DOS ain't dead - Changing of IRQ assignement

Vehudis

07.10.2009, 11:01

Changing of IRQ assignement (Users)

Is there any chance/possibility to change IRQ assignement to particular PCI slot before DOS starts? I have the SB Live 5.1 soundcard and would like to activate the SB 16 emulation. This is possible only if during boot process BIOS assigns the IRQ 5 to the soundcard (two months ago it did, now it assigns another number). In BIOS (I have AWARD ver. 6.00 PG) isn't any option to assign (P)IRQ to concrete PCI slot. I tried the TweakBIOS, but it doesn't work. Is there any other utility or a patch for the BIOS?

tikbalang

07.10.2009, 11:53

@ Vehudis

Changing of IRQ assignement

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> Is there any chance/possibility to change IRQ assignement to particular PCI
> slot before DOS starts? I have the SB Live 5.1 soundcard and would like to
> activate the SB 16 emulation. This is possible only if during boot process
> BIOS assigns the IRQ 5 to the soundcard (two months ago it did, now it
> assigns another number). In BIOS (I have AWARD ver. 6.00 PG) isn't any
> option to assign (P)IRQ to concrete PCI slot. I tried the TweakBIOS, but
> it doesn't work. Is there any other utility or a patch for the BIOS?

- turn off "PNP OS" in the BIOS so hardware settings are already defined when OS starts.
- find the correct slot where the soundcard will get the correct IRQ.
- use the driver tools to change settings in the soundcard firmware.
- it may be necessary to remove other cards that "steal" IRQ setting.

Vehudis

15.10.2009, 14:57

@ tikbalang

Changing of IRQ assignement

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> - turn off "PNP OS" in the BIOS so hardware settings are already defined
> when OS starts.

I did it.

> - find the correct slot where the soundcard will get the correct IRQ.

I tried to put it in each of the four slots, but it got still the same IRQ.

> - use the driver tools to change settings in the soundcard firmware.

Could you tell me please, where I can get these tools (for SB Live! 5.1)?

> - it may be necessary to remove other cards that "steal" IRQ setting.

I removed all cards and let just the graphic card and the sound card.
First I tried to put just the GC to every slot, but everytime it got the IRQ 10.
When I added the SC and tried putting in each slot, GC got the IRQ 11 and SC 10.
Isn't there any utility or patch, that could allow to change manually the (P)IRQ assignement in BIOS or immediately after PC/POST start?

Japheth

Germany (South),
15.10.2009, 15:19

@ Vehudis

Changing of IRQ assignement

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> I removed all cards and let just the graphic card and the sound card.
> First I tried to put just the GC to every slot, but everytime it got the
> IRQ 10.
> When I added the SC and tried putting in each slot, GC got the IRQ 11 and
> SC 10.
> Isn't there any utility or patch, that could allow to change manually the
> (P)IRQ assignement in BIOS or immediately after PC/POST start?

Are you sure about your assumptions? I also have a SB Live, and it never gets assigned IRQ 5 and it nevertheless works.

Usually the BIOS assigns IRQ 3, 10 or 11 to my SB Live. What's important however, is that the "emulated" IRQ ( 5 or 7 ) is "free" and not used by another device.

Here's my current setting in ctsyn.ini:

MPUPort=330 SBPort=220 SBIRQ=7 SBDMALO=1 SBDMAHI=5 OPLPort=388 SBEnable=true JOYEnable=FALSE JOYPort=200 Waveset=C:\SBLIVE\default.ecw PCIPort=EF00 PCIIRQ=3

As you can see, the card currently gets IRQ 3, and it emulates a SB at IRQ 7.

---
MS-DOS forever!

RayeR

CZ,
15.10.2009, 15:43

@ Japheth

Changing of IRQ assignement

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> Here's my current setting in ctsyn.ini:
...
> As you can see, the card currently gets IRQ 3, and it emulates a SB at IRQ
> 7.

Yes, this is what I was talking about. Just make sure that
PCIPort=EF00
PCIIRQ=3
entries match reality. It's done automatically by win9x driver but if you use only DOS drivers you have to edit ctsync.ini manually!

---
DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.

Vehudis

17.10.2009, 15:03

@ RayeR

Changing of IRQ assignement

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I changed the ctsyn.ini. Now I can see another message on the screen:
Could not allocate code/patch RAM below 4 Mbyte boundary. Try loading SBEINIT.COM before SMARTDRV.EXE or minimizing VDISK RAM.
Creative SB16 Emulation Driver NOT loading.

But I use either SMARTDRV nor VDISK. Below I append my Autoexec&Config.

