[Nanie]

Hey there. First, sorry to introduce myself by means of asking for help, generally I wouldn't but yea. Anyway, currently I am at Job Corps, and am working in the Computer Repair trade. I am working on a Windows Pentium, and it has 98 on it, 49megs of ram, and I've hit a brick wall rather hard. I have a PCI sound card, yet I can't seem to find the drivers for it. It is a SMI Predator 4D card, and I can't find compatible drivers for it. It also says Trident 4D wave on one of the chips, and I did extensive search on any suitable components for both, and came up with a few sites that are dead. Any suggestions?

[inetbogey]

Welcome to TGF
i don't have any info on your driver, but if you go to the the driveragent site you might get some more info on it. the scan is free but the driver download will cost you for membership.
you might get a new lead with the site's free scan.


http://www.driveragent.com/driverage...nba4mcs9rsltr5

[Nanie]

Thank you for your help. Since the WinPen doesn't have internet, I can't test it though, and I took the time to search one more time for it again and failed. I've been searching for like 6 days for this thing, a real pain. ><;

Thanks again for the help.

[inetbogey]

maybe you might try to download Belarc adviser or better yet try aida32.exe (this is a list of almost everything in the "box".) some people like "siw" while it shows a lot of stuff i didn't see much on my audio card. you can download it to another PC and burn it to disk and run it on the problem box.
these software tools will give you more insight as to the type card you have. maybe get a new lead to follow up on.

[PuppyLinux]

The driver you need is attached here; you'll have to login to download it. The file is named "tridwave.zip"; you should be able to open it with any basic ZIP tools...

I've examined the two driver files inside the .ZIP file; they should work with Win98, Win98SE, and WinNT4, but I doubt the driver would work with any other version of Windows, with the possible exception of WinME...

The .ZIP file contains two files, named "tridwave.sys", and "WDMA_TRD.INF"; to install the Trident soundcard drivers, just extract both files to a folder on your system, then COPY the .INF file to the \Windows\INF folder, and COPY the .SYS file to the \Windows\System32 folder, then run the Add New Hardware Wizard in the Control Panel. When the Wizard wants to know where the files are located, just point it to the Windows\INF folder for the .INF file, and to the \Windows\System32 folder for the .SYS file, then reboot the system. Once you get back to the Desktop, try to play a sound file (such as a .WAV, .RMI, or .MID file), to ensure that everything is working properly.

If you get any error messages, COPY THEM EXACTLY, then post them here, so we can help you get everything working normally...

Good luck; hope this helps you get that soundcard working again...

[PuppyLinux]

Can you give us any more specific information about that soundcard? Is there an FCCID number on the card? What brand of computer is it installed in? You mentioned that it is a PCI card with chip marked "Trident 4D Wave" on the board; can you post ALL of the information on that chip for us? I'm trying to find more details about that card, but everything I've seen so far is wrong; since you actually HAVE one on hand, I'd like you to post everything you can about it, so I can update a few databases...

Thanks; again, let us know if you encounter any problems installing those drivers, or if there is anything else we can help you with...

[Nanie]

Sorry about the late reply. Geniouses in the class got the internet cut off, fixing it. Right now I'm in my dorm, and I'll check this out on monday and tell you all I can. Thanks again. ^_^

[PuppyLinux]

Well, just trying to help... do you remember what brand of system that card was in? It isn't important right now, just one of the things I'm curious about...

I examined both of those files; they ARE driver files, but I'm not sure those are the ONLY files you need. I'll be able to research this more completely when I get more information from you, so please remember to make notes about any error messages you see; that way, I should be able to help you get that card working properly.

Have a good weekend; I actually didn't expect you to reply to my first post until sometime next week, so I appreciate your quick answer...

These forums will go offline at 5 PM Eastern time today for the servers to be upgraded:

http://forums.techguy.org/site-comme...t-nov-3-a.html

and we don't know when they'll go back online again, so don't worry about replying anytime soon... just post what you can, when you can, and we'll work from there.

BTW, if you don't have any ZIP tools handy, I can recommend 7-Zip. I haven't used Win-Zip since I stopped using WFW3.11, which was a LONG time ago. I've used several other ZIP tools (FreeZip and EZ-Zip, to name just two), but IZarc and 7-Zip offer a lot more, and I use 7-Zip 99% of the time. I really only use IZarc so I won't completely forget about it...

Have a good weekend, and keep punching...

[PuppyLinux]

Just wanted to post an update for you...

I did some more research, and finally found the missing part of the Trident4 driver package; the .VXD file was missing, but now that I have a copy, I've put all three components into the .ZIP file, so you can download everything at once.

Good luck with this; you'll now have the .INF file, the .SYS file, and the .VXD file all together, and that should help you get the Trident soundcard functioning again.

Follow these NEW instructions to COPY the driver files where they need to be:

After you extract the three driver files from the .ZIP file, COPY the .INF file to the \Windows\INF folder, and COPY the .SYS file and the .VXD file to the \Windows\System32 folder. I want you to COPY those files, do NOT move them. That way, if the drivers get corrupted, you'll still have copies of them stored on the HDD.

Then, run the Add New Hardware Wizard in the Control Panel. When the Wizard wants to know where the files are located, just point it to the Windows\INF folder for the .INF file, and to the \Windows\System32 folder for the .SYS and .VXD files. Next, reboot the system. Once you get back to the Desktop, try to play a sound file (such as a .WAV, .RMI, or .MID file), to ensure that everything is working properly.

