[RESOLVED] Via vs. Vortex, complete system failure...

My system information is as follows -
Asus A7V Mainboard, Via KT133 Chipset
Thunderbird 800 MHz processor
128 Megs RAM
3DFX Voodoo 3 3000
Diamond Sonic Impact s90 (*** ACK ***)
40x cd-rom
Maxtor diamondmax 40 gig ATA100 7200 RPM
(running in UDMA 66 mode, disabled onboard promise controller)
SMC 10/100 network card
Windows 98se
Latest Via all in one drivers (ver 4.24)

Problem I am experiencing is as follows.
Whenever this sound card attempts to reproduce *ANY* sound, via games, media player, winamp, whatever, it will work for a varied period of 1 to 10 seconds and then cause a complete system freeze, only way out is to hit RESET. I have heard rumoprs of the via chipset and vortex sound card chipsets having conflicts, and also a rumor that a patch was created, but nowhere to be found, reading through forums on vortexofsounds site, asus's site, Via's site, and more; None of them seem to justify any difficulties with a response.

What I have attempted to do so far
- Disable Via's AGP driver
- Install Via's AGP driver in normal mode
- 3 complete system wipes, reformats, bare installs
- Disabling *ALL* Via's chipset drivers in 4 and 1
- Install Via's PCI Bridge Patch ver 1.06 with and without 4 in 1 drivers
- Try several drivers found, listed as follows, each applied after completely removing the former drivers
1) s90 drivers
2) Vortex 1 reference drivers (8820 vortex chipset)
3) AMD optimized 3dnow vortex reference drivers
4) Vortex 2 drivers
5) All the above tried with AND without a3d patch to upgrade drivers

No tech support has been anywhere near helpful, and no forums have done anything but bitch and complain about the lack of support these companies have provided (especially since Aureal went out of business, Diamond is trying to forget they ever sold this oundcard, and Asus just.. doesn't.... know....)

If anyone has *ANY* ideas, or actually has this rumored patch that is supposed to be in existence, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help. Also, if possible, Email me, I would appreciate it.

[email protected]

Thank you in advance.

There's a setting in the bios to choose between optimal or normal mode? Which are you running in? Stability can sometimes be increased by running in normal mode. I can't even boot my system with it on optimal.

I'll look at the settings in the bios later to see if there might be anything else...
Actually, there's one other, do you have plug and play os enabled in the bios? Its default setting is off, which I think is stupid in the first place...

what if you run your system with just the sound card and your video card with nothing else? you might be experiencing some kind of IRQ conflict.

As far as a patch, I am still looking.

try inserting the soundcard in another slot.

[This message has been edited by ledrichard (edited November 21, 2000).]

Please,anyone, find the solution and post it.
I have the same frustrating experience with Monster Soud MX300 (Vortex II) and ASUS A7V.
I'd turned my computer upside down and inside out so many times that now I don't know the right from the wrong.
I think this is a major issue, don't you?

Ahhh Thank you for the replies.

To start first, yes, the default setting for PnP OS is off, and I have tried this both ways, unfortunatly, to no avail, and have also tried both optimal and turbo modes for the bios. While my system is just as stable running in "turbo" mode, the soundcard causes this conflict regardless.

ledrichard - Ya, I tried installing in all different slots, on the A7V, slot 2 is a shared IRQ with the promise ATA100 controller (which means stay the hell away from it as far as expansion purposes go. hehe), and all other slots reflect the same error. As far as what I am running my system with currently, after my 3rd wipe, there is nothing in it besides the video card and soundcard at this moment, I don't even have it networked. I am in fact writing this on my baby 350, looking at the 800 in disgust.

Nerdoso - yes, this is a problem ignored by both Via and all, yes, *ALL* sound card manufacturers that produce cards that contain the vortex chipset, in fact, the only information I have gotten so far is from the forums from Via (chipset on the A7V), Vortexofsound (good place for drivers that are generic for the vortex 1 and 2 chipsets, you may want to go there and try generic drivers, that has actually worked for some poeple, I believe, installing the vortex 2 drivers and then the a3d driver patch, both found on www.vortexofsound.com, for that particular MMx300 card)...

Thank you all for your replies, hopefully this can attract enough attention to actually make Via look this way, damn them.

Heh.

- ImageZ, a.k.a. Dave

You may not believe but I went to VideoLogic web site and downloaded and installed their drivers for Vortex II (in my case for Diamond Monster Sound MX300).

The utility is not working but the drivers are great!!!

I'm not bying anything from Diamond. They abandon you... and me.

Video Logic, eh? The drivers you got, are they just the vortex 2 garden variety drivers? Or are the drivers specifically fo that card? There are so many poeple with this dilemna, its not even funny. I actually got a reply from someone in the VIA forum, who emailed me, to say that it just is not possible to run *ANY* vortex chipset wiht a VIA chipset, which is not the case, since there are several poeple who have done EXACTLY that, just depends on ... well, on whatever, I knew what it depended on, I don't think I would be having this much trouble.

heh. /me awaits anxiously for any other ideas/replies...



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- ImageZ

(Guns don't kill people, WINDOWS kills people.)

Well I guess no one had any more ideas... SO now I am off to firebomb Via. https://forums.windrivers.com/

Thanx anyways.



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- ImageZ

(Guns don't kill people, WINDOWS kills people.)

Well I guess no one had any more ideas... SO now I am off to firebomb Via. https://forums.windrivers.com/

Thanx anyways.



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- ImageZ

(Guns don't kill people, WINDOWS kills people.)

I found what I needed to know, and the information is as follows.

"For audio cards that use A3D audio chip there appears to be an incompatibility that causes the KX133 system to deadlock when system traffic is heavy. The reason for this is that the A3D chip issues one memory read request cycle to the North Bridge and expects a grant within 4 mico-sec of latency time. If PCI TRDY# is not asserted after 4 mico-sec, the A3D hardware will de-assert the FRAME# and REQ# to terminate the operation. However, the A3D audio software driver cannot acknowledge the termination and continues waiting for hardware response. Hence the system hangs. This issue will only occur during heavy system traffic when the North Bridge cannot grant access to A3D audio chip within the 4 mico-sec latency time. There is no known work-around for this issue, and the principal advice is not to use A3D-based sound cards with the ABIT KA7 or other KX133 based motherboards. Source: VIA Application note Serial #AN137 Date 07/05/00."

That is a quote from the owner of the www.vortexofsound.com forum.

Damn.



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- ImageZ

(Guns don't kill people, WINDOWS kills people.)