Assuming you haven't already, I would disable all unused hardware in the BIOS - serial ports, printer port, etc. anything to free up resources. If you're using an add in controller card, disable any unused IDE ports.
I've had similar situations with Via chipset Socket 7 motherboards.

After disabling all serial, parallel, usb ports and downgrading the motherboard bios a few version it didn't change anything, i ended up finding a gf3.rom on philscomputerlab (thanks phil!). I had to override the bios but after the update from 3.20.00.10.2 -->> 3.20.00.12 this fixed the floppy issue for me.

lowlytech wrote on 2021-01-23, 06:25:

After disabling all serial, parallel, usb ports and downgrading the motherboard bios a few version it didn't change anything, i ended up finding a gf3.rom on philscomputerlab (thanks phil!). I had to override the bios but after the update from 3.20.00.10.2 -->> 3.20.00.12 this fixed the floppy issue for me.

Wow! That is was a strange one. Thank you for sharing . To avoid issues, you might want to consider editing the video RAM timings and GPU clock in the 3.20.00.12 vBIOS to match those in your original BIOS .

I hate to ask, but i have no idea how to modify clock speeds or what the original clock was. Is there a tool for this or do you have to modify with a hex editor? I see no brand name on the card, but i will see if i can get 3dmark test going and report back if there are graphic issues.

Congrats on solving that one! As I mentioned before, I've run into similar issues with Via chipset Socket 7 boards - no conflicts when using a GF2 MX, or a Radeon 9200, but suddenly the CDROM disappears when I installed a GF3 because of a resource conflict. But the MVP3 is known for that, where Intel chipsets are not.

lowlytech wrote on 2021-01-23, 13:40:

I hate to ask, but i have no idea how to modify clock speeds or what the original clock was. Is there a tool for this or do you have to modify with a hex editor? I see no brand name on the card, but i will see if i can get 3dmark test going and report back if there are graphic issues.

20210122_234923.jpg

The tool I would try first is Nibitor, to at least compare the values . I assume you kept a backup copy of the old vBIOS .

See https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/nvidia-b … ad-nibitor.html

It goes almost without saying that you should be extra careful to avoid soft bricking or irreparably breaking your card . Either way, I disclaim any responsability .

Thanks Darry for the link to the nibitor file. However when I open the one I downloaded from Phils site and the vbios i saved before the flash, both files say they can't find clockrates and are unsupported. I would love to know what the vendor of the old card was. Here are both the vBIOS files attached to this message. Currently have 3DMark2000 running on the machine to see if there is any instability.

If both BIOS were for a GeForce3, wouldn't the clock speeds be the same? https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce3.c738
if you don't have a utility installed that tells you the clock speeds, Riva Tuner will do that. https://www.techspot.com/downloads/397-riva-tuner.html

The GF3 TI 500 had a slightly faster clock of 240MHz core/250MHz RAM instead of 200Mhz/230Mhz but that is locked in the vBIOS somewhere and not adjustable AFAIK.
added: Just checked my Gainward GF3 TI 128Mb and it has a 200Mhz core/230Mhz memory (DDR 460Mhz) clock non-adjustable.

Horun wrote on 2021-01-23, 18:12:

The GF3 TI 500 had a slightly faster clock of 240MHz core/250MHz RAM instead of 200Mhz/230Mhz but that is locked in the vBIOS somewhere and not adjustable AFAIK.
added: Just checked my Gainward GF3 TI 128Mb and it has a 200Mhz core/230Mhz memory (DDR 460Mhz) clock non-adjustable.

Yes, the GeForce 3, GeForce 3 Ti 200, and the GeForce 3 Ti 500 had different clock speeds, but we seem to be going from GeForce 3 to GeForce 3 here.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2021-01-23, 18:24:

Horun wrote on 2021-01-23, 18:12:

The GF3 TI 500 had a slightly faster clock of 240MHz core/250MHz RAM instead of 200Mhz/230Mhz but that is locked in the vBIOS somewhere and not adjustable AFAIK.
added: Just checked my Gainward GF3 TI 128Mb and it has a 200Mhz core/230Mhz memory (DDR 460Mhz) clock non-adjustable.

Yes, the GeForce 3, GeForce 3 Ti 200, and the GeForce 3 Ti 500 had different clock speeds, but we seem to be going from GeForce 3 to GeForce 3 here.

First, sorry about suggesting Nibitor, that only supports newer Geforce cards .
For a Geforce 3, you need Ray Adams' nVIDIA BIOS Editor :

(not that easy to find nowadays).

