Sound Blaster Live! Error Message After Installing Windows (229186)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 98
  • Microsoft Windows 95
  • Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
This article was previously published under Q229186

SYMPTOMS

After you install Windows, you may receive the following error message:
Error: Memory Manager not detected.
SB Live! requires EMM386 or similar.
SB Live! driver NOT loading.

CAUSE

This issue can occur if the Emm386.exe file is not loaded during the startup process.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, make sure the Emm386.exe file is being loaded in the Config.sys file:
  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Notepad.
  2. On the File menu, click Open, type c:\config.sys in the File Name box, and then click Open.
  3. In the Config.sys file, note whether there is a line that contains Emm386.exe. If there is a line that contains the Emm386.exe text string, remove any characters in front of the "Device=" line, and then continue to step 5. For example, change the following line from

    rem -- by Windows 98 setup - device=emm386.exe

    to

    device=emm386.exe

    If the Config.sys file does not contain a line with the Emm386.exe text string, continue to the next step.
  4. Add the following lines to the Config.sys file

    device=windows\himem.sys
    device=windows\emm386.exe

    where windows is the path to the folder in which Windows is installed.
  5. On the File menu, click Exit, and then click Yes to save the changes.
  6. Restart the computer.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

The Sound Blaster 16 Emulation driver requires a memory manager, such as Emm386.exe, to load correctly.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:12/20/2004
Keywords:kb3rdparty kberrmsg kbprb KB229186
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.