README FOR 3D PCMCIA SOUND CARD =============================== This document contains last-minute information for the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card. As well, it provides information on product limitations and third-party application-specific usage notes for using the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card. Another source of information for this product is the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card User's Guide YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM'S USER DOCUMENTATION OR THE SYSTEM MANUFACTURER BEFORE PERFORMING ANY SYSTEM CONFIGURATION CHANGES DESCRIBED IN THIS DOCUMENTATION. THE 3D PCMCIA SOUND CARD MANUFACTURER DOES NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGE TO EQUIPMENT AND/OR LOSS OF INFORMATION AS A RESULT OF ANY ACTIONS TAKEN BASED ON INFORMATION OR INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT. CONTENTS ======== 1.0 Known Limitations 2.0 Games compatibility 3.0 Application software for Windows 4.0 Platform compatibility 5.0 Windows Sound System Support 6.0 Documentation Errata for the Installation and User's Guide 7.0 Trademarks 1.0 Known Limitations ====================== 1.1 Installation ------------- 1. Users are recommended to use the SETUP.EXE program in Audio Support Software for Windows Disk 1 to install the Audio Support Software for both Windows and DOS. 2. The installation program will append directories to your PATH statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT. Because length of the path in DOS is limited to 122 characters, you may need to modify your PATH statement to accomodate for the appended directories. 3. If you have installed the Audio Support Software for DOS using the SETUP.EXE program in Audio Support Software for Windows Disk 1, do not install the Audio Support Software for DOS again using the INSTALL.EXE in Audio Support Software for DOS. Otherwise, the uninstall program for DOS (UNINSTAL.EXE) might not be able to remove the Audio Sopport Software for DOS properly. 4. If you encounter problem when using UNINSTAL.EXE as described in the above section, run SETUP.EXE in Audio Support Software for Windows disk 1 again and select the Remove Installation option to properly remove the Audio Support Software for both DOS and Windows. 1.2 Windows ------------ 1. Users are recommended to use the included Audio Control application instead of others such as the one provided by Windows Sound System. 2. There are known limitations with the Audio Control in Windows. When Input Source is active and muted, hot-plugging the sound card will unmute Input Source. This change may not be reflected in the Audio Control. 3. The MIDI settings in the Audio Control in Windows return to a preset default on every start of a MIDI playback. This change is not reflected on the Audio Control. 4. System suspend-resume and sound card hot-insertion or removal are not supported during Wav recording. Such events may cause system hang dependent on the recording application being used (e.g. the included Recorder application) and the content of the recorded Wav file is unknown. Also, up to 10 seconds may be required for the sound card to recover from system suspend or card insertion. 5. System suspend-resume and sound card hot-insertion or removal are not supported when the MIDI port is being used. Such events may cause system hang. 6. Exiting Windows immediately after sound card removal during a MIDI file playback is not supported. 7. When using the sound card on some slow systems (e.g. systems with 4MB RAM), the system may not be able to suspend during a Wav file playback or record. Also, if you are recording using the Microsoft Sound Recorder for the first time since Windows startup, up to 5 seconds of noise may be appended to the recorded Wav file (note that this problem will occur only during the first time the recorder is being used). To completely avoid this problem, you can use some other recorder (e.g. the included Recorder application). 8. When using the Phoenix Card Manager, after any suspend-resume operation, you will need to hot-plug to ensure all sound drivers are properly reloaded and functional. This Card and Socket Services problem is found in Phoenix Card Manager Plus Version 3.1, 3.11 and 3.2. 9. When the sound card is point-enabled (i.e. loaded without Card and Socket Services), all system suspend-resume and sound card hot-insertion or removal events are not supported. 