Privateer - Runtime Overlay Error - HELP!

[big_bear]

Hi Everyone!

So I decided a few days ago to set up a computer for DOS games. I'm running MS-DOS 6.22. I'm having a devil of a time getting Privateer to run, and if anyone can help me at all, I'd appreciate it!

I installed Privateer successfully, but without sound, on one computer - it was newer, with no ISA slots, so I couldn't install a DOS-compatible sound card. I do have a computer with ISA slots, and I have gotten the sound card to work with no problems (and Privateer 2 runs beautifully!) but Privateer won't go.

When I try to run it, either the computer will lock up, or I will get a string of strange ASCII characters on my screen and the PC speaker will beep constantly until I do a hardboot, or I will get a message saying

Runtime overlay error
JEMM unloaded.

If I try to run the program after getting this error, one of the first two symptoms will occur.

These errors occur regardless of which distribution of Privateer I install - the floppy or the CD-ROM. They occur regardless of whether I have the soundcard drivers installed, or even if the soundcard is physically present in the system but without drivers. Regardless of whether or not I have mouse drivers installed. The CD-ROM driver I am using, as well as the drive itself, I know are okay - I was able to run Privateer on the other computer (without sound) using the same drive and driver.

I've tried two different hard drives. I've tried different video cards, as well as the computer's onbard video. I've tried swapping out IDE cables. I've even tried a second motherboard of the same make. I believe very strongly that this problem is hardware related, since the identical software configuration on another computer worked fine (but without sound).

The computer is an eMachines eTower 466is (I've got three of them). Is there any known conflict with this model of computer, or with eMachines computers in general?

Thanks so much!
~~BigBear~~

 

[AD]

On the PC sans ISA slots you may be able find dos drivers for it on the web somewhere.

However privateer can be tricky to get the right memory configuration for it to work with sound and speech. So that might also be the key (figuring out how to get the right amount of conventional and extended memory).

These things have built in video? Maybe it's the video card that's incompatible. Is there some kind of vesa driver you can turn on? Does that make a difference? You have three of the same machine? Does it do it on each one?

 

[big_bear]

AD - Thanks for the reply!

The memory configuration is no problem - MEM gives me 581K of DOS memory available, Privateer only needs 570K if I remember correctly. I know I have enough memory available, and I know how to fix those issues - but thanks for the suggestion.

In regards to the PC without ISA slots - AFAIK, there are no DOS drivers for SoundBlaster PCI cards. I know that there's an emulator, which lets your PCI card pretend to be an ISA card for driver purposes, developed by some MAME programmers - but unfortunately, in order for that emulator to work, your PCI sound card cannot be set to IRQ 5. The BIOS of that particualr PC is completely Plug-And-Play - as far as I can tell, no way to manually assign IRQs - and it always assigns the sound card IRQ 5. I tried it in different PCI slots (there's only 2 on the board) but it gets IRQ 5 regardless of where I place it.

I did try this on 2 of the three identical computers - the same problem on both. There's no VESA driver that I know of - the onboard video is based off of AGP architecture, not VLB. However, the onboard video may very well be incompatible. Even if it isn't, I suspect something in the MoBo/chipset is.

I do have one other model of motherboard with ISA slots in it - when I have time, I'm gonna dig it out, dust it off, and fire it up, to see if I can get Privateer to run on that.

Thanks again!
~~BigBear~~