Q107185: Contents of the Windows Sound System 1.0a README.TXT
Article: Q107185
Product(s): Miscellaneous Windows Products
Version(s):
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s):
Last Modified: 19-SEP-1999
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows Sound System, version 1.0a
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SUMMARY
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This article contains the complete text of the README.TXT file for Windows Sound
System 1.0a. This file is contained on disk 1 of Windows Sound System 1.0a.
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MICROSOFT WINDOWS SOUND SYSTEM (Version 1.0a)
Copyright (C) 1991-1993 Microsoft Corporation
This document contains information that supplements the "Microsoft
Windows Sound System User's Guide" and accompanying software.
CONTENTS
I. Before you run Microsoft Windows Sound System (WSS) Setup
1. Other sound boards
2. Switching to Windows Program Manager
II. Troubleshooting
III. Voice Pilot
IV. ProofReader
1. Versions supported
2. Multiple instances
3. Installation sequence
4. Removing or reinstalling ProofReader
5. ProofReader dictionary for some non-U.S.
English-speaking countries
V. Windows NT
VI. Compatibility issues
1. WSS and other boards
2. WSS and MIDI sequencing software
VII. Modifications to information in the "Windows Sound System
User's Guide"
VIII. Removing WSS from your computer
IX. MS-DOS Games Compatibility Utility
1. General information
2. Creating a system startup disk
3. Creating a new CONFIG.SYS file for the system
startup disk
4. Creating a new AUTOEXEC.BAT file for the system
startup disk
5. Adding GAMES.PIF to your Windows Sound System
program group
6. Running the Games Compatibility utility
7. Controlling the digitized sound volume from games
I. Before you run Microsoft Windows Sound System Setup
1. Other sound boards
Before installing the Microsoft Windows Sound System, open
the Windows Control Panel and double-click the Drivers icon.
If the list of installed drivers includes the Ad Lib, Sound
Blaster, or Pro Audio Spectrum drivers, we suggest that you
remove them by selecting the driver and clicking the Remove
button.
2. Switching to Windows Program Manager
If you run out of disk space during Setup and need to delete
some files, you can switch to Windows Program Manager without
exiting Setup in one of two ways:
a.) Press Alt+Tab, and choose the Windows Program Manager icon.
-or-
b.) Press Ctrl+Esc, select Program Manager from the task list,
and click the Switch To button.
Perform step a or b again to switch from Program Manager to
Setup.
II. Troubleshooting
1. If you run Setup before installing the Windows Sound System
board and restart Windows, Setup should restart automatically.
If this does not happen, rerun Setup either by double-clicking
its icon in the Program Manager StartUp group or by running
Setup from your WSS Disk #1.
2. If a sound is repeated over and over when you choose the
Check option and click the Sound Check button in Setup, one
of two things could be wrong:
a.) You did not remove the Ad Lib driver as described in
section I.1 above.
b.) You have one or more conflicting interrupts (IRQ). From
Setup, choose the Board option and change the IRQ value for
your board.
3. If you do not hear any sound in Sound Finder or in the
Guided Tour, or if Music Box does not find your CD-ROM drive,
be sure you have the following entries or files:
a.) In the WIN.INI file in your Windows 3.1 directory:
[MCI extensions]
wav=waveaudio
mid=sequencer
rmi=sequencer
b.) In the SYSTEM.INI file in your Windows 3.1 directory:
[MCI]
CDAudio=mcicda.drv
WaveAudio=mciwave.drv
Sequencer=mciseq.drv
c.) In your Windows 3.1 system directory:
MCICDA.DRV
MCIWAVE.DRV
MCISEQ.DRV
4. If you're running a shared installation of Windows over
a network, you cannot play MIDI files.
5. If Music Box does not work with a Future Domain SCSI card,
be sure that you have the latest version of the CD-ROM driver
FDCD.SYS (version 2.23 as of December 21, 1992). Version 2.13
of FDCD.SYS is known to have problems.
6. Recording at high sampling rates with Quick Recorder
Quick Recorder can have problems recording reliably at high sampl-
ing rates on certain computers. This is most likely to occur on a
computer with a 386 25 megahertz (MHz) or lower CPU. A few possible
solutions are:
a.) Record the sound at a sampling rate lower than CD quality (44
kHz). This reduces the processing your computer has to perform.
b.) Close other applications, especially those that are computation
intensive such as Music Box or Voice Pilot.
c.) If you must record CD-quality sounds, keep them as short
as possible.
