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First post, by moknok

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Ok just got a retro machine

CDROM - Working on it (driver)

The CDROM listed is a NEC 28C in BIOS.
I can't get it to work, because I can't find the driver for it. Is it possible it is marked wrong in BIOS?
I don't need the CDROM to work just would like to since everything else works. CD ROM unit responds to eject put when CD is in gives error.

Also highest res I can get in Voodoo 3 200 is 640x480. It fills screen perfectly but anything higher than that like 800x600 and screen is zoomed in or to the right some. Any driver that will work?

Last edited by moknok on 2022-05-06, 21:22. Edited 2 times in total.

| WIN98SE non OEM | PII MMX | 350Mhz | 384RAM | Voodoo3 2000 PCI | DX7 | 126GB+ | Yamaha DS-XG Sound |

Reply 1 of 5, by Cuttoon

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Nice machine!

CD-ROM: Can't hurt to post a picture of the drive nameplate or try to find a link for the model. Google on your data yielded nothing here.
Make sure it's acutally a CD-DROM drive, not DVD.
In any case, Windows should have generic drivers. You do mean Windows? 9x?
On average, half of CD drives out there are simply broken. 9x game rig should have a working one. Any random piece will do.

Resolution: What kind of screen? They all do give you some trouble with different resolutions, it's normal.

I like jumpers.

Reply 2 of 5, by moknok

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Yes, on win98se. All I can find on the bottom of CDROM is:
NEC CDR-1901A CD-ROM, v. 1.0, A00
I already tried the A01 driver on DEll and it doesn't work. Mine says A00
Mus be ancient
I also tried generic drivers none I have tried work,

as for screen It's an actual Vizio TV with LED for screen forgot to mention with a VGA to HDMI adapter (GANA) I bought separate and hooked up.

| WIN98SE non OEM | PII MMX | 350Mhz | 384RAM | Voodoo3 2000 PCI | DX7 | 126GB+ | Yamaha DS-XG Sound |

Reply 3 of 5, by Cuttoon

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I never changed CD drivers on any Windows for any drive. They just work. If not, they're fucked.
NEC CDR-1901A CD-ROM is actually quite googleble - it's a CDR drive, so not really ancient. There are even IDE drives from 1994, those are ancient.
Basically, get another one that looks good in the machine, maybe for that era, some that says "48x" on the lid would be period correct and authentic. Should cost around one buck, the challenge is to find a working one.

Screen: Hell, is that a 4k TV?
Don't expect too much, that's just several quantum leaps apart.
Cheap converters like that, you're lucky if they handle one resolution correctly - probably it will be 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080p full HD.

People keep CRT screens just for the resolution issues.

Not sure about modern TVs, it may vary by make and model - do those still have ANY legacy input below HDMI?
Like, composite, scart, s-video, a bloody yellow RCA, if only via some finnicky breakout cable?
All of those may give you better results with a VGA card with good TV-OUT chip...
Else, sorry, once the signal is HDMI, it's HDMI, no way changing it on the TV. So, if the adapter doesn't allow you to set it right via some input, AFAIK, you'd need a different adapter.
Someone will have had the same problem, but in general: Translating an analog, fairly high res video signal like VGA to an digital format is NOT trivial, professional gear for that costs four figures. Consumer stuff like that, you can only try out. Maybe some driver tweaks will alter the signal to another frequency that will end up looking better, but it'll be a stab in the dark.
Are there adapters with, say, USB hookup and some kind of client software to customize them? Only solution I could think of that will get it right.
So many slightly older TVs used to have native VGA input...

Sorry about the voodoo card, but with a AGP rig like that one, you could get a geforce or radeon with DVI out - that's HDMI by another name and chances are it will look good on a TV screen. 😉

I like jumpers.

Reply 4 of 5, by moknok

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Cuttoon wrote on 2022-05-04, 00:51:

I never changed CD drivers on any Windows for any drive. They just work. If not, they're fucked.
NEC CDR-1901A CD-ROM is actually quite googleble - it's a CDR drive, so not really ancient. There are even IDE drives from 1994, those are ancient.
Basically, get another one that looks good in the machine, maybe for that era, some that says "48x" on the lid would be period correct and authentic. Should cost around one buck, the challenge is to find a working one.

Ok I will try that. I don't believe that they just mechanically fail unless maybe motor. I believe more that not it's a driver problem. I have opened them up before and cleaned them, love hands on stuff will try this and reseat connections in back maybe and then try driver again.

Screen: Hell, is that a 4k TV?
Don't expect too much, that's just several quantum leaps apart.
Cheap converters like that, you're lucky if they handle one resolution correctly - probably it will be 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080p full HD.

No it's not 4k. 32inch HD

People keep CRT screens just for the resolution issues. Not sure about modern TVs, it may vary by make and model - do those stil […]
Show full quote

People keep CRT screens just for the resolution issues.
Not sure about modern TVs, it may vary by make and model - do those still have ANY legacy input below HDMI?
Like, composite, scart, s-video, a bloody yellow RCA, if only via some finnicky breakout cable?
All of those may give you better results with a VGA card with good TV-OUT chip...

Right it only has HDMI, so had to buy an adapter. CRT was way too small but way better on the eyes since they were LCD. i wanted something like a TV screen to enjoy games from a couch maybe.

Else, sorry, once the signal is HDMI, it's HDMI, no way changing it on the TV. So, if the adapter doesn't allow you to set it ri […]
Show full quote

Else, sorry, once the signal is HDMI, it's HDMI, no way changing it on the TV. So, if the adapter doesn't allow you to set it right via some input, AFAIK, you'd need a different adapter.
Someone will have had the same problem, but in general: Translating an analog, fairly high res video signal like VGA to an digital format is NOT trivial, professional gear for that costs four figures. Consumer stuff like that, you can only try out. Maybe some driver tweaks will alter the signal to another frequency that will end up looking better, but it'll be a stab in the dark.
Are there adapters with, say, USB hookup and some kind of client software to customize them? Only solution I could think of that will get it right.
So many slightly older TVs used to have native VGA input...

Sorry about the voodoo card, but with a AGP rig like that one, you could get a geforce or radeon with DVI out - that's HDMI by another name and chances are it will look good on a TV screen. 😉

I got it working with the windows 98se CD driver called 'plug and play monitor'. It does 800x600 perfectly and no zooming or shifting to the side. If i want to go up in res i will keep trying drivers, there are a ton.
O r better yet as you suggest VGA native support on the monitor. TV cuts to black on loading screens and I have to keep hitting HDMI 1 or volume so it doesn't switch.

| WIN98SE non OEM | PII MMX | 350Mhz | 384RAM | Voodoo3 2000 PCI | DX7 | 126GB+ | Yamaha DS-XG Sound |

Reply 5 of 5, by moknok

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Ok Took cdrom apart cleaned drive and lens

and.....

IT WORKS!

Knew this thing worked....

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| WIN98SE non OEM | PII MMX | 350Mhz | 384RAM | Voodoo3 2000 PCI | DX7 | 126GB+ | Yamaha DS-XG Sound |