A3D Files | What's New? | Vortex 2 Win9x and NT Download | Installation Notes | Uninstallation Instructions | Win9x Driver Issues

This page is no longer updated and the links won't work. For the latest info about Vortex2 drivers we suggest you check out our unofficial Vortex2 support page. If you are looking for A3D files for other non Aureal soundcards you will find them on our soundcard utilities page.

A3D   Files

Download A3D Support Files - Version 3.12 (1.3 MB executable) These drivers will work on any A3D sound card or PC.

These new A3D drivers work on NT 4.0 with the current Vortex 1 and Vortex 2 NT 4.0 drivers. The new A3DAPI.DLL should also provide A2D support for all sound cards on NT 4.0.

This executalbe  file contains 5 files along with this Readme:

They are required for playing games that have been written to take advantage of A3D 2.0 and 3.0.

You should install these updated files if you use one of the following sound cards unless you are using a Vortex card with the latest reference drivers which will already include them

    * Aureal Vortex 2 SuperQuad Digital PCI (OEM)
    * Aureal Vortex 2 PCI (OEM)
    * Aureal Vortex 1 PCI (OEM)
    * Absolute Multimedia Outrageous 3D Sound
    * Diamond Monster Sound II MX300
    * Diamond Sonic Impact S90
    * Diamond Monster Sound, M80, and MX200
    * Turtle Beach Montego II
    * Turtle Beach Montego A3DXstream
    * Videologic SonicVortex2
    * Xitel Storm Platinum
    * Xitel Storm VX
    * Xitel Storm 3D
    * Orchid NuSound PCI
    * Shark Predator
    * Shark Predator PCI
    * Terratec XLerate
    * Terratec XLerate Pro
    * Aztech PCI 338 A3D
    * Any sound card/motherboard that uses the Aureal Vortex 2 (AU8830) chipset
    * Any sound card/motherboard that uses the Aureal Vortex 1 (AU8820) chipset

INSTALLATION

Running the A3DDRIVERS.EXE file will install the drivers automatically. If you need to install these updated files manually for some reason, right click  on the A3D.INF file and choose Install. This will copy the A3D.VXD, A3D.DLL,  A3DAPI.DLL, and A3DSPLSH.EXE files over to their proper folders, as well as  enter some information into your Registry.

Advanced users may wish to rename or delete the A3DAPI.DLL files from their local game folders. This will force the games to use the updated A3DAPI.DLL in the Windows System folder and may result in a performance increase within that title.

Vortex 2 2048 OEM Drivers

Aureal had posted 2048 Vortex 2 Drivers on their website but with the site down you can still find them for the time being at downloads.aureal.com with additional information from support.aureal.com.  Alternatively,   you can find the direct download links below.  Quadzilla owners, remember that you have to wait for the Voyetra Turtle Beach release or you will lose bracket board functionality.

FEATURES:

What's new in 2048

• Added A3Dverb reverb engine (optimized for 3DNow!)
• Added A3D 3.0 support
• Added initial EAX 1.0 support
• Added initial I3DL2 support
• Fixed A3D Property Set issues
• Fixed issue of Hardware Equalizer app not launching properly
• Fixed issue of MIDI not working properly when A3D was  in use
• Improved SoundFont (SF2) support
• Modified 3D rendering slightly to reduce muffled sounds in center of head
• Modified Vortex 2 Control Panel layout

What's new in 2040? (Thanks Vortex of Sound)

• Fixed problems with MusicMatch locking or rebooting system
• Fixed problems with playing of VIVO files rebooting system
• Fixed problems with Real Player locking up
• Adds support for 256 additional MIDI voices; now 64 in hardware and 512 in software
• Adds support for the SQ2500 S/PDIF out

This section lists  features incorporated into the Vortex 2040 drivers taken from the readme file:  Note these are not really new but carry forwards from 2030.

• New and improved Icons on the A3D Settings test button;
• Added S/PDIF 44.1kHz support on AU8830;
• Updated the system tray program to reflect new output mode names: Satellite speakers, Monitor Speakers and Quad Speakers;
• Added full support for SPDIF PCM support on all of the 8830 cards that support SPDIF;
• The user interface on the Control panel has a fader on the A3D Settings page, which allows the user to Fade between the front and rear outputs. The fader is only functional on boards that have four outputs with speakers connected to them;
• Added support for a one step uninstall;
• AC-3 support works through the waveout interface;
• Added new A3D 2.0 Demo App : "A3D 2.0 Rooms";
• Hardware Detection for Quad and Stereo Codecs;
• Full Quad support for all playback modes;

  Quad support for Non 3D streams: They are distributed equally to the front and rear channels.