7. Certain system sounds can interfere with sounds playing during
the Guided Tour. For example, if you have Microsoft SoundBits in-
stalled and a sound mapped to the system event, Application Close,
you will hear this sound every time an application closes in the
Guided Tour. To avoid this distraction, remove any sounds you've
assigned to system events in Sound Control Panel before starting
the Guided Tour.
III. Voice Pilot
You can improve recognition results by changing the record-
ing level in the Windows Sound System Recording Control
application. If the level is too high, recognition is poor.
The level should register in the yellow range when you speak.
To open Recording Control, choose the Input Level button in
the Options dialog box.
You can also improve recognition by varying the microphone
distance. The closer the microphone is to your mouth, the
better the recognition. However, if you move the microphone
closer to your mouth, you may have to adjust the gain (re-
cording level).
As a keyboard alternative to clicking the Microphone button,
press Ctrl+Alt.
If stray noises are often recognized as words, try increasing
the recognition threshold using the Sounds Must Match Words
slider in the Options dialog box.
Train words that Voice Pilot has trouble recognizing or words
it frequently recognizes incorrectly. If you continue having
problems, you should train the entire vocabulary.
As a shortcut for training, editing, or deleting an item,
click the item in the Active Words list, and then choose
a command from the pop-up menu.
To move quickly to a word in the list in the Vocabulary dialog
box, first click the list, and then type the first letter of
the word. Continue typing the same letter until the highlight
reaches the desired word.
Voice Pilot can have difficulty recognizing shorter words, even
after training. If this happens, you can add longer words or
phrases to the vocabulary to perform the same actions. In gen-
eral, replace words that never seem to be understood. For example,
if "Cut" is never recognized, try replacing it with "Remove,"
"Delete," or "Cut out" and train the new item.
The fewer the number of active words in your vocabulary, the better
the recognition. Remove words from the vocabulary that you never use.
IV. ProofReader
1. Versions supported
ProofReader is supported only in Microsoft Excel version 3.0 or
higher and Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows versions 1.0, 1.0a, and 1.1.01.
2. Multiple instances
If you run more than one instance of Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3
for Windows, only the first instance contains ProofReader.
3. Installation sequence
You must install your Windows spreadsheet package before running
the WSS Setup program to install ProofReader.
4. Removing or reinstalling ProofReader
To remove or reinstall ProofReader For Excel, see your Microsoft
Excel documentation on how to remove or install an add-in.
To remove or reinstall ProofReader for Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows
(123RDR), see your Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows documentation on how
to remove or install an add-in.
5. ProofReader dictionary for some non-U.S. English-speaking
countries
A special ProofReader dictionary (NON-US.DCT) is provided
to accommodate the spoken differences between U.S. English
and some other English-speaking countries. To enable these
differences, add this dictionary to the list of active
dictionaries ProofReader uses.
a) From the Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows
Proof menu, choose Options.
The Options dialog box appears.
b) In the Category box, choose Dictionary.
The Dictionary dialog box appears.
c) In the Dictionary dialog box, choose Add.
The Add Dictionary dialog box appears.
d) In the Directories box, choose the Windows Sound
System directory (C:\SNDSYS by default).
Note: If you installed Windows Sound System
in a directory other than C:\SNDSYS,
choose the proper directory name.
The list of available dictionaries (*.DCT files)
appears in the File Name box.
e) In the File Name box, select NON-US.DCT.
f) Choose OK.
g) Choose Done.
V. Windows NT
Windows Sound System version 1.0 software does not operate with
Windows NT because Windows NT is not yet available for retail
sale. However, future versions of Windows Sound System software
that are released after Windows NT is available will operate with
Windows 3.1 or higher as well as with Windows NT.
The Windows Sound System audio hardware can be used in ISA/EISA
computers running Windows NT. Sound applications that are shipped
with Windows NT will play sounds through the WSS audio hardware
using an audio driver shipped with Windows NT. Any Windows NT
application that uses the Windows 3.1 Sound Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs) should operate properly with the WSS audio hardware.
VI. Compatibility issues
1. WSS and other boards
The Microsoft Windows Sound System board may not work with other
sound boards. We recommend that you remove all other sound drivers
from the Windows Control Panel Drivers application and remove other
sound boards from your machine.
The synthesis chip on the WSS board can conflict with those on other
sound boards.
If you use multiple sound boards and drivers, you can encounter
interrupt (IRQ), I/O address, and/or DMA channel conflicts that
can cause your system to hang or repeat sounds.
