joystick doesn't work in DOS

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Win98SE, 2.4 gig P4, soundblaster live 5.1.
Ok, so i'm really not a gamer as you can probably tell by the card. But my kids are and i'm trying to get a older radio shack joystick to work for them. They don't like the new ones, they're used to thie one, so want me to get this old RS/IBM made stick to work. Arrrrg!

Anyway, i had this stick working in DOS on an older PC, but i cannot get it to work in DOS on this one. It works when testing it in game controllers in control panel, and the SBlive's gameport is installed in device manager. I have done a clean un-install of the card and re-installed to no avail. I've done a lot of other things, but theres obviously something i'm missing. The stick came with no disc, never needed it before, and is a 2 button 2 axis job thats about 4-5 yeard old.

So it appears that the stick works in windows since it works when i do a test or calibrate it in gaming options in control panel. But in DOS it's just dead. Creatives web site has been no help with drivers or support, so any ideas?
 
IT's normal that such a Joystick has got no drivers. - Not needed. But what you need are the right DOS Soundcard drivers. Is there sound in the DOS games? Oh, and post your autoexec.bat and config.sys, so we can hopefully tell you what to change there.
 
Thank you for the quick reply !!
Yes, the sound does work, only the joystick had problems. Here is the autoexec.bat file.....

@ECHO OFF
set EXPAND=YES
SET DIRCMD=/O:N
set LglDrv=27 * 26 Z 25 Y 24 X 23 W 22 V 21 U 20 T 19 S 18 R 17 Q 16 P 15
set LglDrv=%LglDrv% O 14 N 13 M 12 L 11 K 10 J 9 I 8 H 7 G 6 F 5 E 4 D 3 C
cls
call setramd.bat %LglDrv%
set temp=c:\
set tmp=c:\
path=%RAMD%:\;a:\;%CDROM%:\
copy command.com %RAMD%:\ > NUL
set comspec=%RAMD%:\command.com
copy extract.exe %RAMD%:\ > NUL
copy readme.txt %RAMD%:\ > NUL

:ERROR
IF EXIST ebd.cab GOTO EXT
echo Please insert Windows 98 Startup Disk 2
echo.
pause
GOTO ERROR

:EXT
%RAMD%:\extract /y /e /l %RAMD%: ebd.cab > NUL
echo The diagnostic tools were successfully loaded to drive %RAMD%.
echo.

IF "%config%"=="NOCD" GOTO QUIT
IF "%config%"=="HELP" GOTO HELP
LH %ramd%:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001 /L:%CDROM%
echo.
GOTO QUIT

:HELP
cls
call help.bat
echo Your computer will now restart and the startup menu will appear.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
restart.com
GOTO QUIT

:QUIT
echo To get help, type HELP and press ENTER.
echo.
rem clean up environment variables
set CDROM=
set LglDrv=
 
Ahm... OK. I really love those Windows autoexec.bats :) - Sorry, can't help you that much :( I'm unable to find the soundcard option in there, so I guess soundsettings are run somewhere else (maybe in setramd.bat?). Hopefully some others are a bit more of a help. My DOS boot cpmetence goes as far as quite simple autoexec.bats which only run really needed stuff.
 
Ok, well thanks for trying, i appriciate it. Anyone else have any suggestions?
 
Do you have SOUND in the DOS game?
If you want to have sound in DOS you will have to load a device driver for your sound card. This can be done in both autoexec.bat and config.sys. In any case your autoexec.bat should have a line similar to this:-
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 T4 J200

If you don´t load a device driver for your sound card, DOS doesn´t know it´s there. Since you probably have your joystick connected to the game port on your sound card..... :)

Please post your config.sys also.
 
Yea, i did note above that the sound works in dos, only the joystick doesn't work. Everything works fine as far as sound including midi files. The only problem is the joystick doesn't work in dos. I think it works in windows only because i can go to control panel/gaming options and test it and see that the stick and buttons all work there. So the card's port and the joystick are apparently fine. But DOS just doesn't detect the stick in any DOS game. Heres the config.sys file....