1.3 DOS -------- 1. System suspend-resume are not supported when the sound card is loaded in DOS. 2. Sound card hot-insertion or removal during game play is not supported (hot-insertion or removal at DOS prompt is supported if Card and Socket Services are loaded). 2.0 DOS Games compatibility ============================ The 3D PCMCIA Sound Card has been tested with many games to ensure its proper functioning in native DOS or Windows DOS-box environment. This section lists a number of those games that were tested and the necessary special setup that some games may require. 2.1 Native DOS support ---------------------- The Audio Support Software for DOS supports the sound effects and background music (WAV and MIDI synthesis, respectively) of most popular SoundBlaster-compatible games. Unless specifically mentioned, the following games used Sound Blaster or compatible as sound hardware with a default configuration of IRQ 7, IO port address 220H and DMA Channel 1 in native DOS. Also, "Compatibility=0" in the file MWAVE.INI is assumed unless otherwise specified. 2.2 Windows DOS-Box support --------------------------- The Audio Support Software for Windows allows you to play DOS games in the Windows DOS box with sound support. However, not all games can be played in the Windows DOS box. The reason for many of these games not being usable in the Windows DOS box is that the method used in the games to acquire memory from the system utilizing the Intel processor's protected-mode mechanism is prohibited by Windows. Most games also require that you create a PIF file in order to allocate the appropriate amount and type of memory to play the game. Refer to your Windows documentation to find out more information on PIF and how it can be used to make EMS and/or XMS memory available in the Windows DOS box. In addition, the sound effect quality produced by the sound card can be affected by the game's CPU resource requirement. If you find a lot of static noise in the sound effects, you can choose to disable the sound effects and use Adlib support only. 2.3 List of Games ----------------- This section lists all the games that were tested using the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card. The results show games compatibility in native DOS. If any of the listed games could not be fully supported in native DOS (sound effects and music support) and can be better supported in Windows DOS-box, this is also specified. If no test result for the game is provided (e.g. 1942 The Pacific Airwar), then the game can be run in native DOS with full SoundBlaster compatiblity (sound effects and music). Also note that a majority of the games tested required EMS for digital sound. Refer to your game documentation for more information on how to obtain EMS. 1942 The Pacific Airwar (Spectrum Holobyte) 4-D Boxing (Electronic Arts) - The digitized speech in this game may be distorted. 7th Guest, The (Virgin)* Aces of the Pacific (Dynamix) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box. Adventures of Willy Beamish (Dynamix) - This game is not supported in native DOS. - You can run this game in Windows DOS box with full sound effect support. Alone in the Dark (I-Motion) Alone in the Dark 2 (I-Motion) Amazon (Access) Arena: The Elder Scrolls (Bethesda) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box. Berenstain Bears Learning at Home (Comptons NewMedia) - The digital sound plays at a slow and distorted rate. Betrayal at Krondor (Dynamix) Blake Stone: Planet Strike (Apogee) Boppin' (Apogee) - Digital sound is a static buzz. Cannon Fodder (Sensible) - Use Adlib as the sound device. Carriers at War (SSG) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Castle of Dr. Brain (Sierra) Chess Maniac 5 Billion and 1 (Spectrum Holobyte) - Use Adlib as the sound device. Civilization (Microprose) Commanche: Maximum Overkill (Novalogic) Darklands (Microprose) Darkseed (Cyberdreams) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Day of the Tentacle (LucasArts) * DOOM (Id Software) * - Do NOT use EMM386.EXE or any memory manager for this game. DOOM 2 (Id Software) * - Do NOT use EMM386.EXE or any memory manager for this game. - Use IRQ 5 for SoundBlaster sound effect (use Int=5 in the MWAVE.INI file as well). Dracula Unleashed (Viacom New Media) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box. Dune II (Virgin) - Use the RAM option with EMM386.EXE. The sound effects is lost during the game. - In order to get sound effects in game, try running the game in Windows DOS-box. You will need to create a