2. WSS and MIDI sequencing software
There are some known incompatibilities with certain Musical
Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) sequencing software packages.
The WSS Sound Finder application cannot play a file with an
.MID or .RMI extension while a sequencing program is open,
regardless of whether a file is actually loaded into the
sequencer. However, you can play the file through the Windows
Sound System board using either your sequencing program or
Sound Finder. If you want to use Sound Finder to browse MIDI
files and additional file types as well, close your sequencer
before using Sound Finder. You should find that Sound Finder
plays MIDI files without a problem.
Finale 2.2 for Windows from Coda Music Technology is compatible
with the Windows Sound System board and software once you make
some changes to your WIN.INI file. For more information on using
Finale for Windows or MusicProse for Windows with WSS hardware,
contact Coda Music Technology at (612) 937-9611.
If you experience difficulties using your MIDI sequencer with
your WSS board:
a.) Consult the WSS documentation to ensure you have installed
and configured both the board and the software properly.
b.) Consult your sequencer's documentation for additional
assistance.
c.) If you are still experiencing problems, contact Microsoft
Product Support Services.
VII. Modifications to information in the "Windows Sound System
User's Guide"
1. When you double-click a wave file in Windows File Manager,
the file is not loaded into Sound Finder. Instead, the file is
loaded into Quick Recorder.
2. After performing a Paste Mix command in Quick Recorder, the
Undo command works correctly.
VIII. Removing WSS from your computer
If you want to remove everything associated with the Windows
Sound System from your computer, a file called DEINSTAL.TXT
in your WSS directory (C:\SNDSYS by default) describes every
file installed, its location, and how to remove it from your
computer.
IX. MS-DOS Games Compatibility Utility
1. General information
The Microsoft Windows Sound System operates with most
games that support audio. Many game developers have
recently added support for the Windows Sound System.
Other developers plan to add support in the near
future. For those who do not directly support the
Windows Sound System board, there are several options
available to provide adequate audio output from your
games using the Windows Sound System board.
For more information on the game's recommended system
requirements and helpful tips about running the game,
see your game's documentation. We recommend that you do
not simultaneously run more than one MS-DOS application
requiring sound because only one application at a time
can access the sound hardware.
Windows Games
Games with audio capabilities developed for Windows
work with the Windows Sound System board without any
special configuration.
MS-DOS Games
Games with audio capabilities developed for MS-DOS work
with the Windows Sound System board after you have booted
your system with a special system startup disk. The purpose
of this disk is to free up more conventional memory. For
more information on commands to check for available mem-
ory (mem and chkdsk), see your MS-DOS documentation.
Windows Sound System
Games supporting the Windows Sound System board should
operate correctly without any special configuration.
See your game documentation to determine if it supports
the Windows Sound System board. Older games may not
contain support for the Windows Sound System board, but
the developer may have an update available. Contact your
game developer about the availability of support for the
Windows Sound System board.
Ad Lib
Games that support the Ad Lib card should operate
properly with the Windows Sound System board.
Sound Blaster
Games supporting the Sound Blaster card should
operate with the Windows Sound System board when
run from an MS-DOS session with Windows in 386
Enhanced Mode. However, some modification to the
Windows Sound System configuration is required to
operate a game in Sound Blaster mode. We have
provided a configuration program to simplify this
task. The Windows Sound System program group con-
tains a Games Configuration icon. This application
allows you to enable the games compatibility option.
You must restart Windows after enabling games com-
patibility for these changes to take effect.
2. Creating a system startup disk
These instructions assume MS-DOS 5.0 is installed on your
computer. It is also assumed that Windows 3.1 is installed
in C:\WINDOWS and MS-DOS 5.0 is installed in C:\DOS. There
is no provsion for third-party shell programs.
Note: Check your existing AUTOEXEC.BAT file and/or CONFIG.SYS
file for the location and type of mouse driver you are
using. If you want mouse support while running games,
be sure to include the mouse driver statement as found
in your existing AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS. Additional
memory can be made available for running games by loading
your mouse driver into high memory. For more information
on loading your mouse driver into high memory, see your
MS-DOS documentation.
a) Insert a new disk into drive A.
b) From the MS-DOS prompt, type:
format a: /u /s
c) When prompted for the volume name, type:
Game Config
d) When the format is complete, and MS-DOS asks if
you want to format another disk, type:
N
e) Label the outside of this disk with a new label:
Games Configuration
3. Creating a new CONFIG.SYS file for the system
startup disk.
a) From the MS-DOS prompt, type:
edit a:config.sys
b) You are prompted to create a new file. Choose Yes.
c) In the MS-DOS Editor, type the following lines:
dos=high,umb
files=30
buffers=20
device=c:\windows\himem.sys
device=c:\windows\emm386.exe 512 RAM
Note: You may need to include any device
drivers for your CD-ROM, hardcard
drives, or hard disk compression
if you must access these devices
while running games.
d) From the File menu, choose Save.
