Have you tried looking at the web sites of other motherboard manufacturers that sold i865G boards, e.g. Asrock, with Windows 98 drivers? I would think they would have at least the chipset/graphics drivers...

Do you know for sure that there's a driver for the audio chip and the gigabit Ethernet chip for Windows 98 somewhere?

Can you give me a clue on where to start?
I looked in the MSI site for an 865 based board but that didnt offer up any help for Win98, only Win2k+

These boards aint really my thing, Im more at home with Xeon based systems.

i use SIV to look up the actual needed hardware ids in windows 98. http://rh-software.com/
Then i put the ids in google and try all the drivers that come up.

DerBaum wrote on 2023-09-04, 18:28:

i use SIV to look up the actual needed hardware ids in windows 98. http://rh-software.com/
Then i put the ids in google and try all the drivers that come up.

This, or one can use pcilist.exe and get the IDs that way .

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-04, 18:21:

Can you give me a clue on where to start?
I looked in the MSI site for an 865 based board but that didnt offer up any help for Win98, only Win2k+

These boards aint really my thing, Im more at home with Xeon based systems.

https://www.asrock.com/mb/intel/775i65g%20r3.0/#Download for example...

For the Intel Pro/1000 MT for Windows 98SE you want driver PRO98M.exe software version 10.3 here: http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?file … &menustate=34,0
It covers:
"Intel(R) PRO/1000 MT Desktop Adapter"
"Intel(R) PRO/1000 MT Network Connection"
"Intel(R) PRO/1000 MT Mobile Connection"
"Intel(R) PRO/1000 MT Desktop Connection"
plus many more......

Ive covered more ground since I posted the thread than in the last 3 weeks.
Im now stuck on the audio drivers...

I think Ive got all the rest but those ADI drivers are killing me. Ive downloaded about 2.5Gb of drivers from Internet archive, just stripping them from the ISOs they came in.
The Windows install is a mess now so Im trying a fresh install and will try the drivers I got after that.

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-04, 23:17:

...those ADI drivers...

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-ie/drive … d=r46202&lwp=rt

DerBaum wrote on 2023-09-04, 23:47:

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-04, 23:17:

...those ADI drivers...

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-ie/drive … d=r46202&lwp=rt

Ive got that one, it wont work, it installs fine, but then just before or after I click to restart a message box pops up and tells me no ADI codec was loaded and then the restart the device manager says there are no drivers loaded etc.

OK well you have some sort of mis-identify on what the audio is because the ADI (Dell) is not same as the VIA Vinyl audio engine (your Win2k3).
Did you try the VIA Vinyl drivers ? https://soggi.org/drivers/via.htm
It is possible that your board has a diff or "combined" audio chip So best bet is to go back to Win2k3 and get the device Hardware ID's from Device manager....that will make it easier to track down.
added: found some decent pictures of the motherboard, the full size mid-tower board and it indeed has a Analog Devices logo (the arrow) on a chip near the audio outputs.....

Horun wrote on 2023-09-05, 00:47:

OK well you have some sort of mis-identify on what the audio is because the ADI (Dell) is not same as the VIA Vinyl audio engine […]
Show full quote

OK well you have some sort of mis-identify on what the audio is because the ADI (Dell) is not same as the VIA Vinyl audio engine (your Win2k3).
Did you try the VIA Vinyl drivers ? https://soggi.org/drivers/via.htm
It is possible that your board has a diff or "combined" audio chip So best bet is to go back to Win2k3 and get the device Hardware ID's from Device manager....that will make it easier to track down.
added: found some decent pictures of the motherboard, the full size mid-tower board and it indeed has a Analog Devices logo (the arrow) on a chip near the audio outputs.....

So why does Dell only provide the ADi driver for Win2k, XP and NT4?
There are no other drivers for this machine, and I am searching by its Dell tag, so its searching for its spercific drivers, not only that but when I search for a Dell GX270 SFF on the site the only driver that comes up is the ADi driver and the chipset is an Intel 865G. Not VIA.

I looked. The top left corner of the board to the left of the PCI slot there is an ADI chip on it, the icon looks like a little play button icon. ADI1981B

Going to install Win2k.
Thats never failed me before. It will tell me whats what.

Windows 2000 uses the ADI driver from the Dell site
Windows XP uses the ADI driver from the Dell site
Windows NT4 uses the ADI driver from the Dell site
Windows Server 2003 uses a VIA Vinyl AC97 Audio driver
Windows 98SE... is being installed. I will be looking for a VIA driver for it as I cant make an ADI driver work.

Edit:
Windows 98SE is now working with the VIA Vinyl97 WDM audio driver.