PIF file to simulate enough EMS. Eagle Eye Mysteries: London (Electronic Arts) - This game is not supported in native DOS. - You can run this game in Windows DOS-box with no digital sound Ecstatica (Psygnosis) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box Eye of Beholder/Legend of Darkmoon (SSI) - Use Compatibility=2 in the MWAVE.INI file. F14 Fleet Defender (Microprose) - The digital audio is noisy sometime. You can disable sound effects and use Adlib as the sound hardware. F15 Strike Eagle III (Microprose) Faces...tris III (Spectrum Holobyte) Falcon 3.0 (Spectrum Holobyte) - Use Compatibility=2 and PortIO=210h in the MWAVE.INI file. - The sound effects for this game are not clear. FIFA International Soccer (Electronic Arts) Flashback (Delphi) Front Page Football Pro (Dynamix) - Use Adlib as the sound device in native DOS (type HIKE -A at command line). - You can run this game in Windows DOS-box for full sound effect support. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (Sierra) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Goblins (Sierra) Hardball III (Accolade) Heretic (Id Software) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Hocus Pocus (Apogee) - The digital sound is very distorted. Hong Kong Mahjong Pro (Electronic Arts) Incredible Machine, The (Sierra) - This game is not supported in native DOS. - You can run this game in Windows DOS-box for full sound/music support. Indiana Jones: Fate of Atlantis (LucasFilm) Indy Car Racing (Papyrus) - Do NOT use EMM386.EXE or any memory manager for this game. Jazz Jackrabbit (Epic) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Jurassic Park (Epic) - No music is played in this game. Lands of Lore: Throne of Chaos (Virgin) Lawnmower Man, The (SaleCurve) * Lemmings (Psygnosis) Little Big Adventure (Electronic Arts) Links386 Pro (Access) - Use SoundBlaster 2.0 as the sound hardware Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes (Electronic Arts) - There is static distortion on music/digital sound Lost Vikings, The (Interplay) - The digital sound for this game is not supported Magic Carpet (Electronic Arts) - This game is not supported in native DOS. - You can run this game in Windows DOS box with no digital sound (Adlib). Manhole, The (Activision) - The digital sound for this game is not supported Martian Memorandum (Access) - Use Compatibility=2 in the MWAVE.INI file. Master of Orion (Microprose) Monkey Island 2 (LucasArts) Mortal Kombat 2 (Acclaim) Mickey's Colors and Shapes (Disney) * - The digital sound does not play or plays with clicks. Might and Magic II - Word of Xeen (New World Computing) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Monster Bash (Apogee) - The digital sound for this game is not supported MS Flight Simulator 5.0 (Microsoft) Mystic Towers (Apogee) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box NHLPA Hockey (Electronic Arts) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. One Must Fall 2097 (Epic) Pacific Strike (Origin) Panzer General (SSI) Peter Pan (Electronic Arts) Pinball (Epic) - Use Compatibility=4 in the MWAVE.INI file. - There is some static buzz in sound effect/music on slower platforms. Pinball Fantasies (Dig. Illusions) * Populous II (Electronic Arts) - There is some distortion on digitized sounds. Prince of Persia 2 (Broderbund) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Quarantine (Gametek) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box Quest for Glory II (Sierra) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Railroad Tycon (Microprose) Raptor (Apogee) - Do NOT use EMM386.EXE or any memory manager for this game. Reader Rabbit 1 (The Learning Company) - Use the /SA parameter at command line for music. - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Realms of Arkania 2: Star Trail (Sir-Tech) * Rebel Assault (LucasArts) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box. Return to Zork (Activision) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Rex Nebular (Microprose) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Rich Scarry's Busiest Neighbourhood Ever (Activision) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box. Rise of the Triad (Apogee) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Sam and Max Hit the Road (LucasArts) * - The digital sound is very faint and has recurring clicks in native DOS. - You can run this game in Windows DOS box for full sound effect support. Scooter's Magic Castle (Electronic Arts) Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe (LucasArts) - This game is not supported in native DOS. - You can run this game in Windows DOS box without sound effect support. Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective Vol 3 (Icom Simulations) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box. Simcity 2000 (Maxis) - This digital sound for this game is not supported. Solataire's Journey (QQP) Space Quest IV (Sierra) - Use Adlib as the sound device. Spellcasting 301: Spring Break (Legend) Star Control II (Capcom) - This game is not supported in native DOS - You can run this game in Windows DOX box for full sound effect support. Star Trek 25th Anniversary (Interplay) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Street Fighter II (CapCom) - Make sure to use D=64 option in the EMM386.EXE line of your CONFIG.SYS file Strike Commander (Origin) - The digital sound for this game is missing at times. Stunt Island (Disney) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box. System Shock (Origin) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box. Terminator Rampage (Bethesda Softworks) Tetris Classic (Spectrum Holobyte) The Perfect General (QQP) The Presidents: It all Start with George (National Georgrapy Society)* - Use Compatibility=2 in the MWAVE.INI file. The Terminal Rampage (Bethesda Softworks) Theme Park (Electronic Arts) - The game music is distorted. Tie Fighter (LucasArts) - Choose custom setup to choose SoundBlaster/Adlib as the music device in native DOS. The sound effects for this game is not supported. - You can run this game in Windows DOS box for full sound effect support. In this case, choose the Express setup to choose SoundBlaster 2.0 as the music/sound effect device. Transport Tycoon (Microprose) Tristan Pinball (Amtex) - Use Adlib as the sound device. Ultima VIII: Pagan (Origin) U.S. Navy Fighters (Electronic Arts) - The digital sound in this game is very faint. V for Victory - Velikiye Luke (Three Sixty) Wacky Wheels (Apogee) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Warcraft - Orcs and Humans (Blizzard) - Use Adlib as the sound device. Wargame Construction Set 2: Tanks (SSI) - The digital sound for this game is not supported. Warlords II (SSG) Wayne Gretzy Hockey III (Bethesda Softworks) Welltris (Spectrum Holobyte) - This game is not supported in native DOS or Windows DOS-box. Wing Commander (Origin) Wolfenstein 3D (Id Software) World at War: Operation Crusader (Atomic/Avalon Hill) World Circuit (Microprose) Xargon (Epic) 3.0 Application software for Windows compatibility =================================================== The Audio Support Software for Windows also supports full WAV and MIDI capabilities for application software packages and games for Windows that are compliant with the Media Control Interface (MCI) specification. Following is a list of popular Windows applications and games that are compatible with the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card: Applications ------------ - Asymmetrix COMPEL for Windows - Alpha Software Bravo 2.02 - Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia - CorelShow for Windows 4.0 - Harvard Graphics for Windows - Lotus Freelance for Windows 2.0 - Microsoft Video 1.1 - Monologue 1.5 OEM - Microsoft Encarta - Microsoft Dinosaurs - Microsoft Instruments - Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 4.0 - MPC Wizard for Windows - PG Music The Pianist - Talkworks 2.1 - Music Magic Songbook - Sound Impression - Voyetra Productivity Pack - WordPerfect Presentation for Windows V2.0 - WordPerfect for Windows V6.0a > You may encounter problems when trying to insert more than one sound object in a WordPerfect for Windows V6.0a document. Games and more MPC Titles ------------------------- - Arcade - Asteroids (Microsoft) - Blown Away (Imagination Pilots) - Chessmaster 4000 (Software Toolworks) - Composer Quest (Dr. T's Music Software) - Crystal Calibum Pinball (Starplay) - Entertainment Pak Chess (Microsoft) - ESPN Baseball: Hitting (Intellimedia) - Iron Helix (Spectrum Holobyte) - J.F.K.- A Visual Investigation (Medio) - Monopoly Deluxe for Windows (Virgin Games) - Myst (Broderbund) - Outpost (Sierra) - San Diego Zoo: The Animals (Software Toolworks) - Smithsonian Institute Dinosaur Museum (Software Marketing) - The Uninvited (Icom Simulations) - Tuneland (7th Level) - U.F.O. (Software Marketing) - Wrath of the Gods (Luminaria) - Wyatt Earp's Old West (Grolier Elec. Publishing) Note that the above list does not imply incompatibility with applications and games that are not listed. 