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From: ong@d.cs.okstate.edu (ONG ENG TENG)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Call Software Maker (Re: Flaky Soundblaster)
Message-ID: <1991Feb1.021148.5543@d.cs.okstate.edu>
Date: 1 Feb 91 02:11:48 GMT
References: <5511@bwdls58.UUCP>
Organization: Oklahoma State University
Lines: 22

From article <5511@bwdls58.UUCP>, by mlord@bwdls58.bnr.ca (Mark Lord):
> In article <5870030@pollux.svale.hp.com> dlow@pollux.svale.hp.com (Danny Low) writes:
> <I encounter a similar problem with Secret of the Silver Blades. SSI
> <eventually discovered this was a feature. Apparently when you have a
> <disk access going on at the same time you are pumping data to the
> <sound card, there is a DMA conflict that may or may not be handled
> <properly depending on your hardware.
> 
> So, did you discover a work-around for this?  I have purchased this game
> but it is unplayable unless I unplug the soundblaster card or speakers,
> due to the horrible sounds that result.  Perhaps I should try running the
> game from a ramdisk.. hmm..

Am I to get this right, "Secret of the Silver Blades" runs the data
from the disk to memory than immediately to the SB?  SB uses
DMA channel 1, which does not conflict with any DMA unless you have a 
rare built-into-motherboard disk controller.  The problem I could
see is the 2 DMA (of different channels) fighting for the bus.  If that
is the case, the software maker should take care of DMA
arbitration.  Call the software maker, maybe they already have a fix!

E. Teng Ong (ong@d.cs.okstate.edu)