appiah4 wrote on 2024-03-15, 10:10:

PcBytes wrote on 2024-03-15, 09:02:

Why not try the alternative timeline Millennium? Trust me, it's worth a shot.

(seriously, this "WinME Second Edition" actually does what the original couldn't.)

Considering it is Windows 2000 SP3, that is no wonder. Windows GOAT Edition.

Almost. It's XP SP3, due to the version number being 5.01.2600. 2k would have had 5.00.2195.

PcBytes wrote on 2024-03-15, 11:04:

appiah4 wrote on 2024-03-15, 10:10:

PcBytes wrote on 2024-03-15, 09:02:

Why not try the alternative timeline Millennium? Trust me, it's worth a shot.

(seriously, this "WinME Second Edition" actually does what the original couldn't.)

Considering it is Windows 2000 SP3, that is no wonder. Windows GOAT Edition.

Almost. It's XP SP3, due to the version number being 5.01.2600. 2k would have had 5.00.2195.

As soon as I saw the 2600 I knew it was XP, dont need to see any other evidence 🤣

Spent way too much time with XP SP3 to not recognise it right away ~

Sharp eye! Yes, it's XP SP3 with all updates included. I've been in touch with the guy that made it and he says he uses the same XP base (SP3 + all updates, including POSReady updates) for any project that involves XP.

My only issue with it is Windows Installer being broken but I've let him know about that in case there's an easy fix. Otherwise this thing absolutely rocks on an Athlon XP.

PcBytes wrote on 2024-03-15, 11:04:

appiah4 wrote on 2024-03-15, 10:10:

PcBytes wrote on 2024-03-15, 09:02:

Why not try the alternative timeline Millennium? Trust me, it's worth a shot.

(seriously, this "WinME Second Edition" actually does what the original couldn't.)

Considering it is Windows 2000 SP3, that is no wonder. Windows GOAT Edition.

Almost. It's XP SP3, due to the version number being 5.01.2600. 2k would have had 5.00.2195.

Oh. I saw 5. and immediately assumed 2000. Why would anyone install XP when there is 2000 anyway. 😁

FWIW, most of the UI seems to have been ported from 2k to XP in the case of ME Second Edition. Device Manager is exactly the one from 2000, and so are MSPaint, System Properties (sysdm.cpl) and the About Windows boxes. Heck, even the logon screens are 2000's.

The one thing I was pleased to see above all was Codename Whistler's setup routine (winntbbu.dll I think.) that is very reminiscent of the old Win98 setup layout.

Upgrade the cache on Cyrix 486DX2 motherboard from 128K to 256K.

A few weeks ago I rescued my old posters I had on my bedroom wall when I was growing up, including this lovely AMD number that I've just gotten around to hanging up in my 'retro corner'. I wish I could find more like it.

I joined the site today, asked a question about a system I've been given and from the responses learned a few things and done lots of searching online. I'm now browsing ebay for a new cpu for the system... why do I feel like I'm going down a rabbit hole here that's going to end up costing me lots of money?! 🤣

Look what arrived here. A sexy Cyrix DX2-80 in green costume 😀

hornet1990 wrote on 2024-03-15, 18:52:

I joined the site today, asked a question about a system I've been given and from the responses learned a few things and done lots of searching online. I'm now browsing ebay for a new cpu for the system... why do I feel like I'm going down a rabbit hole here that's going to end up costing me lots of money?! 🤣

Don't worry, it's usually fairly easy to hold it down to only 50 systems provided you don't live in anything bigger than a three bedroom.

fsinan wrote on 2024-03-15, 19:22:

Look what arrived here. A sexy Cyrix DX2-80 in green costume 😀

This is a true beauty😸

Messing around with Tulaltins for the first time. Picked up some PCB inserts from that eBay seller in Korea with the intention of doing the mod myself. Getting in to it, I started to get the feeling that my very novice soldering skills might not be up to the task. But I persevered! Eventually I (mostly) got the hang of getting solder into the vias without getting it on the pins. I didn't do the best job of getting the PCB flush with the CPU, so I massaged it a bit with my hot air station.