  Quad support for A3D: Full A3D rendering and crosstalk on front channels plus panning on the rear channels. This includes A3D SuperQuad which is a quantum leap over standard quad solution used by 4 speaker 3D audio systems (discrete 4 channel panning). Vortex 2 significantly improves upon that solution by introducing A3D SuperQuad: The combination of discrete 4 channel panning with HRTF support. The result is better 3D positioning coverage for the locations where there are no speakers: above/below listener, in between speakers, and inside / outside of the circle formed by speakers.

  Quad support for DS3D: Full rendering on front channels plus panning on the rear channels.

• Selection between Narrow and Wide speaker placement for A3D;
• Support for multichannel AC-3 playback was added through the waveout interface;
• Added support for additional Codecs

We also know that the new A3D files offers slightly better performance. One other thing to note is these drivers do NOT add support for EAX. Thats still coming later this year.

Here are some of the changes in 2035 that would have carried forward:

• Added support for WinDVD Software DVD Player
• Added S/PDIF autodetect feature
• Fixed an issue that caused a number of DirectSound3D and A3D games to crash
• Fixed some distortion on output
• Fixed some issues relating to Wavetracing Reflections
• Fixed some issues relating to Flatland Rover
• Fixed a Graphic EQ issue
• Fixed an issue with the A3D control panel
• Fixed a memory leak in the direct sound driver
• Normalized the volume between front and rear speakers

WINDOWS 9x DRIVER ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS:

Known 2048 Driver Issues

This section summarizes some of the issues discovered during the testing of this driver release. Aureal will continue to research
these issues, and correct where possible.

    - Hardware 3D support is limited to 16 streams in DS3D
    and EAX-supporting games when reverb is enabled.

    - Abomination: Reverb is considerably different than on
    other EAX-compatible cards.

    - Aliens vs. Predator: These drivers do not support
    Voice Manager which may be preventing reverb from
    being applied to the 3D streams in EAX mode.

    - Baldur's Gate: Some systems experience crackling
    in the audio when EAX is enabled (quad mode only).

    - Descent Freespace: Works, though some systems may
    experience loss of reverb after playing for a
    while - direct path audio remains unaffected.

    - Drakan: Reverb is considerably different than on
    other EAX-compatible cards.

    - Driver: Reverb is considerably different than on
    other EAX-compatible cards.

    - Expendable: Reverb is not as prominent as it is
    on other EAX-comaptible cards.

    - GP500: Some systems experience crackling in the
    audio when EAX is enabled (quad mode only).

    - Nocturne: Audio cuts out when in EAX mode.

    - Planescape Torment: Reverb is not as prominent as it
    is on other EAX-comaptible cards.

    - Rogue Spear: The game's EAX implementation does not
    work on these drivers.

    - Ultima IX - Ascension: Reverb is not as prominent as
    it is on other EAX-comaptible cards.

Some of the issues below were with 2040 and should be addressed in 2048 - others are more genric in nature

• Install Problem - Vortex 1 and 2: Windows detects new hardware but when you point it to the correct directory Windows doesn't find anything the following linked solution ;

• Blue Screen with an error  in VXD AU30CORE(01) after installing the latest Vortex 2 Reference Drivers. - Check the following linked solution.

• S/PDIF Out Not Working:  There is a bug in the 2040 drivers which means that the S/PDIF out will only send out PCM audio, and not AC-3 streams.  Aureal has a simple fix for this which we have courtesy of Vortex of Sound.   Since they just had it in a news post we have taken the liberty of duplicated the solution here for your convenience.  We understand that it will be fixed in the next driver release and the OEMs will probably even have it fixed when the put out their own 2040 drivers.  In the mean time:

Download this REG file (Right click and choose Save Target As... or Save File As...) to your hard drive and double click on it to enter some information into your Registry. Now launch the Vortex Control Panel and go to the Digital Out tab. Check the box that reads "Send AC3 stream to S/PDIF". You can now send AC-3 out the S/PDIF.

This box will not remain checked after a reboot, so be sure to check the option before trying to use the S/PDIF. Its only necessary to send AC-3 out the S/PDIF out; if you're not using the S/PDIF, don't worry about this. Aureal will fix this in the next driver release.

• Fatal exception in (vxd) au30wave - If you downloaded the 2040 drivers prior to September 27th and are getting this error we recommend that you download the drivers again as there is a good chance you got a corrupted file as a result of an issue on a 3rd party FTP server that has now been resolved.

