Win98SE Vbe9x/Soundblaster Issue

[GreyBat]

I have been attempting to set up a Win98SE guest (Win7 Host).

I had it working fine with the Bearwindows VBE9x video drivers - 32-bit colour, highest resolution. Then I followed the Tutorial instructions in this forum to add sound via the Soundblaster 16 interface. After the install was complete, the sound worked fine but the video driver would not move out of 640x480 - 16 colours! When I attempt to change it, the machine requests a restart, and reverts to the old mode. It I remove the SB16 device, video works normally again.

Has anyone got this to work, and can offer some advice? (My Win98 VM is configured with 256mb base memory and 7mb video memory.)

One other odd thing I have noticed - unrelated! After running the Win98SE guest, when I subsequently try to start my Win2K guest, I get error messages saying the c: drive is corrupt, and I wind up having to do emergency repairs from the install CD..... which successfully restores matters. I'm trying to figure out how playing with one VM can affect another one!

[jorgensen]

Working fine with this setup
RAM: 512MB
Video: 64MB
Disk: 2GB

[Ramzee]

It is not the install of the SoundBlaster 16 that changes the video mode to 16 colors.

If you Run the Add New Hardware Wizard to detect non plug and play devices an even number of times the display adaptor settings are preserved. If you run it an uneven number of times the display adaptor settings are changed to/from 16 colour mode. The changes are applied at the next warm reboot.

To change to/from 16 colour mode run the Add New Hardware Wizard to detect non plug and play devices and at the end of the detection scan Cancel the Wizard and reboot.

If you change the hardware again, and need to run the Add New Hardware Wizard, just remember to run the scan a second time, so that the video mode is preserved after the reboot.

Edit: Win98 SE detects the correct video mode after a Shut Down if previous dialogs to change to 16 color mode have been Cancelled so YMMV.

[GreyBat]

Still isn't working for me!

I have tried to adjust my settings to match yours (512mb memory and 64mb Video). Under this configuration the display driver does not work with or without SB16 installed.

I have created a complete new install with that configuration, installed the SB16 before the video driver, but still no success. Video driver again does not work even with SB16 removed. It does work, however, when I reduce video memory to 7mb.

I am also unable to get the SciTech driver registered without a key for 7.0 beta, and it doesn't look like the key is available anywhere now that SciTech has been taken over.

So, I guess, if I want to play with Win98 in Vbox, I will have to do it without sound!!!

Graham

[GreyBat]

Ramzee.....

It worked!!! Thanks for the suggestion (though I am interested in knowing how you figured that out!). I am also able to increase video memory to 64mb!

Thanks again!

Graham