I put it in a BF6 to test it and:

It POSTs! 😊

Arrived a little while ago this AMD-K6-2/533AFX, with this I would have all the frequencies from 233 to 550, except the 337 which is quite singular, and was used on IBM PCs with FSB 75, let's say it was the alternative to the CYRIX from AMD, it could probably hold up the comparison with the MII 400 or 433, however even the 533 is quite singular, because it uses a 97 MHz FSB, not all the cards have this particular setting, so either you put the jumpers at 95, or you overclockka at 100, corresponding to 550 MHz, which is the best for the K6-2 Normal, while the next version plus, came to 570 MHz.

The motherboard for which it is intended is the Compaq Camaro, I have to solve the problem (probably the BIOS must be rewritten), and replace the 475 CPU with this 533, unfortunately being without an integrated L2 cache, the performance is not the best, but this can be seen as soon as I have done the usual bench, even if the chipset of that MB does not promise interesting performance.

My vintage work area 10/100 hub/switch Dlink DSH-8 died, replaced it with Linksys SE2800 but was a bit of pain getting everything working again, it did not like some of my 10Mbit stuff at first....
Any suggestions on a good ether switch that handles vintage 10Mbit well ?

Since Cisco bought Linksys they seem to make sure that everything Linksys is crappy and can't possibly punch up to the enterprise segment, as prior Linksys hardware could. 3Com stuff I have had here seems very literally underpowered, it browns out it's own power when several ports are active. Everything CNet I've touched I liked, just works.

fsinan wrote on 2024-03-15, 19:22:

Look what arrived here. A sexy Cyrix DX2-80 in green costume 😀

I dunno why but mine seems to be the wrong color, guess they were still flushing IBM blue out of the system or something...

Today I performed a quick & simple Composite Video mod on my Sinclair ZX81. The RF output of these computers is atrocious and pretty much all of my TVs do not like it to some degree. So I'd been having to use a VCR to pass through the signal and deal with the signal drift when the machine warmed up.

There's various guides online and YouTube videos showing the modification process, involving multiple resistors & a transistor, but I think a lot of these are tailored towards the older 2C184E ULA which doesn't output a backporch signal.

Luckily I've already replaced the ULA in my ZX81 with a vLA81 modern replacement, which outputs the correct video signals similar to the later 2C210E ULA.

So all I needed to do, was desolder the connection from the RF modulator to the RF socket and replace it with a single 100 ohm resistor, connected to the video input pin and fed through the convenient spare hole in the RF modulator box. And that's it, nothing else required! It's also completely reversible should I ever wish this!

My soldering abilities are still dreadful, but it's secure and working.

Time for some games.

Nice, I didn't realise there was a version of ManicMiner for the ZX-81 ... I seem to remember you could actually pull composite off the edge connector on the Speccy.

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-03-16, 17:05:

Nice, I didn't realise there was a version of ManicMiner for the ZX-81 ... I seem to remember you could actually pull composite off the edge connector on the Speccy.

Manic Miner on the ZX81 has the added difficulty level of not only running much faster than the Spectrum version, but also having to be played with the membrane keyboard & having to deal with drastically different timings vs what you expect on most other versions, ie. for avoiding enemies. It's still fun to play of course. The ZX81 version has actually been ported back over to the Spectrum.

The internal composite mod on the Spectrum is very simple, you can get away with just a single wire or the use of 1 capacitor. I personally did the capacitor mod on mine last year.

I always wondered why according to various online guides, the ZX81 composite mod seemed to be a bit more involved than the Spectrum. With the right ULA fitted, it really isn't afterall. The earlier ULA is where the transistor & extra resistor would probably be necessary.

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-03-16, 12:17:

Since Cisco bought Linksys they seem to make sure that everything Linksys is crappy and can't possibly punch up to the enterprise segment, as prior Linksys hardware could. 3Com stuff I have had here seems very literally underpowered, it browns out it's own power when several ports are active. Everything CNet I've touched I liked, just works.

Thanks will keep my eye open for a Cnet branded switch, not much good stuff in our local thrift store lately.....
It appears is the 5v 2.5A wall wort is dieing (gets super hot and Vout reads near 0), cannot test the D-Link switch itself until I get another similar psu, hopefully it still works ok. I like that little thing and has worked great for about a decade 😀