• Direct X 7 - If the problems with DX7 are coming in cases where you have installed DX7 after installing the games try reinstalling the game (remember to back up your save files). There seems to be a problem with the way DX7 updates the system registry and causes problems with games

• Joystick Acceleration - Windows 9x always uses the standard analog gameport by default. Use the Gameport control panel's "Advanced" tab to select the Vortex gameport driver for a boost in speed.

• Multiple sound cards - Some sound cards, such as Ensoniq sound cards, do not correctly report their I/O port utilization to the operating system, which can hang the system.

• Diamond Monster 3D Graphics card - Download the new drivers from Diamond's WWW site to fix noise problems with some games, such as "Incoming."

• Diamond Monster Sound MX300 exhibits problems after switching from the MX300 drivers to the reference drivers -.  Use the manual driver uninstall process (detailed below) to clean out your system and then also clean out your registry of all references to the old drivers (detailed instructions to come).  There is a problem with installing Aureal's reference drivers and Diamond's drivers because the Diamond drivers leave a bunch of files in the system.  It usually ends up with a mixed bag of different file versions which will cause problems.

• Hercules Stingray 128 Graphics Card - In the "Display Properties" control panel, enable "Allow PCI retries" to fix audio problems.

• IBM 300GL and Sony VAIO USB - A system hang may occur during Vortex driver installation. Disable USB during installation to fix.

• Disabling DOS Support: In order to disable AU30DOS.com from loading into memory on your system for Real-Mode Dos, you must place a REM in front of the line in your autoexec.bat so that it looks like this:
  
  REM LH C:\WINDOWS\AU30DOS.COM
  
  Deleting the au30dos.com line in your autoexec.bat will not work because the system registry will add the line back if it is not present.
  
  Disabling "Sound Blaster Pro Emulation" in the device manager of Windows 95/98, will also disable Real-Mode Dos support which prevents AU30DOS.com from loading into memory.

• More Vortex 1 or Vortex 2 Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

DOWNLOAD

The drivers are available for download in three flavours and are for Vortex 2 (AU8830) based sound cards only.  Quadzilla owners will also have to wait for Turtle Beach to put out new drivers:

These drivers will be different than the ones that you received from the manufacturer of your sound card. Each of the sound board manufacturer's drivers are modified to support various features that are unique to the board. As a result, Aureal in no way guarantees the functionality and stability of these drivers and they are made available for reference purposes only.

Vortex 2 2048 Drivers (Update Set - No Demos) - Windows 95 / 98

 

http://downloads.aureal.com/pub/Public/Drivers/Vortex/2048/Win9x2048_NoDemos.zip

 

Download the latest Vortex 2 drivers
(without the A3D and Vortex demos and applications)

(Version 4.06.2048 - 11,300,477 byte zipfile - 02/18/00)

These drivers are for Vortex 2 (AU8830) based sound cards only.

Vortex 2 Drivers 2048 (Update Set - No Demos, No GM) - Windows 95 / 98

http://downloads.aureal.com/pub/Public/Drivers/Vortex/2048/Win9x2048_NoDemos_NoGM.zip

Download the latest Vortex 2 drivers
(without the A3D and Vortex demos and applications and without the Aureal GM MIDI set)

(Version 4.06.2048 - 6,769,903 byte zipfile - 02/18/00)

These drivers are for Vortex 2 (AU8830) based sound cards only.

 

Vortex 2 Drivers 2048 (Complete) - Windows 95 / 98

http://downloads.aureal.com/pub/Public/Drivers/Vortex/2048/Win9x2048.zip

Download the latest Vortex 2 drivers
(complete with A3D and Vortex demos and applications and the Aureal GM MIDI set)

(Version 4.06.2048 - 38,640,782  zipfile - 02/18/00)

These drivers are for Vortex 2 (AU8830) based sound cards only.

A3D Demos

 

Vortex 2 2041 Drivers (Update Set) - Windows 95 / 98

 

http://downloads.aureal.com/pub/Public/Drivers/Vortex/w9x2041_NODEMO.zip

Download the 2041 (pre EAX) Vortex 2 drivers
(without the A3D and Vortex demos and applications)

(Version 4.06.2040 - 8.38MB zipfile - 09/21/99)

These drivers are for Vortex 2 (AU8830) based sound cards only.

 

Vortex 2 Drivers 2041 (Update Set) - Windows 95 / 98

http://downloads.aureal.com/pub/Public/Drivers/Vortex/w9x2041_NODEMO_NOGM.zip

Download the 2041 (pre EAX) Vortex 2 drivers
(without the A3D and Vortex demos and applications and without the Aureal GM MIDI set)

(Version 4.06.2040 - 4.03MB zipfile - 09/21/99)

These drivers are for Vortex 2 (AU8830) based sound cards only.

