Audio driver for Realtek HD Audio Hardware? [Testing thread]

[deomsh]

I installed Hover!, the problem is something else. I can get music and sound effects together.

You still need the Yamaha wave and mixer entries AND for playback Yamaha SXG Driver MUST be set as default Device. After opening the game uncheck Sound Effects Mixing in Sound Options, before closing check again (the uncheck-step is always needed).

This is how its look like:

[gab24]

Actually. That works for me too!

On 7/10/2024 at 3:42 PM, deomsh said:

I installed Hover!, the problem is something else. I can get music and sound effects together.

You still need the Yamaha wave and mixer entries AND for playback Yamaha SXG Driver MUST be set as default Device. After opening the game uncheck Sound Effects Mixing in Sound Options, before closing check again (the uncheck-step is always needed).

This is how its look like:

Actually. That works for me too!

[Dr.Atom]

I have a Realtek ALC888 chip on my MSI P965 Neo2 board (listed in the manual as "High Definition link controller integrated in Intel® ICH8 chip. Audio codec Realtek® 888"). I got everything working for Win98SE except for the sound (and the IDE controller which is a Marvell 88SE6111 chip, but that's not important).

I managed to read through the first 13 pages of this pretty awesome thread (great work!), but I am somewhat lost, still. As I can see, there is now an L version driver and not the K version that was talked about until page 13. I'd like to simply ask: What do I have to do? The INF file from page 1 is not included in the L version zip file, is it? On page 10 there are new HDAICOUT.HDA files. Are they still relevant? Which one do I use? Do I replace one of them with the one inside the zip file?

Thank you!

[deomsh]

Watlers HDA-driver is made for Windows 3x. It comes with an Win3x compatible INF-file. You can use this one with Wizard New Hardware (manually!), or you can use the Win9x compatible INF-file at start of the thread by copy/ paste in Notepad and rename to extension '.INF'

If using Watler's INF-file you must check if HDA2.DLL is in '\WINDOWS\SYSTEM' (if '\WINDOWS' is your windows-directory. In '\WINDOWS' following files must be present: HDATSR.EXE, HDARUN.EXE and WAVEOUT.EXE (last file is not copied by my INF-file). 

In SYSTEM.INI section [drivers] there must be an entry 'wave=HDA2.DLL', or 'wave1=HDA2.DLL' (my INF-file uses 'wavehda=HDA2.DLL'.

In AUTOEXEC.BAT line 'HDATSR' must be present. 

Watch: always without qoutes.

HDAICOUT.HDA is only needed in special cases, so for now forget about it.

Is everything clear to you?

EDIT: current version is HDADRV9.L. Earlier version 9.J (version 9.K existed for a short time only on Watler's file-site. I have not used it regularly).

Edited July 15, 2024 by deomsh
Addition

[Dr.Atom]

Thank you. Unfortunately, this is not yet clear @deomsh

(I am trying to get this running on Win98SE, not Win 3.1.)

So, I downloaded the zip file of version K. In it I find what are probably the sources as well as exe and dll files. There is

- HDARUN.EXE in the ACTIVATE folder
- QUERYHDA.EXE in the BAUBLES folder
- HDATSR.EXE in the TSR folder
- WAVEOUT.exe in the VOLUME folder
- HDA2.DLL, HDAICOUT.HDA, OEMSETUP.INF in the root folder (other files won't matter I assume?)

I created a GENHDA16.INF file with the contents from page 1 (without the ------------ lines) and placed it in the root folder, too.

Now: Do I integrate the driver in Win98SE by going to the device manager, selecting the yellow "PCI Card" item and then "Update driver" and select the GENHDA16.INF file? Do I still have to do copying and adding things to SYSTEM.INI or AUTOEXEC.BAT? Or will your INF file do that? Please be very explicit about how to install using your INF file or where it and everything else should be located, what has to go where manually before and what is done by your INF file. Thank you

Afterwards we could maybe create a new sticky post with the INF file attached as an actual file and clear instructions for everyone who wants to try.

Edited July 16, 2024 by Dr.Atom

[deomsh]

I am working on a new version of my GENHDA16.INF. Be aware use of the Win3x HDA-driver on Win9x is experimental. There can be severe stability problems, I never advocated to use this driver!

