The documentation for the Hitachi feature tool indicates that it can program the controller to soft limit disk size. You can set a low limit to confirm that it works but also 32GB and 8.4GB to see what the IDE host supports.

https://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#FeatureTool
https://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/downloads/FT … r_Guide_215.pdf

That should be a fun project it will look good all cleaned up. What all are you going to load onto it?

gdjacobs wrote:

The documentation for the Hitachi feature tool indicates that it can program the controller to soft limit disk size. You can set a low limit to confirm that it works but also 32GB and 8.4GB to see what the IDE host supports.

https://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#FeatureTool
https://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/downloads/FT … r_Guide_215.pdf

Thank you! I will give that a whirl when I get the machine.

I'm planning on using MS-DOS + WfW 3.11 on this rig and use it for older games + MIDI... my Vectra has DOS + WfW 3.11 + 95 but that's really more an all-around retrobox

Love Gateway 2000s. They just look so perfectly designed aesthetically speaking.

Alright I got everything in the mail today. Cleaned it up nicely, tossed in the cards and nothing at power on. I'm guessing the power supply is dead but I have no other AT machine to test it with. Any suggestions?

Also the CDROM drive is a SonyCDU31A. The ribbon cable is included but it has a proprietary 34 pin connector Can't really use it since I do not have the proper interface for it.
.
Here are some pictures!

http://imgur.com/a/XGTi8

Used a paper clip on the CD drive, turns out it has the factory system disk as well in great condition.

http://imgur.com/a/SkKdQ

I love the look of those early Gateway 2000 systems. And it has PS/2! What a bonus. What CPU are you going to run in it?

I would recommend checking all jumpers on the motherboard and to open the PSU and check for bulging caps. You can also try an ATX to AT adapter and test the system with an ATX power supply.

MOOOOO.

You'll need to get your GW2000 mug to go along with it:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gateway-2000-Coffee-M … %3D151744531108

feipoa wrote:

I love the look of those early Gateway 2000 systems. And it has PS/2!

Gateways were very competent clone machines, you typically got the full package: PS/2, serial, parallel. There's also a slimline gateway 2000. I always feel sad inside when I see a socket 7 mobo with a lone AT plug and no I/O.

feipoa wrote:

I love the look of those early Gateway 2000 systems. And it has PS/2! What a bonus. What CPU are you going to run in it?

I would recommend checking all jumpers on the motherboard and to open the PSU and check for bulging caps. You can also try an ATX to AT adapter and test the system with an ATX power supply.

I opened up the PSU and got rid of some dust. There was a fuse, I just took it out and put it back in. Machine turns on now but no video... guessing the VLB card I got could be faulty? If I turn it on without the VLB gfx card it will beep. Genoa 8500VL Rev G if that helps.

Any chance I can find the original manual of this sucker online?

I was also going to mention about the fuse but my kids were screeming, so forgot. Use your multi meter to ensure that the fuse is intact. There could be a hairline connection in the fuse which is sometimes touching and sometimes not.

For testing, I would remove all the graphics cards and put in a ISA graphics card. You also want to check all jumpers. Who knows what curious hands have been in there.

DOn't have any ISA or other VLB cards to test with. The seller I bought my Genoa from said it was tested and worked fine before he sent it out.

Is it a possibility the processor is bad? The motherboard has a light and it lights up when turned on.

oeuvre wrote:

Machine turns on now but no video... guessing the VLB card I got could be faulty? If I turn it on without the VLB gfx card it will beep. Genoa 8500VL Rev G if that helps.

Your picture shows two VLB slots.
Did you try the card in both slots?

Yep, no dice. Could it be a processor or mobo issue? The case is standard baby AT so worst comes to worst I could toss in a different 486 or Socket 5/7 board in there and play around with that.

You could do that, but then it looses the appeal of an all OEM system. Often, though, OEM systems have different holes for where the keyboard and mouse ports go and many stand-alone motherboards will not fit properly.

I suggest trying different CPUs, RAM, and expansion cards. If you don't have any, then I suspect you are recently getting into this hobby. If that is the case, wait a few months and you'll have all kinds of old computer parts coming out your ears.

What kind of monitor do you have connected to the Graphics card. Those older cards don't Always play well with new monitors. And also check if the VLB card has jumpers for FrontSideBus speed and scanline rate. I received an VLB Cirrus logic card where the jumpers where gone and didn't start till I populated two places where jumpers needed to go.
If the system beeps without the VLB card in it then it means it detects the card but the card can't produce any image. So the problem is between the card and the monitor.

I've been building retro PCs for years but I never end up with spare mobos or processors somehow. RAM, drives, some expansion cards yes...

I'm using a Dell 2007fpb monitor and the 486 DX2 66 tower I had last year had the same exact Genoa 8500VL Rev G, so I know the card is compatible with the monitor. There is only one jumper on the card and it is configured properly. As for the motherboard ones, they're all good as well.

Argh, tried another 486 DX2 66 in the gateway 2000, still no beep/post/video but it does turn on... jumpers and everything else are correct. So, looks like mobo or PSU

So I got another VLB card in the mail and it fired up fine. Now I gotta set the proper HD settings in BIOS to get the machine to recognize the drive. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of setting the drive capacity via that Hitachi utility to under 2GB just to be safe for now.

oeuvre wrote:

I don't have any leftoeuvre

🤣

oeuvre wrote:

Argh, tried another 486 DX2 66 in the gateway 2000, still no beep/post/video but it does turn on... jumpers and everything else are correct. So, looks like mobo or PSU

You said that card was a Cirrus - was that a GD5429, by chance? I have a JX30GC motherboard that I think came out of a Gateway - it's a 486 VLB board - and it won't POST at all with a Cirrus GD5429 card installed. A GD5428 or a Tseng ET4000/W32? No problem. Either of the 5429s? Acute failure to chooch. I wonder if you're seeing the same thing.

If it is the same board, however, I can report that it doesn't have the 528MB limit (but does have the 8GB limit typical to that era).

ETA: Looked at your photos - if that's not a JX30GC, I'll smoke my hat.