Sound Blaster Support in OS/2

Steps needed to install SB16 and AWE32 sound under Warp 4.0 including WINOS2


 * VERY IMPORTANT!
 * Read this entire document before installing

Please backup your config.sys, win.ini, system.ini, control.ini, autoexec.bat, and progman.ini before you start the installation process listed here below.

STEP 1 OS/2
First run selective install and choose the SB16 or AWE32 driver from the multimedia list for your card type. Use the following settings. IRQ 5, HIGH DMA 5, LOW DMA 1, IO 220, MIDI PORT 330. The config.sys should look like this. Replace with your drive letter. These should work without a conflict on most systems.

DEVICE=D:\MMOS2\SBAWED2.SYS /C:1 /D:1 /H:5 /I:5 /A:220 /B:8 /M:330 /N:SBAUD1$ /P

STEP 2 WINOS2
After OS2 base Multimedia is installed shut down and restart, then you need to run a program called WININST.ZIP. Follow the directions very carefuly. Add to run a program called WININST.ZIP. Follow the directions very carefuly. Add the driver to the correct location and run the command winstall.cmd. This will edit the system.ini file to add the needed support for base S.B. support of your card type. This will give you basic sound in WINOS2.

STEP 3 WINOS2 TOOLS
Now make a directory called SB16 on your hard drive, C: or D: where OS/2 is installed. Now take the file called SBWINOS2.ZIP and place it into this SB16 directory you just created. Now use unzip.exe or pkunzip -d to unpack these files into this directory. Next start a winos2 session and from Program manager choose FIle, Run, D:\SB16\WINSETUP.EXE. This will create the S.B. tools group. Next go to File Manager and copy from D:\SB16\WINDRV\*.DLL to D:\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2\SYSTEM. These DLL's need to be in the os2\mdos\winos2\system subdirectory!

The other files and drivers in the SB16\WINDRV directory are not needed unless you plan on running the real DOS/WINDOWS 3.1 drivers? If so copy all drivers from this directory to the system sub directory. You can now exit the WINOS2 session and restart. You should have functioning S.B. tools and sound.

STEP 4 OS2 S.B. TOOLS

 * Optional

This section is optional since OS2 provides its own tools such as a wave, This section is optional since OS2 provides its own tools such as a wave, midi, and cd/rom players. If you install the S.B. package for these OS/2 tools you will may need to run this step before steps 1, 2, and 3 above. The reason is that several of the files and drivers from this package are older than those used by Warp 4.0 and will over write the new files, thus leaving you without sound or causing errors. The file needed is CREAFAV.EXE Run from an OS/2 window and as follows d:\temp\creafav a:[enter]

This will make a disk from which you can install the native OS/2 S.B. tools support. You can choose which options you would like to install. Remember that this has drivers which are older than those installed for Warp 4.0. You may need to reinstall the above steps to correct this problem. Also you may need to experiment with drivers in order to have a working PM S.B. EQ. Another work around is the following. You can make a directory called BLASTER. Then extract the file I made called BLASTER.ZIP to D:\BLASTER. UNZIP BLASTER.ZIP or PKUNZIP BLASTER.ZIP -d. If this method is used it may provide you with the needed OS/2 PM tools and spare you from applying steps 1,2 and 3. I also included an older SB16 driver for those of you that want to try and make the S.B. EQ function on the desktop in Warp 4.0. You can try to use this SB16D2.SYS driver from D:\BLASTER in MMOS2. First copy the existing driver D:\MMOS2\SB16D2.SYS to SB16D2.OLD. Now copy the driver from the D:\BLASTER directory to MMOS2. I have not yet been able to make the EQ function with my AWE32 sound card. It works but the settings will not hold! When and if a fix is found I will post it. It is rummored that all drivers new than 1995 will cause the Creative Labs EQ to fail. One option would be to install the older SB16 and AWE32 drivers for MMOS2, however there are trade offs in sound and performance quality. One other option for an EQ in Warp is to install the real DOS driver support listed in STEP 5 and the EQ.BAT file run from a DOS session will set your sound levels, bass, treble etc for you!

STEP 5 ADVANCED GAMING

 * Optional

Unless you have a good working knowledge of the OS/2 object session settings and file structures leave this alone. In the case where you would need run the real DOS config.sys drivers from DOS in the DOS or WINOS2 session settings for applications the following is a guide to the steps needed. First load the real mode DOS drivers in the settings you specify the drivers to run. This requires that SB16 or AWE32 drivers where the real mode DOS drivers are located be placed into the path statement of the autoexec.bat. You could create a file called sound.bat which is the autoexec.bat with the following entries added to it.

