Date:	Sat, 8 Sep 2001 12:01:15 +1000 (EST)
From:	DONALD PEDDER <jims_son AT jedi DOT apana DOT org DOT au>
To:	<opendos AT delorie DOT com>
Subject:	non-DOS question
Message-ID:	<Pine.GSO.4.33.0109081136010.7888-100000@jedi.apana.org.au>
MIME-Version:	1.0
Reply-To:	opendos AT delorie DOT com

   Okay, this isn't a DOS question, but this is the only list I'm on with
lots of gurus on it. :-)

   I have recently had a CD-RW drive put into my computer. From the
beginning it hasn't worked properly (it's a Sony! ;-) ). As I may have
mentioned before, the guy at this place isn't all that good (I'm not going
to go there again in future).
   He performed all sorts of variations (different brands of CD-RW drive
and normal CD drive, changing their logical order, etc.), and ultimately
got everything to work properly when he used HIS hard-disk in my computer.
He was using Win98SE, just as I was, so the only OBVIOUS difference
between his and mine is that mine is partitioned. He therefore blames it
on my partitions (I TOLD you he wasn't very good).
   I have noticed that when I re-install Windows, in particular the
software for my main-board (which has integrated sound-card et al), I get
a message which says "unknown hardware key". This message never came up
before the CD-RW drive was put in (but I've not yet followed up on this
clue).

   Anyway, that is just background.

   Since I couldn't get the software to work, I decided to try the "create
CD" option I had in VideoBlaster MovieMaker. Lo and behold it works! :-) I
haven't yet worked out how I can do audio discs, but that isn't what I got
it for anyhow.

   Now, here is my problem.....

   I created an MPEG in Ulead Videostudio 4.0SE. I saved it to my
MovieMaker folder, and did the "create CD". It worked fine..... or so one
would think. When I play back this file, my sound suddenly becomes low.
   Now, I must stress that it is not JUST for the duration of the clip -
my sound has been PERMANENTLY made lower by playing this clip (the sound
at start-up is now lower too).

   What I've done, is re-installed the main-board audio stuff, and it's
back to normal. I tried playing back the CD in my original drive instead
of the CD-RW drive, but the same thing happens. It is the actual playing
of this MPEG that makes my sound go low.
   Now, when I re-install the main-board audio stuff, I see Windows come
up with a message "unknown device detected...... PCMIA multi-media device"
and the drivers are installed. This is unusual. it shouldn't do that, as
the drivers were already installed. In other words, playing the clip seems
to effectively kill the main-board audio stuff, thereby (presumably)
reverting to the default Windows drivers. Very, very strange, but this is
what all my testing brings me to. Anytime I play this clip from this CD, I
have to re-install the mainboard audio stuff (and I get the aforementioned
"unkown device" stuff subsequently) in order to get my volume back to
what it was before.

   Now, this isn't such a big problem in itself (although it's a major
hassle), but I'm reluctant to GIVE this CD to anyone in case it does the
same thing to THEIR system, and they're not as computer-literate as *I*
am (i.e. they may not know how to re-install the drivers). :-(

   None of the actual volume SETTINGS are getting changed - just the
actual PHYSICAL volume coming from the speakers gets way less (with the
volume knob about 1/3rd up, it sounds like it's barely on, when that is
normally reasonably loud).

   Any ideas as to what could be going on here?

regards,
  Donald.

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