I currently enjoy using a Windows 98 PC I built using parts I got either for free or very cheap. One of those parts is a sligthtly modern case - the cheapest one I could find that has a 5.25" and 3.5" bay (although it turns out the 3.5" bay was not meant for a floppy drive but that's besides the point...). The case has front audio via AC'97, but I can never use that, because while the motherboard can support it, I can't use its onboard sound (and I have tried. If anyone is curious, the sound chip is a Realtek ALC655). Instead, I use a Sound Blaster Live!, which is shown off in this video. That card doesn't have an AC'97 connector (go figure...) so I have a 6 foot aux cable that goes to the card that allows me to plug in headphones while not having the PC on the desk. The cable solution works...fine, but I'd really like to use that front panel audio. I don't even care about the microphone port, I'd just like audio.
Is there a safe way to convert AC'97 to any of the standards used on the card? I'd prefer not to use the Soundblaster interface because it's not convienent, but I will if I have to. If I can get the onboard sound working, or if I can get a card that supports Windows 98 and AC'97, that would also be an acceptable solution