[menu]
menuitem=CD, Start computer with CD-ROM support.
menuitem=NOCD, Start computer without CD-ROM support.
menuitem=HELP, View the Help file.
menudefault=CD,30
menucolor=7,0

[CD]
device=himem.sys /testmem:off
device=oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001
device=btdosm.sys
device=flashpt.sys
device=btcdrom.sys /D:mscd001
device=aspi2dos.sys
device=aspi8dos.sys
device=aspi4dos.sys
device=aspi8u2.sys
device=aspicd.sys /D:mscd001

[NOCD]
device=himem.sys /testmem:off

[HELP]
device=himem.sys /testmem:off

[COMMON]
files=10
buffers=10
dos=high,umb
stacks=9,256
devicehigh=ramdrive.sys /E 2048
lastdrive=z
 
In your first post you said it was an "older" joystick. Does that mean it is not with a USB connection? (DOS doesn´t "do" USB)
Otherwise I´m a bit stumped. Looking at your autoexec.bat and config.sys it appears that you are running DOS from within windows.( Due to there being no reference to a sound card).
If so, you can try the following:-
Find the exe file for the dos game you want to play
Right click it with your mouse
Choose Properties
Choose compatibility
Choose compatibility mode Win 95

In win 98 it is also possible to write specific autoexec.bat and config.sys files for games, however I´m now running XP and can´t remember exactly how it´s done in win 98. If you still have problems, I´ll dig out my old machine ( it´s win 98 ) and find out.
 
Wow...i appriciate the offer to go to all that trouble of dusting off your old machine !
As for the "compatability" under the file's properties, there is nothing like that. The closest thing is under the advanced button. But even there it says nothing about compatability.
I've come acrros a lot of problems that i eventually am able to fix with a LOT of research, but this one has me left at a dead end ! Oh, and no, it's not USB. It's connected to my SB live's gameport.
 
Ok, I got an idea, that hopefully will work for you. First you have to find out what the foolowing things are at:
-IRQ
-DMA (low)
-DMA (high)
-I/O
-Midi
You can normally find those under "System-Control"->"System"->"Devicemanager". There search for your soundcard and select "Properties"->"Ressources"
I'm not 100% sure I said the right order and that all names are correct, cause I neither use Win 9x anymore nor do I know all English names (Just translated them from German)
Anyway, with these data you should be able to launch your soundcard correctly for DOS, like Farzone suggested.
And I also guess is to just make a seperate boot-disk, so it's hopefully easier. - Oh, btw: Is your HDD C: Drive FAT or FAT32 formated? - Cause if it's FAT32 it's better to fiddle around with your current boot files. - No idea to make DOS boot with it via DIY-bootdisk :(

EDIT: Ahm, forget looking up thoseIRQ/DMA/etc. stuff, cause I just realized that you have got a SBLive! and that one uses default SB settings to emulate in DOS, which are "SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6" (Hope they are right, found them in another Thread). You'll also need the DOS-Soundcard Drivers from your SBLive! Either you already installed them on your HDD or they are on the CD under DOSdrv.. T find out if they are installed search for "SBEINIT.COM" - that one should be in a sperate folder with some other files, but as far as I know that's the most important one.
Oh and one more question: So I got you right, you are running the DOS-games in Windows? That could explain why MiDi works anyway.
 
I've checked the resources in device manager many times, but it doesn't allow you to change them. I tried moving the card to a different slot and even disabling the unused serial ports. None of that worked. I think i'm doomed !
 
OK. I just dusted off my old machine - no big deal cause I need it to check out the LAN I´m setting up in my flat. Yuo didn´t miss anything re. compatibility. My mistake :o
However you can do the following ( I just checked :D )
Right click on the games´exe file
Click on "Properties"
Click on "Program" tab
Click on "Advanced" button
Check "MS-DOS mode"
Check "Specify a new MS-DOS configuration"

This will enable you to specify autoexec.bat and config.sys files. i.e. when you start the dos game, the computer will do a reboot using those startup files. When you exit the dos game, the computer will reboot to windows.
If you feel that this is a bit advanced ( "risky" :D ) you can try making a floppy boot disk. This will give you a "clean" dos machine ( i.e. bare bones ) which is a lot easier to troubleshoot. Fair warning :- It takes time, so your kids will have to be patient :)
I use a floppy to run my dos games in WinXP ( the main -and not insignificant attribute - being that it works ).
My config.sys
DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=EMM386.EXE 16384 RAM D=64 FRAME=E000 /I=B000-B7FF
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICEHIGH=TEAC_CDI.SYS /D:TEAC-CDI
DEVICEHIGH=ESSAUDIO.SYS
BUFFERSHIGH=40
FILESHIGH=40
STACKSHIGH=0,0
LASTDRIVEHIGH=G
SHELL=COMMAND.COM /E:1024 /P

My autoexec.bat
ECHO OFF
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 T4 J200
LH MSCDEX.EXE /D:TEAC-CDI /M:15
LH BBBMOUSE.COM
PATH A:\;C:\QEMM;C:\PRIVATER;C:\TQS;C\:TM
SET TEMP=C:\TEMP

As regards the help you´re getting, I´m sure that everyone on this board has been up a creek without a paddle more than once and been "rescued" by "friendly natives" :)
 
Ok, i am assuming you meant to take the config and autoexec you posted and enter them into the windows in the files properties. So i did that, but when it reboots it stops at a "abort,fail,retry?" prompt. It says the following files are missing or corrupted, and a couple are obviously not files i should have like Teac_cdi.sys, which is obviously a file for your CD burner or CD rom. Theres also one for ess audio, so thats probably your card. So i removed those entries but it still does it, tho without the ones i eliminated. So heres what it's telling me now.....

something about not accessing the floppy, so i guess for some reason it's looking for a disk there.