@ECHO OFF PROMPT $p$g PATH c:\;c:\DOS;c:\mouse;c:\SB16 set blaster=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 set ctsyn=c:\sb16 c:\SB16\sbeinit.com ctmouse shcdx33e /D:UDVD1

shell=c:\dos\command.com c:\dos /E:512 /P device=c:\dos\himem.sys /numhandels=128 /testmem:off dos=high device=c:\dos\emm386.exe verbose notr RAM AUTO dos=umb buffers=11,0 files=30 fcbs=1,0 stacks=0,0 lastdrive=f devicehigh=c:\uide.sys /S40

Japheth

Germany (South),
17.10.2009, 15:59

@ Vehudis

Changing of IRQ assignement

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> But I use either SMARTDRV nor VDISK. Below I append my Autoexec&Config.

You shouldn't take this message too literally. SBEINIT wants to tell you that "someone" has stolen all XMS memory within the first 4 MB address range. Just remove UIDE.SYS from your config.sys ( I bet you can load it once SBEINIT is done via DEVLOAD from the cmdline ).

---
MS-DOS forever!

Laaca

Czech republic,
18.10.2009, 15:29

@ Vehudis

Changing of IRQ assignement

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> devicehigh=c:\uide.sys /S40[/code]

This it the problem. Jack's cache occupies the 4MB region so SBEINIT can't laod here.
I solved this problem using resiseable ramdisk TurboDSK (better would be some unloadable ramdisk)

So in CONFIG.SYS I have
...
device=c:\freedos\bin\tdsk 4096
...
devicehigh=c:\freedos\bin\uide.sys
...

And in AUTOEXEC.BAT
...
c:\freedos\bin\tdsk 0
join f: c:\freedos\joined
c:\sblive\sbinit

In first step I temporary load ramdisk to force UIDE to load above 4MB boundary. Then I have to remove ramdisk to make place for Sound blaster driver.
Unfortunately, TurboDSK can't be loaded completely but can be resised do zero and then the empty drive can be joined to some directory to hide it.

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DOS-u-akbar!

RayeR

CZ,
18.10.2009, 18:27

@ Laaca

Changing of IRQ assignement

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> This it the problem. Jack's cache occupies the 4MB region so SBEINIT can't
> laod here.

Yes, just try Japhet's suggestion. Only disadvantage is that it may eat little bit more low memory when uide is loaded via devload. In my case the difference is about 1,5kB so I don't care. BTW did someone suggest to jack to add some switch for leaving first 4MB of XMS free?

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DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.

Rugxulo Usono, 19.10.2009, 10:26 @ Laaca	Changing of IRQ assignement Post reply
	> > devicehigh=c:\uide.sys /S40[/code] > > This it the problem. Jack's cache occupies the 4MB region so SBEINIT can't > laod here. > I solved this problem using resiseable ramdisk TurboDSK (better would be > some unloadable ramdisk) SHSURDRV is written in NASM using XMS only (v2 or v3, depending on .EXE), and it can unload via /U if necessary.

tikbalang

15.10.2009, 18:40

@ Vehudis

Changing of IRQ assignement

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> Isn't there any utility or patch, that could allow to change manually the
> (P)IRQ assignement in BIOS or immediately after PC/POST start?

there is a 3rd party tool called "CTS SwapIRQ".

CTS SwapIRQ is a tiny DOS TSR that lets DOS software use any IRQ by redirecting the interrupts (IRQs) from your modem, sound card or any other device.

description here:
http://www.troubleshooters.com/ttools.htm

download here:
ftp://ftp.sac.sk/pub/sac/comm/swpirq11.zip

here are some links that may help on driver troubleshooting:
http://easymamecab.mameworld.info/html/snddosdr.htm
http://easymamecab.mameworld.info/html/sndhelp.htm

RayeR

CZ,
07.10.2009, 13:54

@ Vehudis

Changing of IRQ assignement

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> This is possible only if during boot process
> BIOS assigns the IRQ 5 to the soundcard

SB live doesn't use IRQ5 it usually use shared IRQ9-11 and high IO port C-Exxx and SBemu software emulate legacy IRQ/IO ports. If you did some changes in HW config it may happen that real IRQ/IO has changed due to PnP mechanism and you have to reconfigure driver to know the real resources. I don't exactly know how it works but in my case I use Win98 with SB drivers too and it can be seen in autoexec.bat that SB driver reference some INI file from windows directory (i'm not at home PC now to be more specific) which tells to DOS driver the real resources. Again, IRQ5 is only virtual product of emulation. If you don't have another soundcard or LPT enabled at IRQ5 there shouldn't be conflict.

---
DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.