I found out the mother of all my retro issues.
This post is a [case study] for other people. I found some similar issues on the web, but nothing helped me. It's about yellow warnings in the Device Manager, regarding IDE controllers.
The attachment ctrl.png is no longer available
I have a lot of PC builds. I love to build them, think about the best parts to use, configure all the things. But often I had an issue: CD-ROM drive just didn't worked after fresh installation of Windows 95. And Windows 98.
I started to browse the web and found the solution. I found that I should open regedit and find and remove NOIDE entry. But I haven't got one.
Then I found that it may be because I need to install Intel PIIX drivers. I thought: ok, but I think Windows have it... But anyway I decided to install them. 🙈After that, my Device Manager looked like a big yellow sign. And I still ended with non-working CD drive.
I booted the W95 in safe mode, received some strange overreacted alert from Windows that 'boot record has been modified, in computer may be a virus'. Yeah, I've just installed the Windows, that's why it's modified. I removed all the drivers regarding IDE controllers, then booted to normal mode. It started to install all the drivers again but I still had this same issue.
I thought that's because the version of the Windows I had on original OEM discs (OSR2.1). I decided to just burn CD-R with other Windows 95 .iso found on the web. It doesn't helped. So for the first case I decided to do another trick: I've installed DOS 6.22, DOS CD-ROM drivers and THEN the Windows 95. Wow, I finally can use CD-ROM drive. But when I opened the Device Manager, I found that there's still some warnings and driver issues. But I don't give a sh*t - I had CD-ROM working on my lovely Pentium 166MMX. 😎
Some days later I built another monster with PII 300MHz. This time, with Windows 98se. And again: yellow warnings in the Device Manager, issues with IDE controllers, no CD drive working. What the hell.
I found out quickly that the original OEM CD doesn't boot the installer. I needed to use the floppy boot disc. It's something different than I remember: 10 years ago, my CD-R definitely booted the installer and it was totally painless. I decided to found the .iso on the web, burn it and try again. Maybe I have broken builds of Windows?
The new CD-R with Windows has booted the installer flawlessly without the floppy. And this time... wow, there wasn't any yellow signs or driver issues. Yeah, so it was definitely issue with the Windows CD. Mystery solved.
I used this burned Windows 98se CD for few builds in the meantime. Everything worked fine.
But this day has come: I needed to install Windows 95 again. 😒I remembered how painful experience it was but I decided to NOT install the DOS 6.22 at first. Maybe before it was some motherboard issue. Or IDE controller was broken on the board. Who cares.
Nope, I just had this same warnings again. And CD-ROM refused to work just after install. And the installer asked me for drivers. And I don't had possibility to load the drivers from CD, because Windows hasn't seen the drive. So I need to go do DOS, install the CD-ROM drivers and then... WTF. No way. I installed W95 a lot as a kid and it wasn't happened. It was not that painful. How possible is that I have second faulty motherboard or controller?
Remember the alert from the safe mode? This one about the boot record and virus. I totally downplayed that. Virus? I installed everything from the original mediums: floppy and CD. It can't be possible...
Anyway, who cares, after all this adventures I had I just decided to boot the popular Polish antivirus from the 90's - mks_vir. It fits on just one floppy and I just had it from the pile of floppies I bought.
Boom, virus has been found in RAM. Then this same virus has been found on the HDD. Then this same virus has been found on the floppy with mks_vir. 🤣.
Bingo. I decided to check the original Windows 98 boot disk floppy. Boom. Infected. It wasn't boot-protected at all. It came from the pile of floppies I bought.
So all the builds I had and I used some floppies on them were infected.
I forgot how virus has called. It's something like NOCMOS or REMOVECMOS or RESETBIOS. It was described by mks_vir antivirus as a trojan.
After I removed the virus by the mks_vir, it just started to work without issues.
Now I need to remove virus from ALL the builds I have, then I need to remove this virus from the floppies I use.
That was my painful story. 😁
TL;DR
1. Trust Windows alerts from time to time, especially about viruses
2. Check the floppies/CDs - they can ruin your Best Build In The World®
3. When you have drivers issues without reason, it really can be a virus
Thanks for reading!