Help please...

[Carolus Rex]

Possibly the wrong forum, but I'm desperate!

I recently bought Wooden Ships and Iron Men. Having problems installing the "digital sound". No biggie if I could continue the installation and play without the sound, but no...

First I try the "detect sound card automatically" and get an error message (not found).

I then try the manual way and get a pop up window telling me to choose between three alternatives. I take "Microsoft or 100% compatible", the others are Ensonique (?) and something else. Get the same error message.

It's an old game and my machine is a Pentium III 550 Mhz with 128 MB RAM and a Soundblaster 128. The installation interface looks like MS-DOS.

What do I do?

Carolus

[This message has been edited by Carolus Rex (edited August 12, 2000).]

[Ken Hinds]

Carolus,

The Microsoft or 100% compatable choice is refering to the soundcard for the Microsoft Sound System. Soundblaster is not a compatable card. If there is no soundblaster choices at all then try the Ensonique choice. And by the way Creative Labs now owns Ensonique Sound Cards so you might try their web site or their European Tech Support.

Here's their entry page for the European version of their site. http://www.europe.creative.com/global/getflash.asp

I suggested using the ensonique choice because an Ensonique card will emulate the soundblaster specs. and it is just possible that you can at least get the installation to complete even if the sound is worse than poor and then perhaps you can disable sound from within the game.

Ken

[Carolus Rex]

First of all, thanks a lot for your reply! As you probably have guessed already I'm no hacker...

Couple of unimportant questions, I'm kind of .

I picked Ensonique and it worked like a charm. But I tried it (and the other alternative too) the last time and then it didn't work?! Why does it work now?

Soundblaster is not compatible with Microsoft??? Does that mean I have not been able to use it before (or even now)? Is the sound I hear when I play Civ II or other games the Microsoft System Sound?

If so, how do I get the Soundblaster Sound to "work" (I imagine it is of a higher quality?)? Even the Microsoft System Sound needs a sound card (and speakers) to be operational, doesn't it? If I have a Soundblaster and it's incompatible with Microsoft how can I hear anything at all???

Again, the installation went fine this time.

Thanks!

Carolus

[This message has been edited by Carolus Rex (edited August 13, 2000).]

[Ken Hinds]

Carolus,

I remember your comment about thinking of a seven year-old when explaining tech stuff to you, I just forgot to do it.

1. The reason it didn't work previouly is because you didn't hold your mouth correctly the first time and it was the wrong day of the week. These things don't have a reason they just are. We IT people have to deal with this kind of crud day in and day out. Count yourself lucky.

2. I should have been clearer in my explanation the first time. Microsoft Windows Sound System is Microsoft's brand of soundcard, speakers, microphone, etc. It comes as a set and has its own features and Interupt and port settings. Creatative Labs Soundblaster line of soundcards is the current standard that most games ensure that they handle. Each manufacturer's brand of soundcard works differently, which is why soundcard drivers are a real pain. Most cards will have an emulation mode for either the old basic Soundblaster or one of the Soundblaster Pro versions. On the other hand a soundblaster card normally will not emulate other brands of cards. Microsoft being Microsoft did not make their Windows Sound System cards emulate soundblaster which is why on some of the real old games you might only have 3 choices of settings. Microsoft, Soundblaster, and another proprietary card such as Roland, Esonique or Adlib. Ensonique has always had a soundblaster emulation mode to my knowledge and that is why I expected it to work even though the card was not an Ensonique card.

I hope this clarifies things a little bit.

Aren't PC setups a blast?

Ken

[Carolus Rex]

quote: Originally posted by Ken Hinds on 08-14-2000 05:28 AM Carolus, I remember your comment about thinking of a seven year-old when explaining tech stuff to you, I just forgot to do it.

LOL!!! After my last post I bet you think seven is way too old!

quote: Originally posted by Ken Hinds on 08-14-2000 05:28 AM 1. The reason it didn't work previouly is because you didn't hold your mouth correctly the first time and it was the wrong day of the week.

It figures!

While I'm at it, some other questions. [Carolus Rex lowers the age bar to three]

i) The first time I played the game the sound was perfect! The other times I've looked at the game it was really bad, as you predicted it would be. Why good first time and lousy afterwards? What can I do about it?

ii) There are a couple of premade shortcuts in the folder containing the game. Some work, others don't ("no CD in drive", YES THERE IS!!!). One of the shortcuts is to MS-DOS mode, the other is one directly to the game application file. Why are there two?

And if I create a shortcut of my own (to the application file) and send it to the desktop (or use one of the premades there), the same thing happens?! "No CD in drive", YES THERE IS!!! What's this all about?

