Sound Card Conflict with Anti-Virus Installer
Kenn's
19981006: Sound Card Conflict with Anti-Virus Installer
October/1998
Tech
Notes
Tech Note #6
The Windows 3.1x Anti-Virus Installer/Updater would not run on a 486SX with 8 MB of RAM. The first part would run, but the system wouldn't even do the first reboot, and if you looked fast, you'd see a "file not found" message.
First the fix: In 486s with a VESA local bus, do not install the sound card in a VESA slot. When added to our accumulated superstitions on this matter, this is how a 486 with VESA and 16-bit ISA cards should be configured:
a. Put the 16-bit video card in the 16-bit slot furthest from the power supply;
b. Put the 16-bit network card anywhere but in a 32-bit slot, preferably not next to the video card; and now
c. Put the 16-bit sound card in any 16-bit slot.
If the system has a 16-bit I/O card, it will work fine in a VESA slot.
Never put a 16-bit network card, video card, or sound card in a VESA slot!
The boring details: One component of the installer is a self-extracting zip archive. This is nothing more than a DOS executable which contains both the zipped files and the program to extract them. It's a very handy installation tool and I use it all the time. On this particular machine, however, the self-extractor would not run in Windows. It would run in Windows if I disabled the network, and it would run outside of Windows, but as the machine was physically configured, I could not persuade it to run in Windows. Without changing any software settings, I moved the sound card from a VESA slot to a 16-bit slot, and then it worked fine, even in Windows!
DISCLAIMER: This document is intended for the reference of computer support personnel within Winnipeg School Division No. 1. There is no warranty or liability if procedures recommended here have an adverse affect on any systems. Use them at your own risk. Any trademarks mentioned are the property of their owners, none of whom have certified any information provided here. Opinions expressed here are personal only and do not represent the policy of Winnipeg School Division No. 1 or any other organization anywhere.
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