Sound won't work on Lemmings

[Dylan Gallagher]

I recently downloaded the original Lemmings game and ran it through DOSBox. It ran flawlessly, but more recently when I've tried to play it, there's been no sound. I think it may have to do with when I changed around the config file for DOSBox in order to play Under a Killing Moon. I've changed the settings back as well as I could, but I can't seem to get any sound whatsoever while playing Lemmings. Any ideas?

[Isu]

Run VDM Sound

[the guest]

I can send you my config file later tonight when I'm back on the computer that has it.

I don't recommend VDMSound if you had gotten it to work with DOSBox.

[Isu]

I don't recommend VDMSound if you had gotten it to work with DOSBox.

So... err... why? I use VDM Sound with DosBox and I don't get no problems, except the fact that I've got to run it in a window...

[the guest]

Oh interesting, you can get VDMSound to work inside DOSBox?

My impression was that VDMSound is intended to work with the standard DOS environment Windows offers.

(Are you sure that VDMSound is actually doing anything when you use it with DOSBox?  DOSBox already handles sound emulation on its own, amongst many other things it emulates/virtualizes that VDMSound doesn't.)

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Well anyhow, if it works for Isu, I guess there's no harm to try.  I was under the impression that VDMSound only functions in Windows's DOS environment and not in DOSBox.

I still think though that the ideal solution may be to figure out how to restore your DOSBox settings back to where it was before.  At the very least it would probably be less CPU intensive, since it wouldn't have to go thru both DOSBox + VDMSound.

[the guest]

In fact, upon browsing thru some random topics in the VDMSound forum, I find out for example that VDMSound wouldn't work with Win9x, so that's one more potential reason to stick with DOSBox instead.

The way it explains how VDMSound works also makes it even more doubtful to me that it would do anything inside DOSBox, although to be fair, I can't really make a valid conclusion without being sure how DOSBox works.  I'm under the impression that DOSBox emulates everything including the CPU (thereby bypassing Window's Virtual DOS Machine that VDMSound hooks into to intercept sound-related I/O), but maybe instead the way DOSBox works is more similar to VDMSound than I originally expected.

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Also, a quick clarification that by "DOSBox", I'm talking about the program, not the standard DOS window that Windows offers.

[Isu]

Well, Before I had VDM Sound I couldn't get sound in DOSBox. But then, I don't think I managed to get DOSBox to work before I had downloaded VDM Sound. So um, I don't know. Knowing my luck the (Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms. WonderfulSuperGenius) guest's right.

[the guest]

<laugh>Well, I can be wrong too.  I suppose there's no harm in trying.  

But just so no one is confused, the reason I opposed VDMSound was that I took that as a recommendation to run it in the standard Window's DOS window + VDMSound (the combo that I think VDMSound is intended for).  That does give you the sound, but since you're still inside the standard DOS window, Lemmings will still suffer from the other issues (speed and possibly video problems).  Thus my recommendation against using VDMSound.  I should note that I have used VDMSound before I used DOSBox so I'm speaking from experience.

But if VDMSound actually works with DOSBox, then it would be a great solution, though I'd be surprised if it does work.

[the guest]

I can send you my config file later tonight when I'm back on the computer that has it.

As further proof that I can indeed be a complete idiot sometimes, it only occurs to me now that you don't have to wait another 4+ hours for me at all.

Since the config I'm using is just the default one that DOSBox shipped on (at least I think that's the case, if I remember correctly), all you'd have to do is:

1) backup the config you have right now (or basically, backup the custom config you were using for that other game)

2) uninstall and reinstall DOSBox

Step #2 will effectively reset the configuration back to the original.  Isn't that easy?

Oh, and a lesson to make a backup of the config file every time you make any changes to it!

Incidentally, you might want to browse the DOSBox forum and ask if there're ways you can create a Windows shortcut (or whatever equivalent your OS uses, if it's not Windows) for DOSBox to use a specific config file.  Then you can create 2 shortcuts, one for Lemmings-DOSBox, and the other for your-other-game-DOSBox.  I'm pretty sure there should be a way to do this, since config files are so important in getting certain games to work.

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P.S.  Yet another advantage of DOSBox that I have completely forgotten...they have versions of it for other OSes besides Windows!  Whereas VDMSound is Windows-specific.  Indeed, that's one more evidence why VDMSound is probably useless inside DOSBox.