Re: best version of Office to learn
Posted on 2024-03-01, 08:13
It's all Office365 now - constant version creep. I really don't think it is worth learning something which is obsolete.
Re: Need help with (hypothetical) RetroPC build
Posted on 2024-02-29, 18:07
Missing drivers for the either the onboard motherboard sound chip, or whatever addin ISA/PCi/PCIe sound card you have added.
Re: "Laplus Deskstar" - 440BX meets 133FSB.
Posted on 2024-02-29, 08:19
I trust those deskstars about as far as I can throw them! I had two different models fail on me back in the day - a 40 and a 60, IIRC. At least one of them was a glass platter model, and it made a glorious shattering noise when I took great pleasure in destroying it with a hammer! 🤣
Re: Orange spider web on the screen , Help :(
Posted on 2024-02-29, 08:15
Looks like when Fungus grows inside old camera lenses. That was my thought too; the fractal-like pattern is almost a dead giveaway of either a fungal growth or some crystalline structure from bio-chemical reaction. Has the condition of the case been checked against the sellers pre-sale images? …
Re: Poll. How did you handle AGP to PCI Express stepover?
Posted on 2024-02-28, 09:24
In order of ownership... 286-16, 256k ISA VGA (Oti) 386sx-40, 512k ISA VGA (Oti) 486dx2-50, 1mb VLB VGA (Cirrus) 6x86-166, 2mb PCI VGA (S3 trio) P3-450, 32mb AGP (tnt2 ultra) Athlon 1400, agp ti4600 Athlon MP 2800, agp fx5600 Athlon II X3, PCIe 8800gt C2Q 6600, PCi 8800gt C2Q 6600, PCIe gtx 260 I7 …
Re: Hardware equaliser anyone?
Posted on 2024-02-27, 23:53
Not an equaliser, but a mixer. It is essential, in my opinion, if you have multiple computers, and or multiple midi modules or other external inputs. Yes, you could daisy chain much of that stuff, but that's begging for trouble and far more complex than being able to immediately mute/pan/boost a …
Re: Orange spider web on the screen , Help :(
Posted on 2024-02-27, 20:49
It almost looks like fungus spreading between the cells. That or the cells leaking in some very strange way.
Re: Retro OSes for retro computers
Posted on 2024-02-26, 20:10
Later versions of Linux absolutely do still support ISA. I rewrote the ancient Linux 1.x / 2.x INMOS Transputer interface board driver for the 3.x and 4.x kernels some 10ish years ago. That's an ISA part. I disagree about Mint... it is one of the few systems that has stuck with a Gnome 2 derived …
Re: S3 virge dx vs software rendering
Posted on 2024-02-26, 19:25
Agreed, I look at the Virge as a very good DOS card, with good Windows acceleration. The basic 3D support is really an added bonus. If you want 3D then pair it with a Voodoo. That's what I did back in the day.
Re: Tiny 486 build - SBC with ISA backplane
Posted on 2024-02-26, 16:29
Realtek 8019AS ISA card arrived today. Waiting for the 486 SBC to complete the stack of ISA cards.
Re: What game are you playing now?
Posted on 2024-02-26, 16:26
You can choose between the low resolution 320x200 MCGA and high resolution 640x200 EGA mode which uses dithering to display the extra colours. I think this makes the game look very unique for a DOS title and very, for lack of a better word, MSX-y. Apparently the studio's other DOS titles (Zeliard …
Re: 286 adding RAM
Posted on 2024-02-26, 08:59
Interesting, didn't know you cannot mix socketed and slotted RAM. Although I would prefer the socketed ones as they look way more cool, I can see 1MB being somewhat limiting. It isn't always the case. Some 286 boards do allow you to mix. I've seen a few where odd combinations like 3mb or 5mb is …
Re: Live-booting a HDD-less Pentium4 laptop to backup floppy disks.
Posted on 2024-02-26, 07:38
Yes, the write protect switch prevents the drive from writing to the disk... As long as the drive is working correctly! Faulty heads etc can still touch the disk itself ... So you should check that the drive is working correctly first.
Re: Live-booting a HDD-less Pentium4 laptop to backup floppy disks.
Posted on 2024-02-25, 20:42
Heres a pre-written pxelinux/syslinux config entry to get people started: https://www.target-earth.net/wiki/doku.php?id … log:netboot_dos
Re: Live-booting a HDD-less Pentium4 laptop to backup floppy disks.
Posted on 2024-02-25, 20:35
No need for an iscsi target or a full windows image loaded over the network. As the previous poster suggested, you can supply a virtual disk/floppy image with pxelinux and memdisk. Just drop a bootable Dos floppy into an image, put on your packet drivers for your network card, and the new mtcp suite …
Re: x86 "MSDOS Compatible" platforms of yore, was there a specification?
Posted on 2024-02-25, 19:45
Probably the lowest common denominator is 80x8(6) CPU, 64k and text mode. Not everything has graphics. If you stick to Dos system calls to write your application, then things will tend to 'just work' - see the NEC PC98 series with a completely different IO and memory scheme, and command line tools …
Re: What game are you playing now?
Posted on 2024-02-25, 19:24
Just started playing Enderal, the Skyrim-engined overhaul. I have probably put several hundred hours in to Skyrim over the years, on PC, Xbox 360 and PS4... And this is like meeting someone you once knew at school, but they're now much cooler and a secret UFC cage fighter at the weekend. Everything …
Re: Tiny 486 build - SBC with ISA backplane
Posted on 2024-02-25, 18:15
Indeed, if it had SB/Pro/16 digital support then that would be a hell of an all-in-one option, and certainly one to consider if you wanted a single slot solution. I'll probably keep my (real) MT32, SC55 and SC8820 out on the shelf for use in Dosbox and with my (real) X68000 and PC-98. Everything …
Re: Sound Blaster boards doesn't work on PC with Intel Pentium III
Posted on 2024-02-25, 14:56
Hold on, that machine has an ESS 1869 integrated in it? I would think that would be the easier option to get working in DOS than a PCI Soundblaster.
Re: ISA Expansion Board With ESS Audio Drive
Posted on 2024-02-24, 20:18
Awesome! Thanks for the help now I just have to sort out the driver situation for dos. Use unisound (https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=72553), it initialises ESS chips and can set volume, mixer levels, etc no problem. There's no need for any other drivers, IMO; it's a brilliant all-in-one …
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