 

Vortex 2 Drivers 2041 (Complete) - Windows 95 / 98

http://downloads.aureal.com/pub/Public/Drivers/Vortex/w9x2041.zip

Download the 2041 (pre EAX) Vortex 2 drivers
(complete with A3D and Vortex demos and applications and the Aureal GM MIDI set)

(Version 4.06.2040 - 34.5MB zipfile - 09/21/99)

These drivers are for Vortex 2 (AU8830) based sound cards only.

Vortex 2 Drivers -  2048 Windows NT 4.0

http://downloads.aureal.com/pub/Public/Drivers/Vortex/nt2_05_05eng.zip

Download the latest Vortex 2 drivers for NT 4.0

Version 2.05.05 - 5 MB ZIP file - 9/14/99
Full installation.

These drivers are for Vortex 2 (AU8830) based sound cards only.

The following text is from a readme text from Aureal Inc.

Win 2K

=======================================================================
IMPORTANT INSTALLATION NOTES (Windows 9x Only) =======================================================================

This document is a description of the different types of drivers available currently on Aureal's Web and FTP sites, how to uninstall old drivers and how to install new ones. Please read it carefully if you wish to avoid unpredictable results with the latest drivers.

===========
PLEASE NOTE
===========

The proper uninstallation procedures are detailed at the bottom of the document. As uninstallation of your old drivers is the necessary first step in upgrading your drivers, please refer to that  section first before upgrading.

===================
Driver Descriptions
===================

There are currently 6 main types of driver packages on Aureal's FTP and Web sites:

- A3D Demos
- A3D Drivers
- Win9x Vortex Drivers (Complete)
- Win9x Vortex Drivers without the A3D Demos and Applications
- Win9x Vortex Drivers without the A3D Demos and Applications and
without the Aureal GM Wavetable MIDI set
- Non Win9x Drivers

What follows is a brief description about how to install each of the first 5 types. Installation instructions are specifically included in the non Win9x driver files, so they will not be covered here.


=========
A3D Demos
=========

This file includes the packaged demos, control panels, applications and other utilities that come with all Vortex sound cards. These same programs are included in the complete Vortex drivers but do not get updated often and take up space, and thus increase download times. For this reason they have been removed from the Update Versions of the Vortex drivers and were made available separately. You only need download this file to restore these applications should you have lost you installation CD (or for whatever reason) they are not required for proper functionality of the Vortex product.  To install these programs, unzip the file and double-click Setup.exe.


===========
A3D Drivers
===========

These need only be downloaded for A3D games and applications. They will not improve the general performance of your sound card, just  those applications that utilize A3D. While A3D drivers are included with all Vortex driver sets, the A3D driver set is available separately, as new A3D drivers are generally updated more often thanVortex drivers.

To install these drivers, double-click on the downloaded file and wait for confirmation that the installation completed.


==============
Vortex Drivers
==============

These are the core Vortex drivers for your Vortex-based sound card or PC. Because of the sheer size of these drivers, 3 different version are available for download. If you have a previously installed version of the Vortex drivers installed, and you have a slow internet connection, it is suggested that you download the "Update Set" of drivers, instead of downloading the "Complete Set."

The naming convention is generally something like:

W9x####ENG_DRV.ZIP: Complete Set (ENG stands for "English")
W9x####_NODEMOS.ZIP: Update Set - No A3D Demos
W9x####_NODEMOS_NOGM.ZIP: Update Set - No A3D Demos / No Wavetable Set


----------------------------------------------------
Win9X Vortex Drivers (Update Set - No Demos / No GM)
----------------------------------------------------

To install these drivers unzip the file a temporary directory, search the \windows\system directory for a file called AUREALGM, AU30GM.ARL, or AU10GM.ARL, and copy it to this same temporary directory, uninstall your old drivers, reboot your machine, and when prompted for the New Hardware Device Driver, "Browse" to point to the temporary directory into which you unzipped the downloaded file. The installation will then begin to copy files to your hard drive and update the necessary configuration settings. You may have to redirect Windows back to the temporary directory more than once. While this is taking place you may
be prompted for a file called AUREALGM, AU30GM.ARL, AU10GM.ARL, or something similar; if you did not follow the steps carefully you will need to locate this file and copy it to the \windows\system directory manually, or your Wavetable will not work.


