE changes the icons of MIDI
player and Digital Video player to that of Digital Audio
player in the Multimedia folder, you may want to change them
back to the originals. To change the icon of MIDI player,
right click MIDI player to bring up the menu. Select
Settings, select General, and click the Find... button. In
the Start Folder window, enter \MMOS2\INSTALL. Click the
Find button and a window of all found icons appears. Select
MIDIPLAY.ICO and click OK. Close the MIDI player Settings
notebook. For Digital Video player, repeat the above steps
but select VIDPLAY.ICO instead.
6. If the MIDI plays are not smooth in WIN-OS/2, you need to
change the timer resolution. Edit SYSTEM.INI in your Windows
directory. Under [timer.drv] are TIMERMax386Res and
TIMERMax286Res. You need to change the values to less than 8
from the default of 10.
For ES688 PnP, in a system with Plug and Play support the
optimal settings will be used instead of the settings specified
in CONFIG.SYS. If you change the ES688 PnP settings in a
system with no Plug and Play support, be sure to reset the
computer for ES688 PnP to forget its previous settings.
These are the files copied to your hard disk:
\MMOS2
ES688DD.SYS, ES688PP.SYS
VAUDDRV.SYS
\MMOS2\DLL
CARDINFO.DLL
ESSVSD88.DLL
\MMOS2\HELP
ES688IN.HLP
\OS2\BOOT
CLOCK01.SYS
CLOCK02.SYS
TIMER0.SYS
\WINDOWS
AUDDRIVE.HLP
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
AUDMPIO.DRV
ES688WIN.386
ES688WIN.DRV
MIDIMAP.CFG
MSMIXMGR.DLL
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.