Wait, don't tell me. I should read point 1 above, right?

Thanks for your patience!

Carolus

[Ken Hinds]

Carolus,

I think that we need to regroup and start over from the top. It now sounds like I made several incorrect assumptions about your game.

Before making any of the changes listed in the instructions that follow please read everything carefully and print the pages from the included links. If you fully understand what is meant then you can proceed after making a backup copy of any files to be changed. Be sure that you change the name of backup copies so that they don't get trashed by your changes. If you don't understand something please ask before proceeding. Your machine works now and I don't want you to mess it up because you were unwilling to ask first.

1. Are you running this game in a MS-DOS Window under either Win95 or Win98? Or is it a Windows version of the game that is being used?

2. If you are running in a DOS window then we need to have you boot up in a DOS mode and try the game from the C:> prompt instead of from Windows.

3. This next section is a guide that I wrote for Running in DOS Mode on a Windows 95 machine at the request of another site. I don't use Windows 98 myself, but I checked a machine at work that does, and all the files mentioned are still included in Windows 98 so the same technique should work for Win98.

CONFIG.SYS File to run DOS Programs with Win95

DeviceHigh=C:\Windows\Himem.sys
DeviceHigh=C:\SBCD\DRV\Sbide.sys /D:MSCD001 /P:170,15 /V
DeviceHigh=C:\Windows\Emm386.exe Auto

Notes:
1. All Windows Files are Win95
2. Line 1 Enables use of use of 64MB DIMM chips. If you use the DOS versions of these files you will get false errors claiming the you have bad memory chips.
3. Line 2 is for the CD drive. Mine is a Sound Blaster, fill in the information required to run your particular drive.
4. Line 3 is set to auto because I also run programs that require EMS memory. If you do not set the parm to NOEMS.

AUTOEXEC.BAT File to run DOS Programs with WIN95. Use with the matching CONFIG.SYS file and Reboot PC.

Loadhigh C:\Windows\Command\MSCDEX.exe /D:MSCD001 /V /M:8
Set Blaster=A220 I5 D1 T4
Set Sound16=C:\Sound16
Loadhigh C:\Sound16\Sndinit /b
Set mouse=C:\mouse
Loadhigh C:\Mouse\Mouse
Path C:\Windows;C:\Windows\Command;C:\Sound16;C:\Mouse; C:\
Loadhigh Keyb gr, ,C:\Windows\Command\Keyboard.sys

Notes:
1. This is the basic AUTOEXEC.BAT file that I use for running all DOS programs that do not run well in a Win95 DOS Window. This includes my various compilers as well as ALL of my DOS based game programs.
2. The file listed above is an edited version of my actual file which contains lines and settings for running multiple operating systems as well as programs that are not games.
3. Line 1 loads the WIN95 version of MSCDEX with settings for MY CD drive. Change the settings starting with /D to match your particular CD drive.
4. Lines 2 - 4 are the settings to run the setup program for my SoundBlaster Pro Clone soundcard. Insert the lines required for your brand of sound card.
5. Lines 5 & 6 are the mouse driver settings. I had to upgrade my mouse driver to run Silent Hunter. If your have problems with the Courser hanging up in one corner of the initial screen and not moving, then you also need an upgrade. Mine is now MS Mouse Version 8 or 9. I'm not sure which since as long as the mouse works I don't bother to upgrade.
6. The listed path command is not needed UNLESS you also run other programs from those directories and don't want to specify the complete path each time. As long as you include the complete path in each of the LOADHIGH and SET commands you do not need to include those paths in the PATH command and you can save a small amount of memory by not having a path command at all. Some times this is all the extra memory needed to make the program run.
7. The last line is only needed for those who are using a non-US keyboard, as I do. I left it in the example because I know that we have several European users of this board.


4. I think the reason that you had good sound and then poor sound is that the Windows operating system is not letting go of the sound card, if you are running in a DOS window under Win95/98.

5. If just starting from the DOS Prompt isn't working we may have to have you remove and reinstall the program, but let's save that option as a last resort.

6. You should create the new/revised config.sys and Autoexec.bat files using the edit command from the DOS prompt. When you want to run the game you will have to:
a) to DOS mode
b) swap the regular config.sys and Autoexec.bat files for the special ones
c) reboot to DOS mode so that they take effect.

Ken

Edit to remove URL and reference, added contents that should have shown from link and added last paragraph.
[This message has been edited by Ken Hinds (edited August 16, 2000).]

[Carolus Rex]

My God!

Whatever happened to the "explain it to a seven year old"-technique?

Seriously, thank you very much for your time and effort! I will take a closer look at it (and probably tear my hair off! ).

Again, thanks!

Carolus