SET SOUND=D:\SB16 SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 D:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S PATH D:;D:\OS2\MDOS;D:\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2;D:\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2\SYSTEM;D:\SB16; CALL D:\OS2\MDOS\EQ.BAT

I also have an advanced file which is just a batch file to reset the card on the fly for DOS games. You can copy it onto the hard drive and then call it from the sound.bat file. Make sure you edit the DOS, and Windows applications icons and set the session settings to use the sound.bat file located in the root boot drive, and call the dos drivers from the device line as shown.

SIZE=0 E:\OS2\MDOS\ANSI.SYS SIZE=0 C:\SB16\DRV\CSP.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220 SIZE=0 C:\SB16\DRV\CTSB16.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220 I:10 D:1 H:5 SIZE=0 C:\SB16\DRV\CTMMSYS.SYS

Note that SIZE=0 loads the drivers into high memory. Set DOS high, UMB high, and EMS, XMS memory to 4096 as a base start setting.

You can also run EQ.BAT from any DOS session where the proper sound.bat is loaded and the lines below on the DEVICE setting line

SIZE=0 E:\OS2\MDOS\ANSI.SYS SIZE=0 C:\SB16\DRV\CSP.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220 SIZE=0 C:\SB16\DRV\CTSB16.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220 I:10 D:1 H:5 SIZE=0 C:\SB16\DRV\CTMMSYS.SYS

are loaded in and WINDOWS or DOS session for that icon object. I use these settings for WINOS2, DOOM, 7th Guest, etc..

One last tip, limitation to add. Remember that Sound Blaster cards can only play ONE wave sound at a time. They do not have multiple sound chips to process more than one concurrent wave file. Therefore, if you load fastload or h Windows/DOS apps running you will only have sound in WINOS2 since the sound cards chip is in use for WINOS2. Once these sessions are closed the chip is released and OS2 will have wave sounds on the desktop. This applies to all sessions, seamless, and or full screen. There are cards that can work around this, but that is a story for another day!

CONFIG.SYS DEVICE= Line Syntax
Many of the settings are the same, but here is the list from the newer PNP type cards.
 * [SWITCHES][PNP]

The new drivers use a different command line syntax from the original Sound Blaster drivers installed with Warp MMPM/2. The new DEVICE= line syntax goes like this,

DEVICE= \SB16D2.SYS /C:n /D:n /H:n /I:x /A:xxx /B:n /M:xxx /N:SBAUD1$ [/

/C: - Card Number, this will be set to 1 in most cases /D: - 8-bit DMA channel, Valid values - 0, 1 & 3 (Sound Blaster cards that use Vibra chipset do not have 0). Default value - 1. /H: - 16-bit DMA channel, Valid values - 5, 6 & 7 (Sound Blaster cards that use Vibra chipset do not have 6). Default value - 5. /I: - IRQ number, Valid values - 5, 7, 9, 10 & 11. Default IRQ - 5. /A: - Base addresss, Valid values - 220, 240, 260, 280 Default value - 220. /B: - Buffer size in KB, Valid values - 1-24. While any value in this range will work fine, to get the best results don't use this option and let the driver use the default buffer size. Default value - 8KB. /M: - MPU port address Valid values - 300 & 330 Default value - 330. /N: - driver name, set this to SBAUD1$ /Q - quiet mode flag, OPTIONAL Setting this option disables initialization messages. If not specified the initialization messages are displayed during boot-up. /EXT - use MPU port instead of internal synth for MIDI, OPTIONAL By default the drivers are configured to use the internal synthesizer. But if you have a daughterboard attached to          your Sound Blaster card and you want MIDI playback to           use the synthesizer in the daughterboard, specify this flag. /P - Ignore PnP BIOS if it is present. If PnP BIOS is present, the driver usually queries the BIOS for certain PnP port addresses. Specifying this option causes the driver not to access the BIOS and determine these port addresses itself.

DISCLAIMER
I do not offer or imply any guarantee or asume any responsibility to damage you may incure from the above said installation process. I do wish you the best of luck and feel that you should have a good deal of sucess if the above steps are follwed.

CREDITS
Myself, mailto:colin@ionet.net ultimate gaming page, Creative Labs, and IBM.

LINKS
Beta drivers for new sound cards PNP etc. These may get you up if you have the newer PNP type cards. Also it combines several of the steps together that I have listed above. http://www.ionet.net/colin/sbinstal.zip

Tools, drivers, etc.
 * ftp://www.creaf.com/pub/creative/patches/ctavos2.exe

Tools, cd,midi, etc.
 * ftp://www.creaf.com/pub/creative/patches/capos2.exe

This is a nice tool to install winos2 support from IBM.
 * http://www.ionet.net/colin/wininst.zip

Additional information source.
 * http://www.ionet.net/colin/awe32.html

Enjoy!

David Wilson
 * concepts@concentric.net

Please help support SCOUG and OS/2 !