Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

> > > Does this mean I don't really need to initialize SB cards in DOS in
> > > order to use them in linux without isapnp?
> >
> > Maybe. The sb.o initialization is a little too crude to get MPlayer
> > or mpg123 working on its own, but play will work. OPL3 won't work,
> > either. Does AWE32 work without DOS/isapnp initialization?


I think my problem with playmidi is not due to my not loading sound banks, 
because these cards come with 1MB of sounds built in and another 512K of 
free RAM (on the more expensive of two models) into which to load more 
sounds (and two SIMM slots if you want even more sounds).  Only the 
jumpered Vibra16 CT3930 initializes AWE in DOS, and plays AWE, the others 
'Awe32 initialization failed'.  So what I need to do is learn to 
initialize AWE in linux with isapnp - similarly to needing to use isapnp 
to get OPL to insert and work.

I got the Creative configuration utility and manager files but they won't 
initialize AWE either, though they do fix conflicts that diagnose could 
not handle by letting me disable IDE and gameport to free up addresses and 
IRQs.  They also let me permanently reset IRQ MPU and DMA on the more 
expensive AWE32 but not the cheaper SB32 CT3600.

So rather than compile awesfx I should learn isapnp (after testing AWE 
initialized Vibra16 CT3930 in linux first without loading sound banks).

> The Crystal ISA card did not tell me there were any errors when I insmodded 
> it (no DOS initialization).  I still have to try aumix on it but it is in the 
> Ubuntu computer (which did not find it or the ISA network card).

Ubuntu DID find the silent Trident card and it turned up the volume all 
the way and we can hear it through powered speakers now.  So the Crystal 
probably needs volume turned up too - it was given us recently by a friend 
who tells us if something is broken.
> The ATI and Trio3D are not vesafb, I tried them with your kernel.  They need 
> their own fb drivers.  I think you compiled without those modules, but I want 
> to recompile anyway to add sound.

But they are VESA 2.0 and worked with mplayer as vesa.  The VooDoo does fb 
but not -vo vesa - why?

> > > > ATI
> > > > later Mach64s
> >
> > Mach64 3D Rage Pro is what I have. It was one of the first consumer-level
> > cards (1997) to get hardware motion compensation. 1997 was when the DVD
> > craze was just beginning.

My ATI Mach 64 must be the same thing and it works better than ALL the 
Nvidias or the Voodoo despite having only 4MB RAM.

Should I the ATI with xvidix or cvidix under x11?  Or instead of x11? 
With its own X server?  With SVGA X server?  (I have the generic version 
now working as 1024 and only need 800x600 for DVDs)   It works fine as 
vesa or x11 (on B&W anyway).

> > > > Rage128      - we were given one of these (ATI) but it beeps and the
> > > 300MHz computer will not boot.  We can try a different computer.

Still beeps:    beep beep    beep.

This is different from the 3+1 beeps when the keyboard is leaning against 
the case during boot, which took us 10 minutes of memory switching and 
BIOS reseating to diagnose.