Re: Things I learned about fans

Posted on 2024-03-15, 08:25

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

FWIW, back when noisy PC:s were the norm, all the PC:s at my workplace got put in very efficiently silenced padded boxes (with internal fans & long folding air-vents); expensive but that was a cost neccessary to be able to think. And it was not only the fans back then, but also hard-drives that …

---

Re: HDD boot a 386 Tulip Computer is possible ?

Posted on 2024-03-04, 23:23

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

If you have formatted a partition size the computer can handle, you also need to set the boot partition as active.

---

Re: 286 Motherboard does not work . CMOS inoperational. System halted.

Posted on 2024-03-03, 22:56

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

From what I recall, professionally, the pad/rework could be done about 4 times if you were good at it, but after that the tracks & vias were at severe risk of delaminating and the board was usually scrapped if it didn't look good enough.

---

Re: List of Currently Free Games

Posted on 2024-03-01, 17:24

by

by Rwolf

in Milliways

in Milliways

Just checked and Steam isn't required to run the game. I do see libwinpthread-1.dll so it's likely bare minimum Windows XP compatible but if compiled with a newer mingw-w64 then likely just Vista or 7 at a minimum. It does state the following in the whatsnew but I don't see the older SDL.dll so …

---

Re: List of Currently Free Games

Posted on 2024-02-29, 18:02

by

by Rwolf

in Milliways

in Milliways

How is this different from the original Ur-Quan Masters ? Seems to be the same AFAIK, this is just a Steam release from the original game designers (Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford). Most likely to help promote their upcoming sequel. What I could find out, the gameplay and graphics are the same, but …

---

Re: Poll. How did you handle AGP to PCI Express stepover?

Posted on 2024-02-26, 12:58

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

I was looking for a hybrid mobo, but did not like their performance, so I stayed with my PCI/AGP combo and only got a used PC with PCIE maybe 5 years ago. Nothing exciting, really - when the high performance graphics cards started costing as much as a new PC itself, I just left the race to the top. …

---

Re: Sound Blaster boards doesn't work on PC with Intel Pentium III

Posted on 2024-02-24, 08:34

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Hmm...I don't think the Live board has DOS support, it would run under Windows though, if the game can use DOSBox in a Windows environment? (It could be the same with the Audigy 2, but I've never used one myself.)

---

Re: Zortech C++ 3.1 - request for information

Posted on 2024-02-22, 21:46

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

I used the Zortech C++ package (unsure which version) in about the early 90:s timeframe, as an intermediate step to understand C++ better, it had an intermediate step generating C code from my C++ source, which was more familiar to me. I didn't do anything more serious with it, and I have mostly …

---

Re: 286 Motherboard does not work . CMOS inoperational. System halted.

Posted on 2024-02-18, 17:56

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Looking at the pics of U7, the 83C201P, it might be a ripped via near pin4, going down into the board. It might be worth checking continuity to where it leads.

---

Re: Zortech C++ 3.1 - request for information

Posted on 2024-02-16, 20:30

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

I used the Zortech C++ package (unsure which version) in about the early 90:s timeframe, as an intermediate step to understand C++ better, it had an intermediate step generating C code from my C++ source, which was more familiar to me. I didn't do anything more serious with it, and I have mostly …

---

Re: Please help me identify this 386 or 486 motherboard.

Posted on 2024-02-14, 01:25

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Maybe, though that was a low-power CPU I think? The CPU on the board has a pretty hefty cooler for that. Maybe I'm wrong.

---

Re: Please help me identify this 386 or 486 motherboard.

Posted on 2024-02-13, 15:56

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/cache- … 386sx-model-345 Almost same layout, a very similar model at least.

---

Re: Ok what are these Vogons links?

Posted on 2024-02-09, 13:17

by

by Rwolf

in Milliways

in Milliways

Possibly related to Vogon poetry, where some protection is needed for sensitive minds. https://www.poetrysoup.com/dictionary/vogon_poetry

---

Re: Ultima VII on DOS PC - Speech Card Initialization Failed/Memory Issues

Posted on 2024-02-07, 22:12

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

Ultima 7 used a built-in memory manager that was a PITA back in the day. The last time I played it, I think I used the EXULT mod to play it in Windows instead. https://ultima7.ultimacodex.com/exult/

---

Re: Please help me identify this old EGA card

Posted on 2024-02-07, 22:04

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

I guess it's a clone of some Paradise PEGA card from the 1990:s. Never heard of the 'FTC computer' brand printed on the board. (While googling I only found some ebay pics of the very same board, I guess you bought it there. Slightly better pics though: https://www.ebay.com/itm/315051273348 )

---

Re: Half-Life : Blue Shift with voodoo 2 on 3dfx.

Posted on 2024-02-01, 16:51

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

UK release, purchased in Sweden, yes a real retail copy - not sure if I owned OpFor at the time, but there was no rebate coupon here, only a registration form to send in. (I still have the receipt for 149 SEK, which actually was about 14USD at the time. This was marked down from 169 SEK, or about 16 …

---

Re: Half-Life : Blue Shift with voodoo 2 on 3dfx.

Posted on 2024-01-31, 14:39

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

I just looked at my boxed copy of Blue Shift, purchased on July 30th 2001, 1-2 months after initial release at an equivalent price of 15 USD, not too expensive IMO.

---

Re: Can you help me identify the exact model of this sound card?

Posted on 2024-01-29, 22:48

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

Looks like it is what you think, the Aztech Sound Galaxy NX Pro; more pics here, looking very alike: http://www.dosdays.co.uk/topics/Manufacturers/aztech.php Can't say what the wire is for, maybe a repair of a broken trace, or a factory revision, I note the layout differs slightly around the area …

---

Re: Replacing 20+ year old thermal adhesive on a graphics card

Posted on 2024-01-17, 13:33

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

Well, for most older chips, the silicon chip itself is usually closer to the bottom of the package than the top, unless designed in an upside-down fashion, so heat is closer to the bottom. A good PCB should have a thicker internal copper layer for power & ground to spread the heat below the chip too …

---

Re: Replacing 20+ year old thermal adhesive on a graphics card

Posted on 2024-01-16, 21:42

by

by Rwolf

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

I've never really got the point of replacing thermal compound, it is only placed there too fill out any possible air gap/unevenness between chip & cooler, esp. if uneven surfaces, but still applied thinly to keep the cooler close to the chip for better heat conductivity.

---