Getting audio working on Windows NT/2K on alpha axp ? -
soviet - 08-07-2021
For a long time have been trying to get some kind of sound card working on my Compaq Alphaserver DS10 on windows NT/2K but having no luck.
What I know the only sound card that is supported is the ensoniq audio pci.
What I know is they are the 2 drivers for NT4, one is an installer that says creative and the other is just a few files.
https://mega.nz/file/99UygRBY#ihGuH6Fec5aP7mA7dgxUKVzrUp4rmChIS2s5yqeaKU8
Try to install the NT4 drivers the (loose files one) add-in on the multimedia control panel choose "unlisted driver" select the folder and will show an ENSONIQ AudioPCI panel and bomb (unexpected error)
The creative installer one will drop a bunch of files on the windows folder and ask for a reboot but this will not have any effect on windows.
Windows 2000 will detect these cards as "multimedia" but will not find a proper driver.
These are the cards in question (ensoniq ES1370, creative ES1373 and compaq ES1373).
So if someone have a working sound card and have a picture and/or an exact model that could be great

.
Any info on this is welcome there's very little about it on the net.
RE: Getting audio working on Windows NT/2K on alpha axp ? -
jpstewart - 08-08-2021
I used the Ensoniq drivers in the ess40.zip file from HP's own FTP site:
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/alphant/
I'm not sure of the exact model of soundcard. It was whatever came with my PWS 600au system. There are tons of other drivers on that FTP site for various pieces of hardware if that's not the right driver package for your system.
Also, in this very forum, Irinikus posted a link to a video he made about how to install NT4 and drivers on his Alpha system. I know it covered sound card drivers, so check that out if you haven't already.
RE: Getting audio working on Windows NT/2K on alpha axp ? -
sgt_barnes - 08-08-2021
In my 164SX board, I use a plain old Soundblaster PnP ISA card. It works for me. It is just one of those sb cards that were upiquitous in the late nineties. I think I had like three of them, and they go pretty cheap on ebay.
It was detected and configured correctly once I installed the genric ISA-PNP driver of NT4 / SP6, and after that, the system installed some soundblaster driver for it. If I interpret the documentation for the ISA-PNP package correctly, the sb pnp isa was the only card tested with it.
Before that, I think I had a Soundblaster PCI, which was also running out of the box. But PCI slots are somewhat scarce in my system, with graphics 2x, network and scsi, so I swapped it for the ISA device.
Uh, soviet, forget that. I just realized that the DS10 doesn't have any ISA slots.
So, basically, you have the opposite problem I had. you should still be good with a Soundblaster PCI, though...
RE: Getting audio working on Windows NT/2K on alpha axp ? -
soviet - 08-08-2021
(08-08-2021, 12:03 AM)jpstewart Wrote: I used the Ensoniq drivers in the ess40.zip file from HP's own FTP site: ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/alphant/
I'm not sure of the exact model of soundcard. It was whatever came with my PWS 600au system. There are tons of other drivers on that FTP site for various pieces of hardware if that's not the right driver package for your system.
Also, in this very forum, Irinikus posted a link to a video he made about how to install NT4 and drivers on his Alpha system. I know it covered sound card drivers, so check that out if you haven't already.
Thanks, but this driver is for the ess 1888 sound card ISA board, and the DS10 only has PCI drivers.
Checked Irinikus videos, but don't find any mention about audio drivers.
(08-08-2021, 07:41 AM)sgt_barnes Wrote: In my 164SX board, I use a plain old Soundblaster PnP ISA card. It works for me. It is just one of those sb cards that were upiquitous in the late nineties. I think I had like three of them, and they go pretty cheap on ebay.
It was detected and configured correctly once I installed the genric ISA-PNP driver of NT4 / SP6, and after that, the system installed some soundblaster driver for it. If I interpret the documentation for the ISA-PNP package correctly, the sb pnp isa was the only card tested with it.
Before that, I think I had a Soundblaster PCI, which was also running out of the box. But PCI slots are somewhat scarce in my system, with graphics 2x, network and scsi, so I swapped it for the ISA device.
Uh, soviet, forget that. I just realized that the DS10 doesn't have any ISA slots.
So, basically, you have the opposite problem I had. you should still be good with a Soundblaster PCI, though...
Wish I could have an ISA slot on the DS10 this will be much easier like you say drop a sound blaster 16.
But I have a sound blaster PCI tested, which is one of the cards in the pictures. But windows don't seem to detect it.
Do you have any more details about the model of the card? they are a lot of sound blaster PCI models, or what drivers do you used ?
RE: Getting audio working on Windows NT/2K on alpha axp ? -
jpstewart - 08-09-2021
(08-08-2021, 07:32 PM)soviet Wrote: Thanks, but this driver is for the ess 1888 sound card ISA board, and the DS10 only has PCI drivers.
Checked Irinikus videos, but don't find any mention about audio drivers.
Sorry about the mis-information. I must have been thinking about something else. I double checked my Alpha, and it doesn't even have a soundcard. Clearly I was mistaken. Oops! My apologies.
RE: Getting audio working on Windows NT/2K on alpha axp ? -
soviet - 09-10-2021
OK, the neverending quest to find a sound card that could work in NT4 or 2K for axp continues.
Got a soundblaster pci 128:
And no luck, the creative drivers for NT4 do nothing and windows 2k recognizes "multimedia card" ask for the driver but theres no driver included in windows.
:(
Getting out of ideas now.