🚀 go-pugleaf

Chris,

     Since you are an employee of CL, I am presenting this directly to
you.  I need an answer so please don't ignore me.  I have went to the CL
web site and there is no workable answer there.  I have posted to
various newsgroups and nobody there knows what to do to make this
problem go away either.  There are many, many people having this problem
so please, please, please help us ALL out.


     Every time I start Windows (98), I get the following error message: 

             Read error in C:\Windows\System\Synthgm.sbk
                Can't load default synthesizer bank.


My Hardware: Pentium 233, 96 megs Ram, Windows 98, Creative Labs
SB32/AWE PNP w/8 megs.

     The file synthgm.sbk is in the proper location (Windows\System) but
upon every boot, it can't be loaded.  I know my card is not defective,
nor are the simms, because I did have it working once!  I don't know how
it happened but during my bouts of installing, reinstalling, deleting
and reintsalling...it did work.  I got the green bar in the AWECP32.exe
prog and the synthesizer.sbk loaded just fine.  I was able to play
around and try out various settings.  But when I turned my computer off
and the very next time it rebooted, there was the dreaded message of not
loading the default synthesizer bank.  

     I have followed Creative Labs instructions to a "T" for every
install, every delete and reinstall of drivers but it (midi) won't load
upon startup.  I've downloaded and tried all recent
drivers.........95dosapp.exe awecp95.exe and sbw95up.exe, revision 14. 
I've tried several different installs so I'm sure that the file
synthgm.sbk is NOT corrupted.  

     The AWE32cp.exe prog shows a red bar instead of green, as it's
supposed to, denoting that I have "0 KB of 0 KB available".  Not so.  I
have two 4 meg simms installed.  In the "Available Synth" box (under the
"synth" tab), it is blank but I have a choice of choosing "general midi"
yet when I do choose it, I then get another message that reads:  "The
selected file contains unrecognized format".  I've got several sbk files
and it will recognize none of them.  Baloney!  It worked fine (albeit
only once) on the very same sbk file that it now says is
unrecognizable!  

     I've made sure that in ControlPanel\Multimedia\Midi........SB AWE
32 Synth 620 is selected.  But I've also tried using all the other
available settings too, just in case, but it doesn't matter.  I've also
changed ISA slots though I figured it was useless to do, but since it
was suggested by some kind soul that offered his advice, I tried it.  It
didn't work either.  

     Lots of us are running into this Chris.  In DejaNews there are
numerous postings asking for help about this problem.  None of the
suggestions are working though, at least for me, but from the amount of
posts about this synthgm.sbk error, I have to conclude the standard
suggestions aren't working for lots of others either.  Advice about
downloading the current drivers and changing ISA slots and making sure
the files are in their proper places and suggestions that I got a
defective card are just not cutting it.  Come on Creative Labs.....it's
time for you to get involved.  Help us out!  I've emailed you several
times for support but so far CL won't reply.  We need support!!!!  I
bought this card in good faith because it is THE standard in sound
cards.  Albeit the 32/AWE is not the most current card by CL, I
purchased it brand new just 6 months ago!  I had a standard SB16 (no
awe) previously and had no problems with it whatsoever.  It gave me good
service and I wanted to upgrade, (just a tad, that's all my wallet could
afford) but what's the use since the AWE portion won't work?  I am
begging you for the answer that DOES WORK, so please do not ignore our
cries.  Thank you for your time and I (we ALL) truly appreciate it.

kitb at hotmail dot com