Audigy + USB modem problems :(

[Davegod]

Audigy + USB modem problems

Before, I was having some connection troubles in that occasionally RNAAPP would crash and basically I'd have to reboot... Since installing my audigy however, it happens every 30 seconds or so - had to write this in notepad and reboot several times just to post

Im using:
Win98SE (fully updated using the auto update page)
Audigy soundcard
Gigabyte GA-7VTXH mobo (SB128 disabled in BIOS)
Elsa Microlink Fun USB 56k modem
- full spec's in "my rig" link in sig, although not updated to show audigy.

I tried moving the card into different PCI slot once, the result was at first i thought it was solved but after about 5 mins i got same problem :\ Also tried setting IO resources of modem from automatic to #003, but no joy

first go IRQ's:
here
After moving audigy slot:
here

 

[Davegod]

Forgot to mention i did use "add/remove programs" to uninstall sb128 drivers before installing audigy card.

BTW audigy was originally in PCI slot 3, then i moved into 5 (where it is now). There is a marked improvement with slot 5, im staying online for 5-15mins now, not 30 seconds like it was in slot 3. However, it seems not to be related to how long i've been on per se, as a minuite ago it crashed during dial-up :\

Should i disable devices i dont use in device manager? atm i'm considering:
LPT1 - have usb printer, away on loan so cant test it atm)
firewire port - since i have nothing that uses it
joystick port - no joystick/pad.

found updated 4in1's so trying them tommorrow. There is also an updated BIOS available but doesnt say anything about USB.

I *really* dont want to return this card, im highly impressed with the audio quality and its half the price of the only real alternative available to me, which i've read is hardly better in terms of quality.

sorry for the mash of info, i really want everything up and running so i can do a spot of gaming, got practise tomorrow too :\

 

[Mem]

Make sure in BIOS all onboard sound stuff is disabled,I also disabled both midi and game port adress as well (in BIOS).

You can try installing the latest VIA USB filter driver 1.10 from here .

 

[Davegod]

installed the USB filter driver (cheers)
updated VIA 4in1's to 438's

no joy


In BIOS, i can only see "disable onboard creative chip", which i did prior to installing audigy card. I don't see anything for gameport etc, other than maybe:
-Onboard FDC
-Onboard serial port1
-Onboard serial port2
-serial port2 mode
-onboard parallel port
what about just disabling them through Device Manager? Is there any reason not to disable LPT1 printer port, considering my printer is USB?

looking at the IRQ list (the second one, as it is now); and there being no IO or memory address conflicts, i cant see how the hell the audigy is causing problems for the USB modem.

this is exactly what happens:
1. modem appears to be working normally...
2. LED on modem goes off
3. computer becomes unresponsive (sys tray shows win98 thinks im still connected)
4. sys tray network icon changes to show red x on connection, showing it is trying to disconnect. computer becomes responsive.
5. i close RNAAP with task manager - error box comes up so i force it to close.
6. i open start menu - shut down/restart computer
7. error box comes up again, saying a program is not responding - name bit is blank. I force that closed and comps shuts down/restarts normally.

 

[Mem]

<< Is there any reason not to disable LPT1 printer port, considering my printer is USB? >>



I don`t think it will make a difference but you can try it,as for those midi, game port adress settings in bios they are under the "intergrated peripherals" then look in " VIA onchip PCI Device" section,that`s where they are in my Epox so have a look there on your Gigabyte.


Btw you know that joystick adaptor that comes with the Audigy,you don`t need to install that if you don`t use it,I did not bother with it(using USB joypad).

 

[Davegod]

doh, disabled parallell port (er, i think thats LPT1, right?) and modem started crashing during dial-up, same problem made worse Cant see any reason why.

The joystick port thing i didnt even connect to the audigy, but it installed itself (far as Device Manager is concerned) anyway... all i can see under "integrated peripherals" in BIOS is:


<< Onboard FDC (floppy disc? not touching this )
Onboard Serial Port1
Onboard Serial Port2
Serial Port2 Mode
Onboard Parrallel Port
Onboard Parrallel Port Mode
Onboard Parrallel Port IRQ
Onboard Parrallel Port DMA
Onboard IDE
Onboard Creative Sound (disabled BTW)
Onboard LAN Chip >>



- cant see anything like "VIA onchip PCI Device"? Maybe that has something to do with having onboard SB128 chip rather than the more common AC97 codec?

Considering changing - in the "Chipset Features Setup" section - the "USB Controller" to "Enabled Port 1&2" setting, instead of the default "Auto". I'm guessing this will diable the two 'front panel' USB connectors and keep enabled the onboard two. I never have more than 2 USB devices plugged in anyway. I notice however there is no option to keep open USB port 4, only every combination of having one or two of 1, 2 & 3 enabled - so basically im wondering if my guess as to what would happen by changing it is correct (the otherwise exemplary manual isnt exactly informative on this).

thanks again for the help

 

[Mem]

Hmmm you might have to go back to basics like have minimal hardware installed,then install your other hardware one at a time and see which one is the main problem.See if the Audigy is fine on minimal install.I would still try the Audigy in other slots to see which is the best one,PCI slot one(next to AGP) should always remain empty since it shares with the AGP slot.

You need to find out if it`s an Audigy problem or USB problem or both that`s why I recommend minimal install and take it from there.

