Disable Sound Issues

[Mr. Necktie]

Hello, all.

 

A few days ago, I purchased KotoR 2 from a local Best Buy. The catch is that while I can play the game, I need to disable the sound first. The game will launch in force-software or full sound mode, but it never comes up, and sits in the background. I then have to manually close it from the task manager. When I run the compatibility testing, everything passes the recommended and minimum specifications.

I have searched high and low for any possible solution and still, no luck. It would seem that this is a Vista-related problem, as many of the pages I've visited concerning this issue are all Vista-related. I happen to be on Windows XP. Just my luck.

 

Here are my basic specs:

Windows XP service pack 2.

NVidia GeForce FX 5500 (256 MB).

768 MB RAM.

SoundMAX Digital Audio.

2.00 GHz Pentium IV Processor.

CD-RW Drive and DVD-ROM Drive.

 

Here's what I've done to try and fix this issue, to no avail:

Manually update to version 1.02b, as the updater could not connect to LucasArts' FTP server.

Fresh Mss32.dll.

Update sound drivers. The ones I have new are from a very recent (within the last 72 hours) install.

Re-install.

Compatibility modes from Windows 95 and up.

Opening exceptions for swkotor2.exe in Symantec Anti-Virus, Norton System Doctor, and Windows Firewall.

Shut off the aforementioned programs, including Windows Defender.

Changed the Hardware acceleration from emulated all the way to full, trying every possible combination of sound modes in KotoR with acceleration levels.

Launching swkotor2.exe directly.

 

By disabling the sound card entirely, I can run the game without disabling sound. But of course, in doing so, I have no sound anyway. As a side note, everything in DxDiag checks out and runs perfectly, with no flaws in the test whatsoever, and no problems in any category. If it helps at all, my sound card does not support hardware buffering.

 

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. KotoR 2 is a great game, but I'd really like to have audio to go with it.

 

Thank you all very much!

Edited June 30, 2008 by Mr. Necktie

[Mr. Necktie]

I'm sorry to bump this, but does anyone have a solution here? I've still been looking around, and still no luck. Is it at all possible to fix this?

 

Thanks for any help!

[Bass-GameMaster]

Haha your computer is exactly what mine was before I upgraded it. Wow this is a wierd situation.. have you searched Obsidian for any needed files?

Edited July 1, 2008 by Bass-GameMaster

[Mr. Necktie]

Ah, no, not really. I've just been searching for other people who happen to have the same kind of problem that I do. Unfortunately, they're all on Vista.

 

If I were to look for needed files, what exactly should I be looking for? I've already found Mss32.dll, but that does me no good. I'm on a legit version of both 1.0 and 1.0b of KotoR 2, so I should have anything I need, right?

 

If you were on this same box, did you have any problems running KotoR 2?

[Bass-GameMaster]

Some times there are files on your computer that trigger stuff like this but a sound issue actually sounds like a hardware problem... and there I cant help you.

[Mr. Necktie]

Are you sure it's a hardware problem? The compatibility test on the launcher said that my card was past the recommended requirements, as was everything else on the list.

[Bass-GameMaster]

But its not your Card is your sound... Try visiting your sound systems site and search for all available updates.

[Mr. Necktie]

I've done that, and any update corrupts my drivers or does not work. If your old system was exactly like mine is, were you able to run KotoR 2 with sound enabled, or did you also have this problem?

[Bass-GameMaster]

I can run it on my computer which has vista... I use Realtek HD Audio which is pretty advanced it it runs fast.

[Mr. Necktie]

Aside from getting a new sound card, which I highly doubt is necessary, is there a solution to this problem? I'm coming up empty here, and in all honesty, you're running dry yourself.

[Bass-GameMaster]

Well I have a solution, but it might not help... Is everything else fine but the sound???

[Mr. Necktie]

Yes, everything is perfectly fine, except that I have to disable the sound to get KotoR 2 to run.

 

Please read the original post for details. I'm on XP, so if it's a Vista fix, I highly doubt it will work.

[Bass-GameMaster]

Ahh I forgot that. Well im sorry I cant really help you, ive never ran into a problem like this for XP.

[Mr. Necktie]

Thanks for trying.

 

 

Anyone else have a solution? I'm getting somewhat tired of playing KotoR 2 soundlessly.

[Mr. Necktie]

Sorry to bump again, but is there any solution to this problem? I'd really like to play with sound.

[Mr. Necktie]

Well, it took almost a year of on-and-off tinkering, but I found a solution to the problem.

 

Because the KotoRs and Neverwinter Nights series share a common engine (when traced back far enough), many bugs are common across both sets of games. The issue I was having was one of them.

 

My system specs have remained unchanged, except for a doubling of RAM capacity.

 

Windows XP service pack 2.

NVidia GeForce FX 5500 (256 MB).

1.5 GB RAM.

 

SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio. Driver version 5.12.0001.3571

Intel Motherboard D845GRG.

 

2.00 GHz Pentium IV Processor.

CD-RW Drive and DVD-ROM Drive.

 

After crawling through what must have been gigs of webpages, I found the solution on a Neverwinter Nights forum. I did not patch the game or disable sound or force it into software mode or patch mss32.dll to run. I did, however, run Setup.exe from the Play Disc in Windows 2000 compatibility mode, though this probably had no effect on it at all. To fix this issue (for XP users, though it could have some merit towards solving Vista-related issues with the same sound card base), here's what to do:

 

1. Power down and boot into safe mode. (Press F8 (usually) while system is turning on and keep pressing it until a menu comes up)

2. Search your computer for two files in the C:\Windows\system32 folder, a3d.dll and a3dapi.dll . Back these up (copy -> paste) into a folder on your desktop before moving on.

3. Re-name these files to a3d.old and a3dapi.old .

4. Reboot into Windows as normal.

5. Test it on KotoR 2.

 

It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you reverse this process with other games if you desire to play them. Some games cannot function without these dlls present, and you could mess with the stability of them by removing them.

 

How this works: a3d and a3dapi are both sound card interfaces, used for controlling a3d effects where possible. These are probably not in the aforementioned directory on all modern cards / OS'es, which is why testing it on a Vista box may or may not have merit to it.

 

Hope this helps anyone! :D

 

-Mr. Necktie

 

Also: Sorry for the extreme necro.

Edited June 23, 2009 by Mr. Necktie