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Oracle VirtualBox Error Windows 98 / SE EXPLORER caused an Exception 6d007eH and SHELL32.DLL Error

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If you are trying to install Windows 98 / SE on Oracle Virtual Box but are getting stuck with a message telling you, “This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.” then we have a possible fix for you!

The error is, “Explorer has caused an Exception 6d007eH and Shell32.DLL”. Without getting overly complicated and trying to get to the fix quickly, the problem is mainly 32-bit protected mode disk drivers.

The “fix”, or more accurately, the workaround is:

  1. Reboot the VM once this error occurs during installation
  2. Press F8 before Windows 98 / SE setup continues
  3. Skip or wait for Scandisk to finish if it loads
  4. Enter “Safe Mode” <This can sometimes take awhile for safe mode to boot>
  5. Once in Safe Mode, right click “My Computer”
  6. Select “Properties”
  7. Select “Performance”
  8. Select “File System”
  9. Select “Troubleshooting”
  10. Put a check next to “Disable all 32-bit protected-mode disk drivers”
  11. Click “Apply”
  12. Close the dialog box and restart the VM

Allow Windows 98 / SE to continue setup as it normally would and this time it should complete the install.

Screenshots of the Process are below:

Enter Safe Mode
Once in Safe Mode, right click “My Computer”
Select “Properties”
Select “Performance”
Select “File System”
Select “Troubleshooting”
Put a check next to “Disable all 32-bit protected-mode disk drivers”
Reboot and complete setup.

MIDI Module Guide for Vintage PC games and Music Creation

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This is a simple guide to help you understand the different MIDI modules that are available for playing PC games. I am working on improving this, I need to take some pictures of the modules I own and add them here as well.

Different types of MIDI modules that you can use with PC games:

  • FM – Frequency Modulation. Only a very few games support FM modules.
  • LA – Linear Arithmetic. Many famous late 80’s and early 90’s games use LA synthesis.
  • GM – General MIDI. The standard for PC game music before CD audio took over.
  • GS – Roland’s extension of General MIDI often labeled as Sound Canvas in games
  • XG – Yamaha’s extension of General MIDI used by Final Fantasy VII and VIII on PC

  • Roland Sound Canvas Variants
  • SC-55 (1991) – Original, GS only model without a GM logo
  • SC-55 (1991) – Updated with full GM support, may or may not have GM logo on the front
  • CM-300 (1991) – Same as first SC-55 version but without a screen, GS only
  • CM-300 (1991) – Updated model with full GM support, may GM logo on the front
  • CM-500 (1991) – Has both CM-300 and CM-32LN hardware
  • Updated and Cost-Reduced Models:
  • SC-55 MKII (1993) – Improved audio quality and more tones
  • SC-55ST (1993) – Same as MKII but without a screen and one less MIDI input. Also sold under the Edirol brand in white.
  • SC-50 (1994) – Same as MKII / without the MT-32 voices
  • Desktop Versions:
  • SC-155 (1992) – A desktop version of SC-55
  • SC-33 (1992) – A desktop version of SC-55 without the MT-32 voices
  • Boss Dr. Synth DS-330 (1992) – Boss branded version of SC-33
  • SC-35 (1993) – SC-33 with an integrated sequencer
  • SC-88 Variants:
  • SC-88 (1994) – Base model
  • M-GS64 (1995) – Rack mount version
  • SC-88VL (1996) – Reduced size version / available in white
  • SC-88ST (1996) – No screen, can switch between SC-55 and SC-88 modes. Also branded as Edirol in white
  • SC-88 Pro Variants
  • SC-88 Pro (1996) – Original base model
  • SC-88ST Pro (1997) – No screen and a button that switches between modes
  • SC-880 (1998) – A rack mount unit
  • SC-8850 (1999) – USB connection and General MIDI 2 support
  • SC-8820 (1999) – Reduced size device without a screen, USB power. Button to change modes
  • SC-D70 (2001) – Works as a USB audio interface with digital outputs

  • Studio Canvas branded (Edirol and Roland):
  • SD-90 (2001) – A larger device with many of Sound Canvas sounds. Multiple options for connectivity
  • SD-80 (2002) – A cost reduced version of SD-90
  • These models support both GM (via GM2 backwards compatibility) and GS. Howver, they don’t have maps for Sound Canvas compatibility.
  • SD-20 (2002) – A cheaper device in an SC-8820 chassis
  • SD-50 (2009) – Midi interface, midi module, audio interface, mp3 player.

