VOGONS


First post, by simbin

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Here's the Specs (2016 Update) of my Retro PC I built from old parts I had lying around. It may look crusty, but it runs like a champ!

Tyan Trinity 400 S1854 Motherboard
Intel Pentium III 800EB 133MHz FSB
Crucial 256MB PC133 SDRAM @ 100MHz
NVIDIA TNT2 Vanta 16MB AGP 2X
Creative SB Live! CT4760 w/ SB Pro 2 emulation (Roland SC-55 SoundFont)
COOLER MASTER Elite RS-460-PSAR 460W PSU
Cambridge SoundWorks Stereo Speakers
Sintech IDE to SD adapter (PNY 4GB SDHC..Going to update this soon!)
TEAC DVD-ROM Drive (Black)
3Com EtherLink 10/100 3C905C Network Adapter
Slightly yellow, but very sturdy beige Mid-ATX tower
Microsoft SideWinder 2-button joystick
One of those old IBM keyboards that go CLICK CLICK CLICK

Omitted 2016
C̶r̶u̶c̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶2̶5̶6̶M̶B̶ ̶P̶C̶1̶3̶3̶ ̶S̶D̶R̶A̶M̶ ̶x̶ ̶2̶ ̶(̶5̶1̶2̶M̶B̶)̶
C̶r̶e̶a̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶A̶W̶E̶6̶4̶ ̶V̶a̶l̶u̶e̶ ̶C̶T̶4̶5̶2̶0̶
W̶D̶C̶ ̶1̶0̶G̶B̶ ̶5̶4̶0̶0̶ ̶I̶D̶E̶ ̶H̶D̶D̶
L̶I̶T̶E̶O̶N̶ ̶D̶V̶D̶-̶R̶O̶M̶ ̶D̶r̶i̶v̶e̶
M̶I̶T̶S̶U̶M̶I̶ ̶3̶.̶5̶"̶ ̶F̶D̶D̶

I JUST got rid of a 3DFX Voodoo 2 card -- not sure if it was 8MB or 12MB. Oh well, maybe find one again someday.

MS Windows 98 SE

CONFIG.SYS

DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICE=C:\Windows\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\Windows\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\Windows\Command\QCDROM.SYS /d:MSCD001

AUTOEXEC.BAT

@echo off
SET CTCM=C:\AWE64
SET SOUND=C:\AWE64
C:\AWE64\CTCM.EXE /B
SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D3 H7 P330 E620 T6
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
C:\AWE64\AWEUTIL.COM /R:100 /C:100
C:\AWE64\MIXERSET.EXE /P /Q
LOADHIGH C:\Windows\Command\MSCDEX.EXE /d:MSCD001
LOADHIGH C:\Windows\Command\CTMOUSE.EXE

It's been a long time since I messed with autoexec.bat, config.sys, etc. so if you have any suggestions about how I should script it, please feel free to let me know your thoughts, thanks.

I used to use MOUSE.COM, OAK.SYS and MSCDEX.EXE but it looks like there's some better options out there now.

I'd like to have it boot up a 98SE custom menu..
1) Load drivers and boot DOS-Mode Only
2) Boot into Windows 98SE

And of course I'll want to modify dosstart.bat to do the same thing as option 1) when leaving Windows to a DOS Prompt.

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Notice the zip-tied CPU fan! TRULY Ghetto!!

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Last edited by simbin on 2020-06-23, 07:44. Edited 32 times in total.

Reply 1 of 19, by simbin

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oops

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 3 of 19, by simbin

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luckybob wrote:

I own one of those tyan boards. great board. I use it for cpu testing of slot & s370 chips.

I used these boards back-n-the-day for new system builds because I could throw almost any Intel chips in them. The board has a plethora of connections and customization options. One of the better boards from that era IMO.

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 4 of 19, by chinny22

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You can tell that case as seen a few builds inside, its stripped of anything that can comes off! It’s a sweet system for the late Dos games though. What games you gonna play on it? The TNT may hold it back for windows games.

For your DOS setup you can checkout Dos 6 conventional memory tricks post in Marvin or if your lazy just use the config from http://www.mdgx.com/mem6.htm which I got found from the same post.

Reply 5 of 19, by simbin

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chinny22 wrote:

You can tell that case as seen a few builds inside, its stripped of anything that can comes off! It’s a sweet system for the late Dos games though. What games you gonna play on it? The TNT may hold it back for windows games.

For your DOS setup you can checkout Dos 6 conventional memory tricks post in Marvin or if your lazy just use the config from http://www.mdgx.com/mem6.htm which I got found from the same post.

Believe it or not, the motherboard and FDD came with the case. 😀 I'm pretty sure everything else is NOT stock. The CPU is from my system in 1999-2000. I think I was running Windows XP beta on it.