4.0 Platform compatibility =========================== The 3D PCMCIA Sound Card has been tested on a wide range of computer platforms that have PCMCIA type II slot(s), including notebook computers made by Ambra, AST, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, IBM, NEC, Panasonic and Toshiba. This section summarizes some special configurations that may be required for the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card to function properly in specific machines. IBM Thinkpad 750, 720, 755, 500, 510, 350 and 360 ------------------------------------------------- No special configuration is required to use the sound card, except that the built-in audio hardware on Thinkpad 750's have to be disabled to allow the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card to function correctly (the audio hardware can be disabled by using the PS2.EXE configuration program; see the system user's manual for details). In addition, all of these notebook computers are equipped with Intel PCMCIA controller; therefore, the sound card can be configured to function without the preloaded IBM PCMCIA Card and Socket Services. System suspend-resume is not supported on Thinkpad 720/720C. Toshiba T1950, T4600, T3400, T4700, T2400 ----------------------------------------- The Phoenix CS/SS preloaded on the Toshiba may need to be re-configured in order to make the sound card function properly. Note that High Memory region C000 to C7FF is reserved for special system usage and should therefore not be included for use by CS/SS. Also, it was found that the sound card can be loaded without the CS/SS on all of the listed Toshiba computers. Due to the hardware design of these Toshiba notebook computers, the sound effects of a very small number of games (marked with * in the above compatibility list), including DOOM, DOOM II and Raptor, cannot be supported by sound card. Nevertheless, the background music of these games is fully supported. For games that produce these symptoms, you should turn off the games' sound effects (but keep the background music) or choose Adlib-compatible instead of Sound Blaster-compatible while configuring the sound effect device. Also, other games like Commanche, Day of the Tentacle and 7th Guest may have a small "popping" sound at the end of each sound effect. However, you do not have to turn off the sound effects for these game to function. Some Toshiba notebooks require APM.SYS to be present in the CONFIG.SYS to fully support Power Management in Windows. If your Toshiba notebook has this file, make sure it is enabled. On T3400 and T2400, exiting Windows without the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card inserted in the PCMCIA slot may cause a system hang. Compaq Concerto, Contura Aero, LTE Elite ---------------------------------------- The SystemSoft CS/SS preloaded on these Compaq notebook computers may need to be re-configured to make the required system resources available. Except on the LTE Elite which uses a PCMCIA controller that is not supported, the sound card can be loaded without CS/SS in order to conserve DOS memory. In order to support Windows hot-plugging on Contura Aero and LTE Elite, you will need to disable the CPQEVENT.EXE program from the "run=" statement in the WIN.INI file. Suspend-resume while recording or playing a wav file on a Compaq LTE Elite is not supported. Hot-plugging while recording a wav file may cause a system hang on the Compaq Contura Aero. This function is not supported. Ambra N450T, Ambra SNC425 ------------------------- The system-preloaded Phoenix CS/SS 2.0 needs to be updated to a newer version to support the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card on the Ambra N450T. After the new updated CS/SS is installed, no other special configuration is required to use the sound card. Note that the CS/SS has to be loaded since the PCMCIA controller used in this system is not directly supported. The 3D PCMCIA Sound Card does not support SoundBlaster emulation in DOS on the Ambra SNC425. Only Audio Support Software for Windows is supported for this system. Dell Latitude XP ---------------- The preloaded SystemSoft CS/SS may need to be re-configured to make the required system resources available. Also, the sound card is supported on this system with CS/SS loaded only. It was observed that in order to run DOS games on these Dell notebook computers, many of the pre-installed drivers have to be disabled to conserve DOS memory for