Yamaha Synth Modules:

  • TG Series:
  • TG100 (1992) – GM synth
  • CBX-T3 (1993) – Cheaper version with no display or controls
  • TG300 (1993) – Higher quality version of TG100. Better audio quality
  • MU Series:
  • MU80 (1994) – XG synth
  • MU50 (1995) – Cheaper version, lower quality audio
  • MU90 (1996) – Higher quality version of MU80
  • MU90R (1996) – Rack-mount version of MU90
  • MU90B (1997) – No display version of MU90. Power button and volume control
  • MU100 (1997) – upgraded sound engine, support for expansion cards
  • MU100R (1997) – Rack-mount version of MU90, extra expansion slot
  • MU100B (1997) – No display version of the MU100. Power button and volume control
  • MU128 and Desktop MIDI Modules:
  • MU2000 (1999) – USB, optical digital out, SmartMedia card slot, sampler and sequencer
  • MU1000 (1999) – Cheaper version of the MU2000, no sampler, sequencer or SmartMedia card slot
  • MU2000EX (2000) – Firmware upgrade to MU2000 adding Roland GS support
  • MU1000EX (2000) – Firmware upgrade to MU1000 adding Roland GS support
  • MU500 (2000) – Size reduced unit with MU100 sound engine and MU2000 sounds
  • Portable Versions:
  • Yamaha Portable MU Units:
  • MU5 (1994) – Only MU series unit with no XG, buttons double as a small keyboard
  • MU10 (1996) – Beige with no display, XG support
  • MU15 (1998) – An updated MU5 with XG support

  • Drum modules (DTX series)
  • DTXpress (2000) – Similar to older MU series
  • DTXpress II (2002) – Updated drum samples
  • DTXpress III (2003) – Updated drum samples

  • Korg Modules:
  • 05R/W (1994) – First Korg GM module, based on their X5 keyboard
  • AG-10 (1994) – “Audio Gallery” white box.
  • X5DR (1995) – same as 05R/W with improvements for music production
  • NS5R (1997) – GS compatible, could be upgraded with a daughterboard to add XG
  • NX5R (1999) – Upgraded NS5R with XG daughterboard built in

  • Kawai Modules:
  • GMega (1993) – The only model with a screen and controls
  • GMega LX (1993) – a white box with only a power button and volume control
  • GMega L (1993) – Cheaper version of GMega LX, with less MIDI channels

  • Casio Modules:
  • GZ-50M (1995) – Very basic, small GM module
  • GZ-30M (1995) – Cheaper version of GZ-50M with a simpler case and controls, no separate RCA output or headphone jacks. No effects or reverb
  • GZ-70SP (1995) – A GZ-30M stuck inside a speaker

  • Akai Modules:
  • SG01k (1995) Akai’s only GM module. Good sounding unit that emulated Roland sounds and others
  • MIDIPLUS
  • miniEngine Pro (2017) – A tiny GM device that also works as a battery pack
  • miniEngine (2017) – Cheaper version of the Pro, screen replaced by a three-digit display
  • Various Sound Modules:
  • E-Mu Sound Engine (1993) – Similar to the Creative Waveblaster in module form.
  • ENIAC Sound Saurus BH-1000 (1994) – A GM unit that is somewhat rare. Can work with Sound Canvas
  • Ketron SD 2 (2006) – A small, portable module with realistic sound.
  • Alesis Nanosynth (2007) – Compact high quality sound module.
  • Ketron SD 4 (2008) – Rare GM module that has hight quality sound.

  • Roland LA Synth Modules:
  • MT-32 (1987) – The original MT-32
  • MT-32 (1988) – Headphone jack added, internal changes
  • MT-100 (1988) – A combination of the newer MT-32 and a PR-100 sequencer.
  • CM-32L (1989) – White box with power button and volume control only, added sound effects
  • CM-64 (1989) – a CM-32L and CM-32P (a PCM synth not used in DOS games) combo
  • CM-32LN (1992) –CM-32L with a new DAC and a connector for NEC PC-98 computers
  • CM-500 (1991) – combination of CM-32LN and CM-300 (GS synth)

How to View FPS in Diablo III Reaper of Souls

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Diablo3ROSLogo FPS

Are you having any issues with lag in Diablo III Reaper of Souls for PC or Mac ? You may want to check on your frames per second or (FPS).  This information is normally not displayed by default but it’s really easy to enable and you can do it without any add-ons.

  • If you’re playing Diablo III, during gameplay, you can simply press Control+ R on your keyboard to view your FPS. This also works the same way for Mac Keyboards.

As far as resolving issues with drops in frame rate, you might want to first try changing some of your graphics settings to see if there are any noticeable improvements. You may also want to make sure that you have the latest drivers for your specific graphics card. Another good troubleshooting technique is to check Task Manager if your running Windows or the Activity Monitor on Mac OS X. These programs allow you to ensure that there are no other programs running in the background that could degrade the performance of your game. If your running the game on a standard mechanical hard drive, then you may want to check to see if your disk is in good health or if  it needs to be defragmented.

Another possible cause if lag in Diablo III Reaper of Souls is network lag. Diablo III is an online game and is therefore susceptible to poor quality networks and slower bandwidth speeds. Network lag can also feel a lot like hardware performance lag as far as FPS go. You should always check your internet connection when you’re having issues, it might not even be your hardware that’s causing the issue.

These are just a few basic steps you can take to start troubleshooting your game performance. These basic system checks can be utilized for just about any game that your having issues with, not just Diablo III

Still having issues with the game? Need more answers? One of the best ways to get help is to try and get answers from the community on Blizzard’s forums. Here, you can get in touch with other gamers to get information about your problems and you may even get a response from Blizzard on the subject.