Note: Do not quit the MS-DOS Editor.
4. Creating a new AUTOEXEC.BAT file for the system
startup disk.
a) From the File menu, choose New.
b) Type the following lines:
path c:\windows;c:\dos
prompt $p$g
c) From the File menu, choose Save As.
The Save As dialog box appears.
d) In the File Name box, type:
a:autoexec.bat
e) Choose OK.
f) From the File menu, choose Exit.
5. Adding GAMES.PIF to your Windows Sound System program group
We have provided you with a default PIF file (GAMES.PIF)
that provides adequate performance for most MS-DOS games
while Windows is running in 386 Enhanced Mode. GAMES.PIF
is installed in your SNDSYS directory when you run Setup.
For information on optimizing GAMES.PIF and using the
PIF Editor, see your Microsoft Windows documentation.
a) In Program Manager, open the Windows Sound System
group.
b) From the Program Manager File menu, choose New.
The New Program Object dialog box appears.
c) Choose OK.
The Program Item Properties dialog box appears.
d) In the Description box, type an identifier.
This becomes the label that appears under the icon
in the group window.
e) In the Command Line box, type:
c:\sndsys\games.pif.
Note: This assumes that you have installed Windows
Sound System in the C:\SNDSYS directory. If
it is installed in another directory, sub-
stitute that directory name for SNDSYS in
the line above.
f) Choose OK.
The Program Item Properties dialog box returns with the
Command Line information filled in.
g) Choose OK.
You return to Program Manager, and the Games program item
appears in the Windows Sound System program group.
For more information on adding a new program item to a
program group, see your Microsoft Windows documentation.
6. Running the Games Compatibility utility
The MS-DOS Games Compatibility utility is installed
in the Windows Sound System group window when you
run Windows Sound System Setup.
To run the MS-DOS Compatibility utility:
a) In the Windows Sound System program group, double-
click the Games Configuration icon.
The MS-DOS Games Compatibility dialog box appears.
If your audio hardware does not support AutoSelect and
is not configured to IRQ 7 or IRQ 9 and DMA channel 1,
the following message appears:
To run this utility, you must reconfigure your
audio hardware to use IRQ 7 or IRQ 9 and DMA
channel 1. Consult your hardware documentation
for information on reconfiguring your IRQ and
DMA settings.
b) Select the Enable Digitized Sound Support For Older
MS-DOS Games check box to enable digitized sound
translations for MS-DOS applications.
The default settings are: I/O Address: 220h and
IRQ 7.
The I/O address and IRQ settings should remain at
the defaults unless you have a conflict at these
settings.
c) Change the I/O address if a conflict occurs.
Click the arrow in the I/O Address box, and
select the appropriate address from the list.
d) Set the IRQ.
Either IRQ 7 or IRQ 9 must be enabled. However,
IRQ 7 is preferred because some MS-DOS games are
known to cause errors operating with IRQ 9.
For more information on resolving hardware conflicts,
see Appendix A, "Troubleshooting," in the "Microsoft
Windows Sound System User's Guide."
e) Choose OK.
The new settings, as well as your previous settings,
are saved to your SYSTEM.INI file. If you encounter
any problems or conflicts with the new settings, you
can restore your prior settings by running this utility
again and clearing the Enable Digitized Sound Support
For Older MS-DOS Games check box.
Note: The following message appears if you do not
have IRQ 7 or IRQ 9 or DMA channel 1 set prior
to running this program:
Choosing OK, modifies your SYSTEM.INI file and the
changes may cause hardware conflicts. If Windows
fails to restart, reconfigure your audio hardware
by running Windows Sound System Setup from the MS-DOS
prompt at your SNDSYS directory.
f) The Windows Sound System Notification box appears.
Choose the Restart Now button for your changes to take
effect.
7. Controlling the digitized sound volume from games
While running games, you can adjust the volume for digitized sounds by
pressing Ctrl+Alt+Page Up to raise the volume or Ctrl+Alt+Page Down to
lower the volume.
Additional query words: 1.00a wss read me text file
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Keywords :
Technology : kbWinSoundSysSearch kbWinSoundSys100a
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