Sound Blaster AWE64 Value Readme File ===================================== This file contains additional information to supplement the manual. Please read all the sections before you proceed with the installation. This file contains the following sections: 1. Installation 2. Uninstallation 3. DOS Environment settings 4. DOS Audio Driver Support under Windows 95 DOS Box 5. Using CREATIVE IDE CD-ROM drive in MS-DOS Mode 6. BLASTER settings under MS-DOS Mode 7. DRAM Issues 8. AWE Control Panel WaveFx 9. Full-Duplex Constraints 10. Online Documentation 11. Acknowledgments 1. INSTALLATION The full installation option requires about 12 MBytes of hard disk space for program files and an additional 2 MBytes for working space. You might need more if your drive is in compressed form. 2. UNINSTALLATION Before uninstalling the software package, ensure that all Sound Blaster AWE64 applications are closed. Any Sound Blaster AWE64 application that is running while uninstallation is in progress will not be deleted. Also, files that are added to the Sound Blaster AWE64 directory after the initial software installation will not be deleted by the uninstallation process. You will have to manually delete these files after the uninstallation process is completed. Some of the SoundBlaster AWE64 files in the Windows directory are shared by other applications. The uninstallation program will prompt you when it tries to delete these files. You should choose not to delete the files unless you are very sure that they are no longer used by Windows. 3. DOS ENVIRONMENT SETTINGS Some of the existing DOS programs require the presence of MIDI and SOUND environments in order for them to work. The Setup program will add the SET MIDI and SET SOUND lines at the beginning of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. 4. DOS AUDIO DRIVER SUPPORT UNDER WINDOWS 95 DOS BOX Some of the DOS applications are developed with Creative's Sound Blaster Developer Kit. These applications require the low-level DOS device drivers to be loaded. To load these drivers, you need to add the following lines to the CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=C:\\DRV\CTSB16.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220 I:5 D:1 H:5 /WIN95 DEVICE=C:\\DRV\CTMMSYS.SYS Remarks: a. is the sound directory where the audio software is located. b. The /BLASTER parameter specifies the Sound Blaster base I/O port address (A), interrupt request line (I), low 8-bit DMA channel (D) and high 16-bit DMA channel (H). c. The settings in the /BLASTER parameter must tally with the actual settings allocated by Windows 95. To find out the actual settings, go into Windows 95 DOS box, and type SET and press at the DOS prompt. You will see one of the lines displayed as: BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 The values after A, I, D and H are the actual settings to be used for the /BLASTER parameter. To help you set up the DOS audio drivers, we have prepared a text file CONFIG.TXT in the sound directory. This text file contains the above two lines to specify the DOS audio drivers. The sound directory name in the text file will be updated by the installation program. All you need to do is update the /BLASTER parameter, then use a text editor to copy the two lines from the CONFIG.TXT file and paste them into the CONFIG.SYS file. 5. USING CREATIVE IDE CD-ROM DRIVE UNDER MS-DOS MODE When you open an MS-DOS Mode session, the system will close all other active programs. You can return to Windows 95 by typing EXIT. There are two ways to start an MS-DOS Mode session, either - shut down the system using the Start menu and choose the "Restart the computer in MS-DOS Mode" option, or - start a MS-DOS box and change the properties of your MS-DOS session by checking the MS-DOS Mode box under the Advanced Program Settings. You can specify to use either the current MS-DOS configuration, or a new MS-DOS configuration. If you connect a Creative IDE CD-ROM drive to the IDE interface that comes with your card, you need to do the following steps to make your CD-ROM drive work in MS-DOS Mode: 5.1 Shutdown and restart the computer in MS-DOS Mode You need to add the following lines to the DOSSTART.BAT file in the Windows directory: \CTLOAD \DRV\SBIDE.SYS /D:MSCD001 /V /P:1E8,11,3EE \COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 /V /M:8 NOTES: a. DOSSTART.BAT is a batch file in the Windows directory. It is executed every time you start an MS-DOS Mode session. b. is the sound directory where the audio software is located. c. is the Windows 95 directory. To help you set up the DOS audio drivers, we have prepared a text file DOSSTART.TXT in the sound directory. It contains the above lines to specify the DOS CD-ROM drivers. The sound directory name in the text file will be updated by the installation program. You don't need to change any of the parameters. 5.2 Changing MS-DOS MODE session properties and selecting MS-DOS Mode using current configuration You need to do the same steps as above. 5.3 Changing MS-DOS MODE session properties and selecting MS-DOS Mode using current configuration You need to add the following lines to the new AUTOEXEC.BAT : \CTCM \CTLOAD \DRV\SBIDE.SYS /D:MSCD001 /V /P:1E8,11,3EE \COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 /V /M:8 NOTES: a. is the sound directory where the audio software is located. b. is the Windows 95 directory. c. Make sure that the settings in the /P parameter tally with the actual settings allocated by Windows 95. 6. BLASTER settings under MS-DOS Mode Whenever you change your audio hardware configuration using Plug and Play configuration utility, the BLASTER environment settings under MS-DOS Mode will only be valid after you have rebooted the system. However, if you proceed to MS-DOS Mode without rebooting, you need to run CTCM.EXE (found in your Windows directory). This program makes the BLASTER environment setting tally with the actual hardware settings. 7. DRAM ISSUES a) If your audio card does not have the DRAM Upgrade option, please ignore all references to it in your Getting Started and online documentation. b) If your audio card has no DRAM (either built-in, installed in SIMM sockets, or installed using DRAM daughterboard), ignore the sections in your Getting Started and online documentation that refer to General Standard (GS), MT-32, and SoundFonts. 8. AWE Control Panel WaveFx To download a wave sample as a WaveFx sample using AWE Control Panel, your card must have DRAM built-in, installed in SIMM sockets, or installed using DRAM daughterboard. AWE Control Panel can support samples in all ADPCM wave formats. 9. FULL-DUPLEX CONSTRAINTS Your audio card supports full-duplex recording and playback. However, to make full use of this feature, please make sure you observe the following constraints: a. Start only one session of simultaneous playback and recording. b. Use the same sampling rate for both operations. c. Preferably play back and record audio files which are in uncompressed wave format, that is, Pulse Code Modulation (PCM). d. Reduce the sampling rate for both operations if your audio playback or recording session is too slow. NOTE: The Full-Duplex and DirectSound capabilities are mutually exclusive. If you activate the full-duplex feature, the DirectSound capability cannot be enabled. And vice versa. 10. ONLINE DOCUMENTATION To help you get information on the applications in this package easily, we have compiled a set of online documentation which can be accessed from your audio card's program group. Just click the START button on your Windows 95 taskbar. Select "Programs", followed by "Sound Blaster AWE64 Value" and then "User's Guide". 11. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS MS-DOS, MS-DOS, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ********** E N D O F R E A D M E **********