You can find latest version of HDADRV9 on: http://turkeys4me.byethost4.com/programs/index.htm  but if you want to try version 9.K: be my guest.

Instructions:

1) make a directory, say C:\HDAFILES (best short 8+3 file-name);

2) copy following files to that directory: HDA2.DLL, HDATSR.EXE, HDARUN.EXE (all found in HDADRV9) and also GENHDA16.INF ;

3) update driver of PCI-card with yellow exclamation mark from Device Manager, choose 'Ask disk' (or something like that), point to your HDA-files directory and proceed. You probably will be asked to reboot twice;

4) listen carefully with headphones if you hear anything after last reboot.

BTW my INF-file will copy files and will make all necessary entries. Also you should afterwards be able to uninstall the driver from 'Software'.

 

Edited July 16, 2024 by deomsh
Missing verb

[Dr.Atom]

Thank you! I will give this a try right away. One last question: If I hear "anything" after the reboot, does it mean it worked or will there still be some configuration left for me to do?

(I will use version L of course. K was a typo)

Edited July 16, 2024 by Dr.Atom

[Dr.Atom]

And there's sound!!! I now have fully running quadruple boot system (Win98SE, Win XP, Win 10, Debian 12). Crazy!

There was some crackling and I had to turn up the volume to almost maximum - but the Win98SE start sound played! I also sounded a bit "wobbly".

Is there any way to improve on this?

Edit: The sound seems to play fine, it's just not loud enough, yet.

Edited July 16, 2024 by Dr.Atom
More details

[deomsh]

There are four possibilities:

1) your hear Windows startup sound. In that case only volume sliders of WAVEOUT.EXE have to be configured;

2) you hear some crackels, in that case we have to configure HDAICOUT.HDA;

3) you hear nothing, in that case we will have to look at your chipset registers;

4) crashing of Windows and/ or Error 202. In that case we have to take stabilizing measures first (not done by my current INF-file).

In any case: please upload HDACFG.INI and HDALOG.TXT. They should be in your Windows directory.

[deomsh]

Posts crossed.

Congratulations!

We can try WAVEOUT.EXE.

Please upload two files mentioned above first.

[Dr.Atom]

Here you go

HDAcfg.ini HDALOG.TXT

[Dr.Atom]

The system keeps crashing about 3 minutes in. Just freezes up.

Going into safe mode gives me "insufficient memory to go into Windows" or something, computer shuts off immediately after the message. I have Patchmem installed with 8GB of RAM. If I ever want to uninstall, I guess I'll have to be quick in normal mode!

Also, just had a BSOD right after start up. It terminated an application, but I could return to Win98. Now there is only a constant sound. Guess we'll have to look deeper into this.
In a last attempt, (after a restart) I started a game but there was not sound and the game locked up almost instantly. I won't try anything more for now.

Edited July 16, 2024 by Dr.Atom

[deomsh]

HDATSR is installed, so max memory should not be a problem.

Best take first stabilizing measure:

1) add to SYSTEM.INI [vcache] following entries

MinFileCache=1024
MaxFileCache=1024
 

BTW the file SYSYEM.INI is in your Windows directory. Most comfortable is edit with: Windows key => Run => SYSEDIT and activate SYSTEM.INI. Than: reboot.

Edited July 16, 2024 by deomsh
Correction

[Dr.Atom]

Doesn't seem to freeze any more. I got a BSOD when opening the main explorer window, but I assume this was because of my USB CD-ROM drive. I detached it and there are no more BSODs (I did not have those before installing the HDA driver), but for now I can live without the drive.

Will changing the MaxFileCache number from the high value it was at before have any effects on other parts of the system?

[deomsh]

Normally not, only (much) less cache, so reopening files will be slower, probably copying too.

But one user had problems switching keyboard layouts.

This user solved that problem by setting 

MaxFileCache=8096 8192

USB should give no (real) problems.

You also can try with following stabilizing measure:

2) add to SYSTEM.INI [386Enh] following entry

MinTimeSlice=80

And reboot.

This will make your system less responsive, but much more stable.

Try afterwards your USB CD-ROM.

Edited February 2 by deomsh
Typo or worse: 8 x 1024 is NOT 8096