Himen.sys says it's missing or corrupted. I found it and restored it with sys file checker, but it still says missing or corruped, so it must be looking in a different directory, or it thinks it's corruped because the file was changed to match something on your system that is not changed like that on mine.

command.com says missing or corrupted. I'm not geek, but i do know thats a very important systen file, and it's not missing and i doubt it's corrupted. Again i think it's reflecting changes on your PC that aren't on mine.

So there ya go. I don't think i can use your files, but if i knew the line thats missing in mine, (if thats the problem) then this would be a good way to try it out without having to mess with the system's auto and config files.
 
You did not copy and paste the stuff Farzone mentioned to your main config.sys and autoexec.bat, or did you? Your last post sound that way. If yes, I hope you backuped your original files to make your system boot again.
But to your questions: Yes, those things do not work that way for you cause you have got different drivers etc. - He just copied them here to show how a running config.sys and autoexec.bat can look like.

To tell you which files/lines you need to add, you have to search your HDD for the "SBEINIT.COM" - Then we can tell you what to add.
IF it does not exist, that's no problem either, cause then ou just need to install them from your Soundcard driver CD. - Just like I already said in my EDITed post (guess you missed that one, cause I edited it too late :( )
 
If I understand you correctly ( :D ) you just copied my autoexec.bat and config.sys to a floppy and tried to boot from that. That will not work because the floppy won´t contain the system files :- MS-DOS.sys, IO.sys and COMMAND.com.
Here´s what you do:-
Take a new/clean/empty floppy disk
Go to MS-Dos prompt
Type Format a: and press enter (this will format the floppy removing ALL files from it. It´s not strictly necessary, but it´s good basic proceedure )
When formatting is complete
Type sys a: and press enter ( this will transfer the system files from your harddisk to the floppy )
Test the disk:-
Exit ms-dos and shut down your computer.
Put the floppy in the floppy drive and start the computer
You should get a message "starting windows 98" or similar, a black screen with "A:\" at the bottom. Called an A: prompt
type C: and press enter
This should give you a C: prompt
Type cd dos and press enter
This should give you C:\dos prompt
Type dir and press enter
You should see a lot of file names flashing by
If you are with me so far, then you have created a BASIC boot disk that works.
To run games you will need an autoexec.bat and a config.sys on the floppy. You can begin by copying the ones below and then we can adjust them to your needs.

autoexec.bat
ECHO OFF
rem SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 T4 J200
rem LH MSCDEX.EXE /D:TEAC-CDI /M:15
LH MOUSE.COM
PATH A:\;C:\
SET TEMP=C:\TEMP
SET TMP=C:\TEMP

config.sys
DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=EMM386.EXE 16384 RAM D=64 FRAME=E000 /I=B000-B7FF
DOS=HIGH,UMB
rem DEVICEHIGH=TEAC_CDI.SYS /D:TEAC-CDI
rem DEVICEHIGH=ESSAUDIO.SYS
BUFFERSHIGH=40
FILESHIGH=40
STACKSHIGH=0,0
LASTDRIVEHIGH=G
SHELL=COMMAND.COM /E:1024 /P

(PLEASE NOTE:- there are two lines in each of the files that are preceeded by "rem". they are specific for MY cd drive and sound chip, and therefore disabled.)

Test the floppy again to see if there are any errors. Report them! :)
More later.
 
Yes it does. I actually made it on my "old" machine ( Win98 ) and use it on my new ( WinXP ) which has a FAT32 HDD.
However, for him to go on, he´ll probably need a generic cdrom driver ( dos version ) in order to install his true cdrom driver ( which is probably on a cd! ) and to install his sound card ( which is surely on a cd ). Are you up to date on that? If so it will save me digging around in the dusty part of my memory :D
 
Nope, IF I was up to date with that, I would have been able to tell at once which lines and files he needs - especially cause I've got the same soundcard in one of my rigs - But this way, I also have to try remembering those things ^^
For the CD-drive: He could use those already listed in his original autoexec.bat / config.sys and just copy them to the boot disk, I'd guess.
 
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