SOUNDBLASTER DETECT v2.4
Copyright (c) 2026 Calderona Games.
========================================


WHAT IT DOES
------------
DETECT.COM is a hardware detection utility for Creative Labs SoundBlaster
cards. It scans IO ports 210h through 270h looking for a SoundBlaster DSP
chip, then identifies the card and its configuration automatically.

For each card found it reports:

  IO Base     - The base IO port address the card is installed at
  IRQ         - The interrupt request line the card is using
  DMA         - The DMA channel used for audio transfers
  DSP Version - The version of the Digital Signal Processor firmware
  Card Type   - The model of SoundBlaster detected


CARDS SUPPORTED
---------------
  Sound Blaster 1.x / 1.5
  Sound Blaster 2.0
  Sound Blaster 2.0 Enhanced
  Sound Blaster Pro
  Sound Blaster 16
  Sound Blaster AWE32
  Sound Blaster AWE64


HOW IRQ IS DETECTED
-------------------
The detection method used depends on the card type.

Sound Blaster 1.x, 2.0 and Pro (DSP versions 1.xx to 3.xx):
  The program installs temporary interrupt handlers on IRQs 2, 3, 5 and 7,
  then sends DSP command F2h which forces the card to fire its interrupt.
  Whichever handler fires identifies the active IRQ. All original interrupt
  vectors are restored cleanly afterwards.

Sound Blaster 16, AWE32, AWE64 (DSP version 4.xx):
  These cards store their IRQ setting in the CT1745 mixer chip at register
  80h. The program reads this register directly without needing to fire any
  interrupts. This is more reliable and causes no audio output.


HOW DMA IS DETECTED
-------------------
Sound Blaster 16, AWE32, AWE64 (DSP version 4.xx):
  The DMA channel is read from CT1745 mixer register 81h directly.

Sound Blaster 1.x, 2.0 and Pro (DSP versions 1.xx to 3.xx):
  The program programs DMA channels 1, 0 and 3 in turn, triggering a small
  test transfer on each. It reads the DMA count register before and after
  the transfer. The channel whose count register decrements is the active
  channel. The DSP is reset cleanly after each probe.


LIMITATION - IRQ 11 AND 12 ON SOUND BLASTER 16
-----------------------------------------------
The CT1745 mixer chip used on the Sound Blaster 16 only supports four IRQ
settings in register 80h:

  Bit 0 = IRQ 2
  Bit 1 = IRQ 5
  Bit 2 = IRQ 7
  Bit 3 = IRQ 10

IRQ 11 and IRQ 12 are not standard Sound Blaster 16 IRQs and cannot be
expressed in this register. If a Plug and Play configuration utility such
as CTCU.EXE assigns the card to IRQ 11 or IRQ 12, mixer register 80h will
return no valid IRQ bits and DETECT.COM will report:

  IRQ : Not detected

This is not a bug in DETECT.COM. It is a hardware limitation of the CT1745
mixer chip. Creative Labs document IRQ 2, 5, 7 and 10 as the only supported
IRQ settings for the Sound Blaster 16. If you see "Not detected" for IRQ on
a Sound Blaster 16, reconfigure the card to use IRQ 2, 5, 7 or 10 using
your Plug and Play configuration utility and reboot.


REQUIREMENTS
------------
  DOS 3.0 or later
  8086 processor or better
  A supported SoundBlaster compatible card


USAGE
-----
  DETECT

No command line parameters are required. The program will scan all
standard SoundBlaster IO addresses and report what it finds. Multiple
cards will be detected and reported if more than one is present.