From: Max Timchenko :Subject: [PCBUILD] Two devices take on one interrupt


> Hello PCBuild,
>
>   I've got a problem. On friend's PC, his Sound Blaster Live! and
>   Rockwell PCI WinModem both take IRQ 12 and I can't change it (the
>   Settings window shows Can't change this resource).
>
>   As the result of this conflict, DOS sound is lost both under and out
>   Windows 98. The modem does not work in DOS [it's WinModem] but works
>   OK in WIndows. The SB Live works in Windows applications.
>
>   I don't have any ideas, but I'm sure you do...
>
>   Thanks.
>
> +=-.
> | Max Timchenko [MaxVT]

It sounds like the SB Live is working in Windows.  If this is the case the
first thing to check in your Device Manager.  Check for an item called
Creative Miscellaneous Devices.  Expand that item and check what resources
the "Creative SB Live! SB16 Emulation" is using.  This is your Dos driver
for the SB Live, if it is not loaded then Dos games played in a window in
Windows  will not have any sound.  Plug & pray has not assigned normal sound
card settings here in any of the installations of SB Lives I have done.  I
must always go in and manually change them to I/O 220, I/O 330, I/O 388, DMA
1, DMA 5, and IRQ 5, or other normal Dos sound card settings.  You must also
check that your Autoexec.bat has the following 3 lines, they should have
been added in your SB Live driver installation:

SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330  T6
SET CTSYN=C:\WINDOWS
C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM

The last line should match where the file SBEINIT.com is located. You will
also need 2 lines in your "Config.sys" or the Emulation driver will not
load:

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE

Make sure the path matches where these files are located on your system.

One other problem may be that your motherboard does not support  NMI
(Non-Maskable Interrupt).  In this case some games may support sound in a
Dos window but no sound if the computer is booted to Dos mode.  The
following is from Creative's Web site:

"The SB16 emulation of the Sound Blaster Live! requires your motherboard to
support NMI (Non-Maskable Interrupt) in order to work. Check with your
manufacturer or look at your motherboard documentation to determine whether
your motherboard supports it. "

If I have misunderstood and an IRQ conflict is causing your problem, then
PCI slot IRQ's are changed in the bios on some motherboards and you will not
be able to change the settings in Device Manager.  Be aware that some slots
will share IRQ's.  Check your motherboard documentation.  On some Abit
boards the AGP slot and the first PCI slot share an IRQ, The second and
third PCI slots don't share an IRQ, and the 4th and 5th PCI slots share an
IRQ.  Sometimes you have to move a card to a different PCI slot so that it
doesn't share an IRQ depending on how many PCI slots are populated.

Hope something here works for you.

Mary Wolden

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