VOGONS


First post, by Netvista

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Hey all,

I'm new to this forum, so I hope I post this threat in the right section.

As I want to relive the old days, I've bought an IBM Netvista 2284 with an AMD Athlon 1.1 ghz processor with 512 mb RAM. The motherboard is a S21M from IBM, with bios version S21M-C0.
For now I installed windows XP Pro SP3, but maybe I switch back to W2K later.
As it didn't have a graphics card, I bought the Ati Radeon HD2400 Pro AGP version.

That is also the problem. I can't get the driver installed. I've tested multiple drivers, the hotfixes form AMD and the Omega drivers, but nothing works properly.
If I install the drivers in "normal" mode via the device manger, the install will almost complete, but then ends in a black screen and I have to reboot the computer. After that no driver is installed.

If i install a drive in safemode, the install completes, but if I reboot the pc, then the pc stucks on the XP loading screen and won't advance.

I've read online that this card in particular has problems because its actually a PCI card, that's modified to fit the AGP slot.
Has anyone a solution for my problem?

Thanks in advance!

Reply 1 of 4, by Archer57

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Netvista wrote on 2025-06-15, 10:01:

I bought the Ati Radeon HD2400 Pro AGP version.

Bad, bad idea... buggy hardware, buggy drivers.

But... what you are describing probably is not driver issue. It tries to load the driver and apparently crashes. This is very common way for dead cards to behave - they work in 2D without driver, but when driver is loaded it crashes. Not saying that it is the case, but it is a possibility. Do you have any other motherboard to try the card in, just in case this is compatibility issue?

I have HD2600 and drivers do install without issues. Various ones. Those which are "agp hotfix" can be installed by installer, regular ones have to be force installed through device manager. Does not mean that the card is stable after that though...

AthlonXP 2200+,ECS K7VTA3 V8.0,1GB,GF FX5900XT 128MB,Audigy 2 ZS
AthlonXP 3200+,Epox EP-8RDA3I,2GB,GF 7600GT 256MB,Audigy 4
Athlon64 x2 4800+,Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe,4GB,GF 8800GT 1GB,Audigy 4
Core2Duo E8600,ECS G31T-M3,4GB,GF GTX660 2GB,Realtek ALC662

Reply 2 of 4, by Netvista

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Archer57 wrote on 2025-06-15, 11:40:
Netvista wrote on 2025-06-15, 10:01:

I bought the Ati Radeon HD2400 Pro AGP version.

Bad, bad idea... buggy hardware, buggy drivers.

Yup, found that out after spending ten bucks on it... I guess I have to accept the fact it's a shit card. I was already looking for another one online. I hope on better luck next time..

Reply 3 of 4, by Archer57

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Just avoid AMD/ATI cards with PCIe - AGP bridges. Some people claim they work for them, however there are plenty of issues described online and also there is a reason they are relatively easy and cheap to buy...

Native AGP ATI stuff is great, Nvidia 6 or 7 series are great, bridge or not. Nvidia FX have very poor DX9 performance and poor performance in general, but work and are great for compatibility with older (mainly win98) games.

AthlonXP 2200+,ECS K7VTA3 V8.0,1GB,GF FX5900XT 128MB,Audigy 2 ZS
AthlonXP 3200+,Epox EP-8RDA3I,2GB,GF 7600GT 256MB,Audigy 4
Athlon64 x2 4800+,Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe,4GB,GF 8800GT 1GB,Audigy 4
Core2Duo E8600,ECS G31T-M3,4GB,GF GTX660 2GB,Realtek ALC662

Reply 4 of 4, by Netvista

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Thanks for the tip @archer57! I will look out for those FX cards! It's just to play some older games, so they must suffice.