Windows98 on IBM Aptivas

Mwave Under Windows 98

Although problematic under any operating system the Mwave multifunction (modem and sound) card found on older IBM Aptivas hasn't been as much of an obstacle to installing Windows 98 as one might expect. Microsoft provides Windows 98 Mwave drivers for both the Dolphin and Stingray cards found in Aptivas, and for the most part users have been able to install and use these drivers with no problems above and beyond those familiar to users of the Mwave card under Windows 95.

Installing the Windows 98 Mwave Dolphin Drivers

The following details are applicable to 2144, 2168, 2134 and 2176 Aptivas with the Mwave Dolphin card.

As the Mwave Dolphin is an ISA legacy card and does not support Plug and Play features under many circumstances the Microsoft-supplied Win98 Dolphin drivers found on the Win98 Upgrade CD may not be installed automatically. The following steps (which are outlined in the "IBM Mwave" section of the Windows 98 Hardware ReadMe file c:\windows\hardware.txt) can be used to load the drivers:
  1. Insert your Windows 98 CD-ROM
  2. Click Start > Point to Settings > Click Control Panel
  3. Double-Click Add New Hardware
  4. Click Next > Click Next
  5. Click No, the device isn't in the list > Click Next
  6. Click No, I want to Select the hardware from a list
  7. Click Next > Click Other Devices > Click Next
  8. Under Manufacturers choose "IBM"
  9. Under Models choose "IBM Dolphin Mwave DSP Adapter"
  10. Click Next > Click Next >Click Finish
  11. When prompted, restart your computer
Note that the procedure above MUST be performed if:
  • You have performed a "clean install" of Windows 98, or
  • You have upgraded from Windows 3.x to Windows 98
By design "on paper" this procedure should not be necessary if one has performed a conventional upgrade from Windows 95 to Windows 98, however a number of users have noted that the Win98 Dolphin drivers were not loaded automatically after all such upgrades.

After installing the Mwave drivers one must install a MIDI instrument sample set in order to play MIDI sound (*.MID files),
see the details below.

Installing the Windows 98 Mwave Stingray Drivers

The following details are applicable to 2159 Aptivas (with the exception of the 2159-S80 and 2159-S90 OSR2 models) with the Mwave Stingray card.

As the Mwave Stingray card IS a Plug and Play card the Microsoft-supplied Win98 Stingray drivers found on the Win98 Upgrade CD WILL be installed automatically, with no action required on the user's part after either an upgrade from Win95 OR a clean install.

The only steps one has to take on a 2159 Aptiva with the Mwave Stingray is to install a set of MIDI samples.

Installing MWAVE MIDI Samples

In order to play MIDI sound files usrers of both the Dolphin and Stingray cards must install a set of MIDI instrument samples. Owners of 2176 and 2159 Aptivas can find the setup file for the preloaded Mwave MIDI Samples on their blue Aptiva Diagnostics and Utilities CD:
  1. Insert the blue "Diagnostics and Utilities" CD
  2. Click Start > Click Run
  3. Type G:\DISK\MWAVE\MIDIFULL\SETUP.EXE > Click OK
    [assumes a CD-ROM drive letter of G:]
  4. Accept the default path of C:\MWAVE > Click OK
  5. If prompted set these samples for both the Windows
    and DOS MIDI Synthesizers
  6. The instrument samples will be installed
Owners of older 2144 and 2168 Aptivas who do not have a Diagnostics and Utilities CD can download the very basic
sample set included with the Mwave 20D drivers:

  1. Download 20DM1US.EXE to your hard drive
  2. Download 20DM2US.EXE to your hard drive
  3. Download 20DM3US.EXE to your hard drive
  4. Insert a blank 3.5" floppy disk in Drive A:
  5. Double-Click on 20DM1US.EXE to extract it's contents
  6. Remove the disk and label it "MIDI Samples - Disk 1"
  7. Insert a blank 3.5" floppy disk in Drive A:
  8. Double-Click on 20DM2US.EXE to extract it's contents
  9. Remove the disk and label it "MIDI Samples - Disk 2"
  10. Insert a blank 3.5" floppy disk in Drive A:
  11. Double-Click on 20DM3US.EXE to extract it's contents
  12. Remove the disk and label it "MIDI Samples - Disk 3"
  13. Insert the disk you labeled "MIDI Samples - Disk 1"
  14. Click Start > Click Run > Type A:\SETUP > Click OK
  15. Accept the default path of C:\MWAVE > Click OK
  16. Insert Disks 2 and 3 when prompted
  17. If prompted set these samples for both the Windows
    and DOS MIDI Synthesizers
  18. The instrument samples will be installed
Another option for 2144 and 2168 Aptiva owners which may
result in a fuller, richer sound is to load the "MIDIFull" sample
set provided here:
    
VMWAUDIO BSODs After Upgrading To Windows 98

Note that one common issue for those using the Microsoft-supplied Windows 98 Mwave drivers is BSOD ("Blud Screen Of Death") errors referencing the Mwave file VMWAUDIO.VXD. For a discussion of this issue and possible solutions see the following article in the Unofficial Aptiva Support Knowledge Base:
    
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© 2001, Don Schneider aka DON5408
DON5408's Unofficial Aptiva Support Site