Can't Get RId of Ensoniq Mixer in MSCONFIG

[Orangeman]

Hey Gang,

I have Win98Se and an MSI Km2m Combo L motherboard. It has onboaard AC97 sound but I installed my own soundcard when I found the joystick port wouldn't fit with the one provided by the motherboard.

When I check my system resources on startup, they are low, 86%. I could go higher but something called Ensoniq Mixer in the MSCONFIG won't go away (See BELOW). I have unchecked it, Deleted it, Uninstalled it and it still comes back.

I have run Regedit and deleted it from the registry and it still comes back.

Next to Ensoniq Miser is something called Starter.exe. Starter.exe is part of my video camera setup. But Ensoniq Mixer is part of Creative Soundblaster 128 PCI, my soundcard. This is a mystery.

I have turned off AC97 Audio in the bios. I have also tried
Start > Open>Programs>Startup and the file is empty.

I'm stumped on this one. How can I get rid of the Ensoniq Mixer entry in my MSCONFIG menu?

Thanks,
Orangeman

[eboyjones]

Did you disable the on board sound by resetting jumpers on mobo?
If you need manual to find jumpers here is the link.

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/suppor...UID=411&kind=1

[Orangeman]

Did you disable the on board sound by resetting jumpers on mobo?
If you need manual to find jumpers here is the link.

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/suppor...UID=411&kind=1

Thanks Eboy,

Actually Ensoniq Mixer is not part of the onboard AC'97. It is part of the installed sound card, a Creative Labs Soundblaster PCI 128. I already did disable it in the bios.

Are you saying I also need to disable it on the motherboard?

[Platypus]

Orangeman, 86% available resources is a fine figure, better than I normally have. I don't think there's any point trying to wring any more out of it.

In any case, STARTER.EXE is the Ensoniq mixer, even if your camera setup also has a program with the same name. Ensoniq installations are quite tenacious, and I think you'd probably find if you managed to eliminate the starter, the sound wouldn't work. (I think it's called starter because it also initialises the card.)

[confus-ed]

Bloody hell ! .. how many startup services ? there's a bloody Scroll bar on them !!!!

You may note I'm somewhat surprised !

Use msconfig to give you the 'key', (at the moment we are looking for just 'starter.exe' which I know as "Tray Icon for opening the Creative Sound Mixer installed with Creative Soundcards (Soundblaster)
" - but you are saying its part of your camera install ?) then search for those using regedit & zap 'em, probaly they'll be tied to some 'run' key or fired using rundll32 ... If it keeps coming 'back' then there's something adding it back from another startup file, perhaps win.ini ? ... Perhaps next time uninstall it correctly ?

You may want clarification ... but if you ask me your system is bunged up with lots & lots of bloatware ... If I ever encounter a system with that many startups it usually requires surgery !

Windows all versions is 'crap' with this & lets anything go around adding stuff as part of an install, driver writers, s/w installers & peripheral suppliers all seem to have scant regard to what effect all this 'bollocks' is having on an average system, when probably most of it never needs to run at all, let alone be resident in every windows session.

[Orangeman]

Bloody hell ! .. how many startup services ? there's a bloody Scroll bar on them !!!!

You may note I'm somewhat surprised !

.............

Well, the only one that matches the name of Starter.exe is located in my video camera.

I'll try unplugging it and see what happens.

Orangeman

[confus-ed]

Well, the only one that matches the name of Starter.exe is located in my video camera.

I'll try unplugging it and see what happens.

Orangeman

I think I'd uninstall the camera (are you sure about 'starter' ? I'll believe you anyway ) ... then look for 'starter.exe' zap it, make sure it doesn't reappear, then re-install your camera s/w, I suppose its possible that the 'two' versions of it are going in the same place & confusing matters..

Msconfig is 'annoying' in that it doesn't show 'what' fires what to be considered 'a startup item' there is no one single place, they might be coming from, win.ini or system.ini or the registry or just be in C:\WINDOWS\START MENU\PROGRAMS\STARTUP, so look at them too for references

[Orangeman]

Hi Confused,

This is an interesting problem.

I uninstalled the video cam with its own software. When I rebooted the video cam still worked. So did the sound.

Now, there is no file named Starter.exe on my computer but MSConfig seems to think there is because it is still listed.

I also unchecked all the squares on the MSConfig menu and rebooted. The only one that came up Ensoniq Mixer. But again, there is no file named
Ensoniq Mixer on my computer.

When I went into Safe Mode, the checked "Ensoniq Mixer" or "Starter.exe" was NOT present.

Does this help 'confuse' the problem or make it clearer..?

Thanks,
Orangeman

[confus-ed]

When I went into Safe Mode, the checked "Ensoniq Mixer" or "Starter.exe" was NOT present.

Does this help 'confuse' the problem or make it clearer..?

A bit ... MSconfig lists all the stuff that's fired by system & win.ini, the registry & startup group, so go look in them for references, open either win or system.ini with notepad, they are plain text & search for the entries, starting in safe mode doesn't fire either of these, so any reference should be there not in the reg.

Forget 'ensoniq mixer' that's just its description, you might find references for that too, but we are concerned with getting the starter.exe reference out from wherever its hiding, if the actual file isn't there anywhere it can't fire, but the reference will still be there & try & go.

Anyway you've concluded you definately don't 'need it' for anything, by the fact the camera works still, so lets be rid of it 'good'

[Orangeman]

Thanks Confused,

While I was waiting for you reply I reinstalled my sound drivers. That seems to have done the trick.

No Ensoniq Mixer, no Starter.exe, Just a nice simple computer.

Thanks,
Orangman

[confus-ed]

Good maybe you might think about all those 'other un-necessary items' in 'startup' later ? You do have a lot !

[Platypus]

What available resources figure have you achieved?

[confus-ed]

What available resources figure have you achieved?

If you want to ask him that, then can you define for me just what it actually means ?

I think its talking about free memory including swap file, which is nonsence really ...

[Platypus]

can you define for me just what it actually means ?

Well it's not related to system memory really. It was mentioned briefly here:

http://forums.windrivers.com/showthread.php?t=32600

but this covers it fairly well:

http://ww2.whidbey.net/djdenham/Window_memory.htm

For Orangeman's purposes I suspect it doesn't really mean a lot, so I was interested how much it improved matters, as I look after several systems with Creative Ensoniq cards.

[Orangeman]

Well it's not related to system memory really. It was mentioned briefly here:

http://forums.windrivers.com/showthread.php?t=32600

but this covers it fairly well:

http://ww2.whidbey.net/djdenham/Window_memory.htm

For Orangeman's purposes I suspect it doesn't really mean a lot, so I was interested how much it improved matters, as I look after several systems with Creative Ensoniq cards.

Hi PP,

FYI, System resources improved from 86 to 90%, quite and improvement.