So far, these are the games I'm working on getting installed. This is just a list of stuff I remembered from back-n-the-day off the top of my head.. more to come.

INSTALLED SO FAR

  • 4D Sports: Driving
    BLOOD
    ULTIMATE DOOM plus DOOM II
    DUKE NUKEM 3D
    FORSKAEN
    Heretic
    HeXen
    King's Quest V
    Mad Dog McCree
    MegaRace 2
    Raptor
    Rebel Assault
    SAM & MAX
    SIMCITY
    Test Drive Off-Road

DOS

  • Blake Stone
    Carmageddon
    CODENAME: ICEMAN
    Commander Keen
    Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure
    Dark Forces
    Descent II
    DUKE NUKEM II
    Epic Pinball
    Halloween Harry
    JAZZ Jackrabbit
    Jill of the Jungle
    Ken's Labyrinth
    NFS SE (Win GL?)
    QUAKE
    Rise of the Dragon
    Rise of the Triad
    STAR TREK 25th Anniversary
    Wolfenstein 3D
    ZONE 66

WINDOWS

  • QUAKE II
    Mortal Kombat 4
    Unreal

Thanks for looking!

Last edited by simbin on 2013-08-02, 17:18. Edited 1 time in total.

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 6 of 19, by simbin

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I've been cleaning up my case IT'S A REAL MESS !!

Notice the difference between the front of the case and the floppy drive, sleep and reset buttons YUCK !!

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Last edited by simbin on 2020-06-23, 07:47. Edited 3 times in total.

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 8 of 19, by simbin

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RacoonRider wrote:

Hey, why don't you adjust the size of your pictures? Some people here still have 19" LCDs!

I tried common BBCode settings, but none of them worked. I guess I can manually re-size and upload again.

EDIT:
I re-sized and uploaded again. That should be better -- sorry for the inconvenience.

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 9 of 19, by Filosofia

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Very cool system! What's the monitor? Have you had any trouble running dos games with that 800MHz PIII?

and I see you can use sloted cpu as well 😉

Reply 10 of 19, by jmrydholm

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Nice! I have to leave the top off of my Quantum3d Graphite, due to the height of the Voodoo 5 5500 I have in there, plus the tall Molex connector. So mine is "semi-ghetto" at the moment. I've been meaning to pull the standard Molex off and try a low-profile one which is several mm. shorter. It *might* shut...maybe.

"The height of strategy, is to attack your opponent’s strategy” -Sun Tzu
“Make your fighting stance, your everyday stance and make your everyday stance, your fighting stance.” - Musashi
SET BLASTER = A220 I5 D1 T3 P330 E620 OMG WTF BBQ

Reply 11 of 19, by simbin

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Filosofia wrote:

Very cool system! What's the monitor? Have you had any trouble running dos games with that 800MHz PIII?

and I see you can use sloted cpu as well 😉

I'm using a IBM G54 on my workbench. Once I finish the system, I hope to pair it with a Sony Trinitron. I actually had one that someone wrote all over before I knew about the Magic Eraser!

I've had a few hiccups along the way, but got most things sorted. I was initially running most games from MS-DOS Mode, but now I'm running them thru Windoze so I can use my Yamaha XG50 wavetable thru General Midi.

These boards were great for new system builds back in the day since you could easily use most Slot or Sockets you had lying around.

Last edited by simbin on 2016-08-26, 12:09. Edited 1 time in total.

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 12 of 19, by Filosofia

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I love "old" those 14"-15" crt , they are great for 2D later 80´s games /early 90's , and yes the trinitron are the best, my favorite, but a lesser quality crt sometimes gives a better look to the game.

Reply 13 of 19, by raymangold22

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simbin wrote:
I'm using a IBM G54 on my workbench. Once I finish the system, I hope to pair it with a Sony Trinitron. I actually had one that […]
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Filosofia wrote:

Very cool system! What's the monitor? Have you had any trouble running dos games with that 800MHz PIII?

and I see you can use sloted cpu as well 😉

I'm using a IBM G54 on my workbench. Once I finish the system, I hope to pair it with a Sony Trinitron. I actually had one that someone wrote all over before I new about the Magic Eraser!

I've had a few hiccups along the way, but got most things sorted. I was initially running most games from MS-DOS Mode, but now I'm running them thru Windoze so I can use my Yamaha XG50 wavetable thru General Midi.

These boards were great for new system builds back in the day since you could easily use most Slot or Sockets you had lying around.

The IBM G70s use trinitron tubes.
Not sure about the G54 (I do have one of those, I'd guess it's an LG tube judging by the sharpness: of course I could always open it up and see the tube manufacturer).