Let me know if you have any problems; I don't think you will, but we don't yet know if anything else is wrong or missing...

[Nanie]

Thank you very much. It works (ish).

Well, it works but there's a crazy noise in the background all the time, but it's no problem as really all I need is it working for me to be able to move to the next step in my education here. Thanks! ^_^

[PuppyLinux]

I'm really glad you got that card working; finding drivers can be a REAL pain, but I've been doing it for so long now, I tend to find them more often than not. It's probably obvious that I found that driver in two sections; the .INF and .SYS files were together, but it took more digging to find the .VXD file. As I mentioned in a previous post, I examined each file to make sure they were actually drivers, and that they were the RIGHT drivers...

If you're hearing static in the background, you might be able to reduce or eliminate it by moving the soundcard away from any other cards in the system. As a general rule, you want to leave space between the add-in cards; spaces between the modem, soundcard, and videocard are most important, because of the high frequencies they generate.

My basic method is to install the videocard first, then work from there. Soundcards sometimes use cables to connect to optical drives, or other devices, so I tend to install the soundcard next, with an open slot between the soundcard and the videocard. After that, I work with whatever is left, usually a NIC or modem, though most consumer boards now have built-in NICs and soundchips...

Don't forget to post whatever details you can find marked on that soundcard; you can help a lot of people who search the 'net for those drivers in the future, because they'll be available here for anyone who registers as a member to download them...

Look for labels that show part numbers and other details. The FCCID number would be REALLY helpful, along with any date codes on the Trident chip; for example, if you find the numbers "9937" on the Trident chip, it is most likely the date code, showing that the chip was made in the 37th week of 1999...

The 'net is a great asset; it instantly allows you to get a LOT of people working to help you find what you need (like those drivers), but as time goes by, I have no doubt that you'll get better at finding the information you need without help. If you think about the files I posted here, you should be able to work backwards to figure out how I found them...

Please post those details before you move on to another project, so you won't forget it. Years from now, people looking to resurrect an old PC for some bizarre project will be thankful that you put that information on the 'net, into the public record...

Best of luck to you in your training; let us know when you're going to graduate, so we can all hoist a beer to you on Graduation Day...

[Nanie]

The chip says

Trident
4DWAVE-DX
A CDD02
H8A80
9840/TDDZJ559

So yea, hopefully this is helpful. Thanks again ^_^

[PuppyLinux]

Thanks for posting that information; did you see any labels or stickers on the back of the card containing any more data? I'm still hoping you can provide the FCC ID number, which MIGHT actually be silk-screened (probably in white ink) on the card itself...

Please check the card thoroughly to see if you can locate the FCC ID number; by law, it is required to be on the card somewhere, though the printing might be small and somewhat difficult to read...

If you're really serious about becoming a good tech, you should check out these pages for some really good tutorials that might come in handy while you're studying, or once you enter the field doing professional repair. The articles are well-written, and most are well illustrated. This is an EXCELLENT site for people who need to solve problems and want some guidance:

http://www.pcstats.com/beginners.cfm

Just check the list of guides in the blue panel on the right; you're bound to find a tutorial you like, teaching you skills you'll need soon...

This website can also help you learn:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/type/1

Thanks for your time, Nanie; several friends of mine have been following this thread, and we're all hoping you'll do well in school, so you can get out into the field and help to take some of the pressure off the rest of us!

Keep this in mind; all knowledge is helpful at some point in time, so keep learning more than you already know. Just for fun, I teach people how to ride motorcycles; one of the first things I tell them is that any fool can twist their wrist to go fast in a straight line, but it takes skill and dedication to learn how to RIDE a motorcycle well. The same thing applies to computers; just about anyone can plug in a USB drive, but very few know what to do when it doesn't work. Keep learning; you're off to a great start...

Hope those links help you; let me know what you think...

[Nanie]

Ah! Found it.

710-0046-01A

[PuppyLinux]

Thanks for posting that number; unfortunately, that is one of the bogus numbers that has been floating around the 'net for years. Some of the unscrupulous circuit card makers in China that produced PC equipment attached phony FCC ID numbers to various bits of hardware, and I guess that the SMI Predator soundcard was one of them...

You can search FCC ID numbers here:

https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/...ericSearch.cfm

Well, no big deal; at least now you know another important piece of information that can help you find obscure drivers. A VALID FCC ID number can help you track down the company that made a device, which can give you clues about which drivers can be used as a substitute when the originals have faded into the mists of time...

For example, trying to find drivers for the SoundPro HT8738am chip is a waste of time. That chip is a clone of the CMI (formerly C-Media) 8738 chip, so the CMI 8738 drivers work with the SoundPro chip without problems, and they're much easier to find...

Once again, thanks for posting that number; I'd hoped that the soundcard you are working with would have a legitimate FCC ID number on it, but that's the way it goes...

Check through those links when you have some free time, so you'll have an idea of what tutorials are available that might help you...

Lastly, keep punching, keep posting, and don't be afraid to log in here and help others when you can. You'll learn a lot just by reading these forums, and I GUARANTEE you that you now know more about finding drivers on the 'net than anyone else in your class...