 

[Davegod]

hmm, tbh only things other than the two problem devices to be removed would be two CD drives (v unlikely to help i think) and disabling NIC in the BIOS...

i think i will try Audigy in slot 2, avoiding 1 & 4 because the "read this first" thread specifically says to aviod them, leaving the "uninstall everything" as very last resort :\

seems very odd though that sometimes the modem works for a little bit, before going completely... cant see anything that could be triggering it ???

 

[Davegod]

sigh,

tried all PCI slots except 1 & 4.

in BIOS, disabled all ports plus the on board NIC...

nothing worked

Noticed something else though.
It seems to be not only RNAAP crashing. I decided to run "system monitor" to see if it highlighted anything. One thing i noticed immediately is CPU usage was up higher than normal once dialed in, and when the crash happens it peaks to nearly 100%, then remains at around 80%. I disabled everything in Task Manager (except explorer and System Monitor) yet CPU usage remained at 80%, with the occasional slight peak/trough while closing the programs. Ending the running programs (such as NAV, Norton Recycle Bin etc) brought up the "not responding" box every time.

found a readme.txt i didnt see before, following instructions i dowloaded & installed a MS firewire update - MS1394 (er, or something) Storage Supplement... doesnt seem to have done much. the file also suggested:


<< A Quick Fix Engineering (QFE) package that contains all fixes necessary to enable non-PCM through waveOut is available for Windows 98 Second Edition. The QFE can be obtained through Microsoft Product Support Services, ask for 269601USA8.EXE. >>


- but i cant find the damn thing anywhere, searched MS a dozen times (where i found the page creative literally copied sections from, but no file to be found) and even resorted to google :\

 

[Mem]

<< One thing i noticed immediately is CPU usage was up higher than normal once dialed in, and when the crash happens it peaks to nearly 100%, then remains at around 80% >>




I read that USB modems use a lot of CPU usage,you might be better going with a PCI hardware modem or Winmodem with DSP,but then again you don`t know if that will cause any problems with your PC.

 

[Davegod]

hmm, the plot thickens :\

It appears not to be the modem crashing the machine - been running System Monitor all the time now and noticing the CPU usage jump without using the modem. I ran the "Sb Audigy Quick Sart" app to see if it had naything interesting, and when i exited i noticed CPU usage was at 80%-ish again, and then found the other symptoms such as everthing in task manager saying "non responding" when trying to end task. Ran dial-up and modem just instantly crashed.

Rebooted, left comp for a while, checked CPU usage had been normal and ran SB Audigy Quick Start again. Although the program seemed to run smoothly, came out and 80% usage + the other symptioms. Seems the USB modem was merely the most obvious symptom of the problem and not the cause, i'd even unplugged it's usb cable before rebooting this time. btw, running winamp didnt make the cpu usage stick at 80%.

All i can think of atm is moving audigy to slot 3, disabling some devices to free up IRQ's and then manually assigning some IRQ's, ensuring audigy gets a free IRQ. I dont know if that will help if the firewire is causing the problem though, since that seems to assign itself a different IRQ to the audigy (see the jpeg's posted earlier). Other than that, maybe a clean win98se install, which im reluctant to do tbh. firstly though i'll remove audigy drivers then switch off and remove the card... see what happens

tbh i had actually considered getting a better PCI modem, since this USB one is a tad poor for the FPS games i try to play online, but reasoned i might be getting cable when i move flat (apartment?) in july, so £100 ($140 or so) for a relatively small improvement for just 2 1/2 months wasnt worth it, especially when a "unplug & forget" usb modem would be most convenient as the backup 'net device. so i bought audigy instead...

 

[Mem]

Davegod,I`m in UK too,I actually have the PCI version of your modem(Elsa 56k Microlink HCF),anyway the SB Audigy likes to have it`s own IRQ not shared so I would play around with the slots and IRQs,disable all stuff like you said is a good idea,there`s no reason why it should not work,last resort is to upgrade to WinXP . Did you try removing just the modem and Audigy from the OS then reinstall the Audigy & its software first?

 

[Davegod]

will do m8, cheers... tbh im on the same connection as when i posted last, nearly 2 hours and it hasnt gone yet (havent done anythign new, probs fluke).

regarding XP, i've been thinking im going to but i always wait at least a year until i stop hearing about being too unstable before getting new OS... bit out of cash after buying audigy too now (someone say Catch 22? )

 

[Davegod]

tried every pci slot except #1 now (no room for it), and only time i've been trouble-free was when i completely removed the audigy card + drivers. regarding last post it crashed 3 mins later

last thing ive done is moved slot again to 5, irq's look great although would be better to swap audigy & firewire around, (since the creative tech help response was merely "youve got it on irq5, audigy is normally 9,10 or 11") which i tried and failed completely to do ??? . waiting for this to crash now, tbh im pretty certain it will

 

[Davegod]

ok had enough messing with PCI slots & IRQ's, checking around for something to do with VIA or some specific w98se thing. card is now uninstalled and i dont have any intention to put it back in unless i find something promising

half my comp is creative products, i think this will be the last one :|

 

[Mem]

My Audigy is on IRQ10,but then I`m using WinXP,I`m sure a new OS will solve the problem but until then there`s not much more you can do unless you want to try a clean install of Win98SE.

 

[Davegod]

still banging my head against the wall

i remembered ive a usb connector for mouse so tried it with that in... thing dies completely at the crash, have to restart before that works :\