Reply 14 of 19, by simbin

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raymangold22 wrote:

The IBM G70s use trinitron tubes.
Not sure about the G54 (I do have one of those, I'd guess it's an LG tube judging by the sharpness: of course I could always open it up and see the tube manufacturer).

I need to get me a list of all the monitors with Trinitron tubes and find one on craigslist. You can practically get CRT's for free now!

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 15 of 19, by Filosofia

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You could also go for a Diamontron from Mitsubishi.

Today I saw something awkward : some guy bought a brand new in the box 17" CRT monitor (granted an AOC one, but nevertheless new...) to use in his store as register. I wonder where he did this finding. He seemed very apathic, like he was just replacing a broken monitor for another.
I guess he could just as well be replacing his broken car for a 1930 wolkswagen.

Don't bother gathering up that list, just buy Sony, they are so cheap, from 15'' , 17'', 19'' or 21'' they are all at about €20-€30 ($30-$40)

Reply 16 of 19, by simbin

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Filosofia wrote:
You could also go for a Diamontron from Mitsubishi. […]
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You could also go for a Diamontron from Mitsubishi.

Today I saw something awkward : some guy bought a brand new in the box 17" CRT monitor (granted an AOC one, but nevertheless new...) to use in his store as register. I wonder where he did this finding. He seemed very apathic, like he was just replacing a broken monitor for another.
I guess he could just as well be replacing his broken car for a 1930 wolkswagen.

Don't bother gathering up that list, just buy Sony, they are so cheap, from 15'' , 17'', 19'' or 21'' they are all at about €20-€30 ($30-$40)

You should find out! Maybe that guy is unknowingly traveling to an earlier time through a hole in the space-time continuum. If you could find out where that is, you'd make a lot of folks on this site VERY happy!!

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 17 of 19, by Filosofia

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Well, the security guard stood in front of me while I was trying to see where the guy was heading, and was not looking very friendly so I lost him, the only proof left was the card box and the styrofoam in which the monitor came that he dumped right on the sidewalk. The guard was still suspicious because I spent quiet a few time reading the specs in the box (the monitor was crap by the way).

A couple weeks ago in the same area I saw another guy leaving a café carrying an AT case, I was going to work but still had some time. People here tend to leave such "useless old computers" by the trashcan or something so, I confess, I followed someone just because the person was carrying an old pc and there was a good probability he was trowing it away.
After walking a while I started to realize that he was not, - if he were to dump the thing he would not be walking such a distance- I thought, while trying to keep up with this big and kind of goofy guy. And, like in the movies, were the one being chased just disappears around the corner, he magically evaporated as I turned around the corner.
It had passed less than 4 seconds and he was nowhere to be seen! This could not be because I had quite good visibility in all directions, so after I got myself together I started looking around in search of a store he could have got in. And there it was, a mall that I've never noticed before, very unsuspecting because it did not look as a mall but rather some office building and, at first, I hesitated about going in.
As I approached the entrance, the smoked glassed doors opened and revealed the inside, empty, only a security guard sitting at the entry. Outside the traffic roared, people going by, it is downtown at the country's capital. Inside the mall the lights are mostly out, the floor clean and shiny, but inside the closed stores all is dust.
I talked to the guard who was unexpectedly nice and I started to ask about all the closed stores (not wanting to ask "hey, didn't a guy with a computer just entered here?") he gave me some explanation which led him to enumerate the only 4 stores that still functioned, an hairdresser, a dry cleaner, a numismatic and the other one I forgot because I was already thinking about asking for a computer store. "Oh that's right, and a computer store! Down the hall that way." (how could he forgot this one?! )
And that was how I discovered a computer store at an almost abandoned mall that still repairs PC from the early nineties. Pretty darn cool 😉
Oh by the way, never saw the big goofy guy again, nor his PC 🙁

Reply 18 of 19, by simbin

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Just picked up this Microsoft Sidewinder (96679) from a local thrift shop for $1. Only has 2 buttons, but it handles great!

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Last edited by simbin on 2020-06-23, 07:09. Edited 1 time in total.

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 19 of 19, by m1919

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simbin wrote:
Just picked up this Microsoft Sidewinder (96679) from a local thrift shop for $1. Only has 2 buttons, but it handles great! […]
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Just picked up this Microsoft Sidewinder (96679) from a local thrift shop for $1. Only has 2 buttons, but it handles great!

25810yp.jpg

Heh man, I used to have one of those. No idea what happened to it, but I played a ton of Tigershark with that thing.

Crimson Tide - EVGA 1000P2; ASUS Z10PE-D8 WS; 2x E5-2697 v3 14C 3.8 GHz on all cores (All core hack); 64GB Samsung DDR4-2133 ECC
EVGA 1080 Ti FTW3; EVGA 750 Ti SC; Sound Blaster Z