--------------------------------------------
Win9X Vortex Drivers (Update Set - No Demos)
--------------------------------------------

To install these drivers unzip the file a temporary directory, uninstall your old drivers, reboot your machine, and when prompted for the New Hardware Device Driver, "Browse" to point to the temporary directory into which you unzipped the downloaded file. The installation will then begin to copy files to your hard drive and update the necessary configuration settings. You may have to redirect Windows back to the temporary directory more than once. The first time you install these drivers many things take place that may require you to wait a few minutes while your system is updated.

-----------------------------------
Win9X Vortex Drivers (Complete Set)
-----------------------------------

To install these drivers unzip the file a temporary directory, uninstall your old drivers, reboot your machine, and when prompted for the New Hardware Device Driver, "Browse" to point to the temporary directory into which you unzipped the downloaded file. The installation will then begin to copy files to your hard drive and update the necessary configuration settings. You may have to redirect Windows back to the temporary directory more than once. The first time you install these drivers many things take place that may require you to wait a few minutes while your system is updated, and before the Aureal Vortex Control Panel comes up on the Windows System Tray. Once the Aureal logo comes up in the lower right hand corner of your screen, the installation is complete.

===========================
Uninstallation Instructions
===========================

A very large percentage of problems reported to Aureal are due to an improper, incomplete, or otherwise unsuccessful uninstallation of the previously installed drivers. Please follow these steps to avoid problems with your new drivers. Users of the Diamond Monster Sound MX300 and Sonic Impact S90, should be especially diligent with their uninstallation procedures, as the drivers for these products do not always uninstall cleanly.


------------------------
Aureal Vortex 1 (AU8820)
------------------------

Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Add / Remove Programs.

Click on the product name of your sound card (for Aureal Reference Drivers this will be "Aureal Vortex") and click "Add / Remove."

Depending on the version of the drivers you are running you may be prompted to confirm that you wish to Uninstall Vortex. Click to confirm.

Depending on the version of the drivers you are running you may be prompted to reboot your system. Select "No."

Close the Control Panel.

At this point you may reboot and install your new drivers, or you can continue with the following manual uninstallation steps to make absolute certain that all of the old files have been removed.

*** ALTERNATIVE STEPS FOR MANUAL UNINSTALLATION ***

Open the C:\Windows\inf or C:\Windows\inf\other directory (depending on the version of Windows you are using) and delete the "ASP4MULT.INF" file.

Open the C:\windows directory and search for ASP4*.* and delete any files that you find.

Open the C:\windows\system directory and search for ASP4*.* and A3D*.* and delete any files that you find.

(Expert users may also choose to search and clean the Registry.)

At this point you may reboot and install your new drivers.



------------------------
Aureal Vortex 2 (AU8830)
------------------------

Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Add / Remove Programs.

Click on the product name of your sound card (for Aureal Reference Drivers this will be "Aureal Vortex") and click "Add / Remove."

Depending on the version of the drivers you are running you may be prompted to confirm that you wish to Uninstall Vortex. Click to confirm.

Depending on the version of the drivers you are running you may be prompted to reboot your system. Select "No."

Close the Control Panel.

At this point you may reboot and install your new drivers, or you can continue with the following manual uninstallation steps to make absolute certain that all of the old files have been removed.

*** ALTERNATIVE STEPS FOR MANUAL UNINSTALLATION ***

Open the C:\Windows\inf or C:\Windows\inf\other directory (depending on the version of Windows you are using) and delete the "AU30MULT.INF" file.

Open the C:\windows directory and search for AU30*.* and delete any files that you find.

Open the C:\windows\system directory and search for AU30*.* and A3D*.* and delete any files that you find.

(Expert users may also choose to search and clean the Registry.)

At this point you may reboot and install your new drivers.

Have comments or questions on this feature?
Why not post them in our forum?

Sound Card Reviews

Audigy Detailed Impressions

Hurricane Extreme Initial Review

Hercules GameTheater XP

Philips Acoustic Edge

SoundBlaster Live! reference review

SoundBlaster Live! Platinum 5.1 European Edition

SoundBlaster Live! Platinum 5.1 America's Edition

Sound Blaster Live! Player 5.1

SoundBlaster Live! MP3+ 5.1

Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer 5.1

FM801 reference review

Mushroom Siren Audio I

Abit AU10

Best Data Theatrix

Turtle Beach SantaCruz

VideoLogic SonicFury

Hoontech SoundTrack Digital-XG

Boostaroo Headphone Amplifier / Splitter

Sound Blaster Live!Drive I and II

Sound Blaster Creative Digital I/O 2

Spectrum Research Theater 2000

Qsound UltraQ

More reviews