I took the liberty of comparing the 2 BIOSe ROMs and clocks seem the same, which is not all that surprising (though I seems to recall some pre-Ti Geforce 3 cards having higher than official clock, which is why I suggested checking in the first place, but I may be wrong about that) .

Thanks for checking those BIOS files out for me and thanks for posting that editior. So the original card was a Visiontek. Anyone have a .12 bios for a visiontek gf3 or do you think this engineering version will be okay? Only thing i kinda don't like is now on POST i get a video card message saying this is an engineering sample and to not use it. However so far I haven't had any anomalies whatsoever.

The rivatuner says the gpu clock is running at 100mhz instead of 200. Do these gpus dynamically adjust their core clocks when under load?

I'm not sure if it's detecting the speed correctly - I'd use Powerstrip to double check. https://www.philscomputerlab.com/powerstrip.html

Repo Man11 wrote on 2021-01-23, 21:38:

I'm not sure if it's detecting the speed correctly - I'd use Powerstrip to double check. https://www.philscomputerlab.com/powerstrip.html

I would also get at a bad detection .

As for engineering sample string, this modified BIOS should have that gone . It is based on your "new" one, but with all options matched to your old one, except the version and "OEM revision", which the BIOS editor does not seem to set successfully (when set to 2, it always reverts to 1, so I left it at 0 ).

As always, although I have been diligent, I can't guarantee that this hasn't broken something, so be careful .

darry wrote on 2021-01-23, 23:22:

I would also get at a bad detection . […]
Show full quote

Repo Man11 wrote on 2021-01-23, 21:38:

I'm not sure if it's detecting the speed correctly - I'd use Powerstrip to double check. https://www.philscomputerlab.com/powerstrip.html

I would also get at a bad detection .

As for engineering sample string, this modified BIOS should have that gone . It is based on your "new" one, but with all options matched to your old one, except the version and "OEM revision", which the BIOS editor does not seem to set successfully (when set to 2, it always reverts to 1, so I left it at 0 ).

2.png
gf3(new)_patched.zip

As always, although I have been diligent, I can't guarantee that this hasn't broken something, so be careful .

Oh, and according to your old BIOS, your Geforce 3 has a TV out (S-VIDEO and/or composite) and if you want that to keep working, you should probably use one of the BIOSes from here : http://www.x86-secret.com/Download/bios/GF3_3 … 20.00.12.00.zip

based on the TV encoder chip on the card :
GF3BT.ROM --> Brooktree
GF3CH.ROM --> Chrontel
GF3PH.ROM --> Philips
SMGF3.ROM -->No TV out .

EDIT : Let me know if you want me to edit one of those for you (they all have "engineering sample" checked) .

Wow, thank you so much Darry for all the bios patches and links. Yes this card has an svideo out i suppose would be nice to keep accessable. The chip is a conexant which has a sub id of bt869, so brooktree would be the correct one probably.

Thanks again for all the input and help with this card. A wonderful community and resource for sure. And yes the power strip util does report 200mhz for the core clock.

lowlytech wrote on 2021-01-24, 01:40:

Wow, thank you so much Darry for all the bios patches and links. Yes this card has an svideo out i suppose would be nice to keep accessable. The chip is a conexant which has a sub id of bt869, so brooktree would be the correct one probably.

Thanks again for all the input and help with this card. A wonderful community and resource for sure. And yes the power strip util does report 200mhz for the core clock.

20210123_190013.jpg

Happy to help .

Here is a modified version based on GF3BT.ROM (for Brooktree/Conexant)

darry wrote on 2021-01-24, 02:09:

lowlytech wrote on 2021-01-24, 01:40:

Wow, thank you so much Darry for all the bios patches and links. Yes this card has an svideo out i suppose would be nice to keep accessable. The chip is a conexant which has a sub id of bt869, so brooktree would be the correct one probably.

Thanks again for all the input and help with this card. A wonderful community and resource for sure. And yes the power strip util does report 200mhz for the core clock.

20210123_190013.jpg

Happy to help .

Here is a modified version based on GF3BT.ROM (for Brooktree/Conexant) gf3(new)_bt_patched.zip

Thanks ! I actually think have the same card (assuming OP has 180-p0050-0000-a09 silk screened on his) mine is a Visiontek 64MB from a Dell with bios 3.20.00.10.03, all green with same chips, same fan, same missing DVI port.

I am disappointed, came here expecting to hear about an 850GB floppy drive.