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# Contents of the Windows Sound System 1.0a README.TXT

Article ID: 107185

Article Last Modified on 9/19/1999

APPLIES TO

- Microsoft Windows Sound System 1.0a

This article was previously published under Q107185

## SUMMARY

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.

    ======================================================================
    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

Keywords: KB107185