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Quick guide   Description   Version   Contact   Hints

Soundblaster compatible audio device driver for BeOS

Quick guide

  1. install the driver by starting the script »install«.
  2. if no devices were found: manually add a device via the devices preferences. set the device type to »multimedia (sound)«, and add the io port address of your device (often 0x220). restart.
  3. restart the media services and select the new sound device for output via the media preferences.

Description

this driver is thought as a »last option« if you have a soundblaster or compatible and can’t get it to run with any of the available drivers.
it has been optimized neither for efficiency nor for sound quality, but for maximum compatility. it achieves this by using down to one single command implemented by all, even the earliest, soundblaster (and compatible) models. it does especially not depend on any irq or dma setting.
the cost is an increased need for processor time, especially with high sample rates. however, it can be configured to sample rates as minimal as you can stand.
the produced sound format is fixed to 8 bit mono.

Version

1.1 corrected scanning behaviour if more than 1 port given.
added optional legacy device scan.
added some soundblaster-mixer compatibility.

Contact

the author of this driver is diamond/musclesoft crew. for results and comments on this software contact drivers.dmd@musclesoft.de.

Hints

System frozen

start in safe mode. then uninstall.

Installation

just start the »install« script. if it succeeds, it will display recognized devices.
you may re-install as often as you want, existing configuration files will not be overwritten.

Configuration

hardware (port) settings must be configured via the devices preferences.
driver options, especially the sample rate, can be modified in the configuration file »soundblaster compatible«. restart the media services to activate changes.

Uninstallation

just start the »uninstall« script. this will remove all files that have been added to your system, including the configuration files.

No device found

manually add a device via the devices preferences. set the device type to »multimedia (sound)«, and set the port start address (typically 0x210, 0x220,0x230, 0x240, 0x250, 0x260, or 0x280). all other settings are irrelevant. if you don’t know the port, try adding all of the forementioned, and see if a device is detected.

alternatively, if your soundblaster compatible is listed as »legacy« device in the device manager, activate the legacy option in the configuration file.

remember that you’ll probably have to reboot to make the changes take effect, and that the media services may need a restart to recognize the new driver.

Still no device found

make sure your device is configured to soundblaster mode (using the vendor's driver software), e. g. run the dos configuration utility that came with your sound device to activate soundblaster mode (you’ll probably be able to see/change the port address there, too). then start beos with the »loadbeos« command.
disable existing instances of the device in the devices preferences, and keep only the manually added one.

Still no device found

(if your system freezes after the following procedure, your device is probably not compatible, or misconfigured, or you’ve discovered a bug in the driver.)
make sure the port setting in the device manager is exact. open the configuration file with a text editor, and enable the reset skipping option. save the configuration and re-install.

Device found but silent

make sure your device's internal mixer settings are correct (using the vendor's driver software). to achieve this you may have to boot to another operating system before entering the beos with the »loadbeos« command.