the game software to load. Note that the statement "DOS=HIGH,UMB" should be added to the CONFIG.SYS in order to allow DOS to be loaded outside of the first 640k region to conserve memory (this was not done in some pre-installed systems). Finally, note that the High Memory region C000 to CBFF is reserved for system usage and therefore should not be made available to CS/SS. When trying to obtain EMS, as many DOS games require, the High Memory region D000 to DCFF should be excluded in EMM386. AST Ascentia 900N, Powerexec 433L --------------------------------- The system-preloaded SystemSoft CS/SS may need to be re-configured to make the required system resources available. The sound card is supported on these systems with CS/SS loaded only. For the AST Powerexec, you cannot use Port I/O 220h due to system restrictions; hence, you will need to manually edit the MWAVE.INI file to change the Port= settings to either 240h or 260h. Also, the high memory region C000 to C8FF is reserved for system usage and therefore should not be made available to CS/SS. In order to support power-management in Windows on the AST Ascentia, you will need to replace AST's customized Windows shell with the standard Windows shell. This can be done by editing the SYSTEM.INI file to replace shell statement to "shell=PROGMAN.EXE". Gateway 2000 Colorbook ---------------------- The system-preloaded SystemSoft CS/SS may need to be re-configured to make the required system resources available. The sound card is supported on this systems with CS/SS loaded only. Suspend-resume while playing a wav file is not supported on this system. Panasonic CF-V21P ----------------- No special configuration should be required on this system. The sound card is supported on this system with or without CS/SS loaded. After hot-plugging the 3D PCMCIA Sound Card in Windows, you may have to wait up to 15 seconds for all audio functions to be rested. Also, hot-plugging while recording a wav file is not supported. NEC Versa 40EC -------------- The system-preloaded SystemSoft CS/SS may need to be re-configured to make the required system resources available. The sound card is supported on this system with or without CS/SS loaded. Unisys 325SL ------------ No special configuration required for this system. The 3D PCMCIA Sound Card is supported on this system with or without CS/SS loaded. Zenith ZLite 425L ----------------- The 3D PCMCIA Sound Card does not support this system. 5.0 Windows Sound System Support ================================ To use Microsoft Windows Sound System with 3D PCMCIA Sound Card, it is recommended that you install 3D PCMCIA Sound Card Audio Support Software for Windows before installing the Microsoft Sound System Software (MWSS). To install Windows Sound System software 1. Insert the Windows Sound System Disk 1 into drive A. 2. Start Windows (if not already started). 3 From the Program Manager File menu, choose RUN. 4 Type a:\setup 5 Choose OK. 6. Choose Continue until Setup asks "If you want to change your audio selection, choose Change." 7. Choose "Change..." The Hardware Selection dialog box appears. 8. Choose "Unlisted Hardware - driver disk required" A dialog box appears asking you to insert your hardware manufacturer's Driver Disk in A: 9. Insert the Audio Support Software for Windows Disk 1, into drive A. 10. Select "OK" The Hardware Selection dialog box appears with "IBM 3D PCMCIA Sound Card" as selection. 10. Select "IBM 3D PCMCIA Sound Card" and Choose "Continue". 11. From here, follow the procedure as mentioned in the Windows Sound System Software User's Guide section Setting Up with Non-Windows Sound System Audio Hardware. NOTE: It is recommended to use the Audio Control provided with Audio Support Software for Windows instead of the one provided by Windows Sound System. 6.0 Documentation Errata for the Installation and User's Guide =============================================================== Page 1 Replace the Sound Card package content with the following: The Sound Card package contains the following: - Sound Card - Four 3.5-inch diskettes - Installation and User's Guide - A cable with 3.5-mm Line-in/Microphone and 3.5-mm Line-out jacks. - A pair of stereo earphones 7.0 Trademarks =============== Sound Blaster is a registered trademark of Creative Labs Corporation Adlib is a registered trademark of Adlib Multimedia, Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation All other trademarks and registered trademarks are properties of their respective companies.