Microsoft KB Archive/172894

Knowledge Base

ActiMates/SideWinder: Configuring Gravis Sound Cards

PSS ID Number: 172894

Article Last Modified on 11/21/2003

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The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft ActiMates Arthur 1.0
• Microsoft ActiMates Barney 1.0
• Microsoft ActiMates D.W. 1.0
• Microsoft ActiMates PC Pack 1.0
• Microsoft ActiMates PC Pack 2.0
• Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Pro

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This article was previously published under Q172894

SUMMARY

This article describes how to configure Advanced Gravis sound cards for use with Microsoft ActiMates characters or the SideWinder Force Feedback Pro joystick.

This information was tested with the following sound card drivers:

Advanced Gravis Ultrasound Max
Driver version tested: DOS v4.11/Windows 95 v1.1
Date: 1-26-95

Advanced Gravis Ultrasound PnP
Driver version tested: ver2.0/DX 1.00.00.0001
Date: 2-14-97/DX 2-18-96

MORE INFORMATION

Ultrasound Max

The MS-DOS drivers must be loaded to properly initialize the external MIDI port on the Gravis Ultrasound Max sound card.

To install the MS-DOS drivers, use the following steps:

1. Restart the computer in MS-DOS Mode.
2. Insert the Gravis Ultrasound installation disk into the floppy disk drive.
3. Type a:\install, and then press ENTER. Select an install location, (for example, c:\gravis), and then press ENTER. If this folder does not exist, the installation program will create it for you. Follow the instructions on the screen.
4. Type c:\gravis\setup to run the Gravis Setup program. Follow the on-screen instructions, and make sure you write down the settings assigned to the card. When you are prompted to enable the joystick port, click Yes. When you are prompted to update the Autoexec.bat file, click Yes. When the Windows portion of the Setup program starts, exit the Gravis Setup program.
5. Restart the computer. If you receive the following error message:

   Cannot find Win.com, unable to continue loading Windows.

   while Windows is restarting, the Gravis Setup program installed a modified path, and removed the path to the Windows folder. To resolve this problem, do the following:

   1. At the prompt below the error message, type the following and then press ENTER:

      path=c:\windows\command

   2. Type the following at the command prompt and then press ENTER:

      edit c:\autoexec.bat

   3. Make sure c:\windows;c:\windows\command is contained within the path statement. If this text is not present, type the following text at the beginning of the path statement:

      c:\windows;c:\windows\command

   4. On the File menu, click Exit. When you are prompted to save the changes, click Yes.
   5. Restart the computer.

To install the Gravis sound card in Windows, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type c:\gravis\setup, and then click OK.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen.

To add or update the drivers in Windows, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add New Hardware.
3. Click Next.
   

NOTE: If you are using Windows 98, click Next, and then click Next.

1. Click No, and then click Next.
2. Click Sound, Video And Game Controllers, click Next, and then click Have Disk.
3. Type the path to the location of the updated driver files, and then click OK.
4. Click the Gravis Ultrasound sound card, and then click OK.
5. Click Next.
6. Click Finish. If you are prompted to restart your computer, click Yes.

To install the Gameport Joystick device in Windows, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add New Hardware.
3. Click Next, click No, and then click Next.
   

NOTE: If you are using Windows 98, click Next, click Next, click No, and then click Next.

1. In the Hardware Types list, click Sound, Video And Game Controllers, and then click Next.
2. In the Manufacturers box, click Microsoft.
3. In the Models box, click Gameport Joystick, and then click Next.
4. Click Next. Insert the Windows CD-ROM if you are prompted to.
5. Click Finish. If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.

The settings assigned to the Gravis Ultrasound card during the MS-DOS portion of the installation must match the Windows settings in Device Manager. To verify this, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click System.
3. On the Device Manager tab, double-click Sound, Video And Game Controllers.
4. Double-click the listing for Gravis Ultrasound.
5. On the Resources tab, make sure the settings match those assigned during the MS-DOS driver installation. If the settings do not match, manually change the settings to match those assigned during the MS-DOS driver installation.
6. Click OK or Close until you return to Windows.
7. If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.

If you do not have sound in Windows, you may be experiencing a resource conflict. The Gravis Ultrasound card has jumper settings for Sound Blaster compatibility which may conflict with your current settings. Refer to your sound card documentation for further details.

You must now install the external MIDI port in Windows. To do so, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type system.ini, and then click OK.
3. Add the following line to the [drivers] section of the System.ini file:

   midi1=ultmport.drv

4. On the File menu, click Exit. When you are prompted to save changes, click Yes.
5. Restart the computer.

The settings assigned to the external MIDI port must match the Windows settings of the Gravis Ultrasound card listed in Device Manager. To verify this, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Multimedia.
3. On the Advanced or Devices tab, double-click MIDI Devices And Instruments.
4. Click the Ultrasound MIDI Output Port, and then click Settings.
5. Make sure the settings match the Windows settings of the Gravis Ultrasound card listed in Device Manager. If the settings do not match, manually change the settings to match the Windows settings listed in Device Manager.
6. Click OK or Close until you return to Windows.
7. If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.

Ultrasound PnP

This is a Plug and Play sound card and Windows should automatically install the correct drivers and run the Gravis Setup program. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.

If Windows does not detect the card, you can download an EEPROM flash utility from the Gravis Web site to update the card with current Plug and Play information.

As this sound card uses a very high volume of system resources, an Interrupt conflict is not unlikely. If the card does not function properly after you restart the computer, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click System.
3. On the Device Manager tab, double-click Sound, Video And Game Controllers.
4. Double-click the listing for Ultrasound Plug and Play Synth Codec.
5. On the Resources tab, change the Interrupt Request setting to a value that is not in use by another device.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

REFERENCES

For information about how to solve problems related to Microsoft ActiMates characters, use the ActiMates Troubleshooter located at the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/actimates/actitshoot/

For additional information or assistance with installing your sound card drivers and/or sound card, contact Gravis at:

Technical Support: (604) 431-1807
Bulletin Board (BBS): (604) 431-5927
Fax: (604) 451-9358
Internet: www.gravis.com

Additional query words: barnie actimate acti mate mates acta actamate actamates side winder joystick forcefeedback feed back dw actimates acti-mates

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