Re: Most user friendly Programming Language, Tools and IDE for developing software for DOS in 2019?

Posted on 2020-02-04, 23:42

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

You're barking up the wrong tree, buddy. DOS wasn't easy, it wasn't fast, it wasn't powerful. It survived merely because computers were disposable platforms up until IBM released the XT, and consumers were sick and tired of throwing out all their old software every two years when a new computer came …

---

Re: 486 Multimedia dream build ( 1993/94 ).

Posted on 2020-02-04, 22:16

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Looks to me like the label is on the fan's hub. Is yours? Most fans have a side with the hub exposed, and the other side has the braces that hold the motor assembly. Sometimes that side has a sticker, sometimes it doesn't. Likewise for the fan hub itself - sometimes stickered, sometimes not. If you …

---

Re: 486 Multimedia dream build ( 1993/94 ).

Posted on 2020-02-04, 19:08

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

The Pro is probably the best DOS card (or best standard, if you prefer to go off-brand), since it can do regular SB just fine. As mentioned above, by myself and Warlord, there's not much benefit to 16/44.1 in DOS. Nothing uses it. If you want to run multimedia Windows apps, then you can take …

---

Re: Early 90s 386 build as close to period correct as possible.

Posted on 2020-02-04, 19:00

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

.. I am worried about if the front plastic of the case could even handle retrobright. IME -- which is limited, but I've done a couple pieces -- it doesn't make it any more or less brittle, just cleans up the yellow. I suppose it could depend on your technique though. You're never going to get …

---

Re: Problems with cd audio cable

Posted on 2020-02-03, 23:29

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

Glad you got it fixed. Also: Punctuation, sir! It's free, go ahead. 😀

---

Re: Socket 370 Motherboard Problem - boots ok, but constant fast beeping sound

Posted on 2020-02-03, 23:27

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

In the BIOS it reacts very slowly to keypresses, like a few seconds delay to each, the beeping continues. Sometimes the beeping is broken up, like a floppy disk access pattern sound (its not disk access). This is most often like a fast string of short "ticks" but also the normal high pitched beep …

---

Various things I learned about BIOS, OS, disk, MBR, and FAT compatibility

Posted on 2020-02-03, 19:49

by

by SirNickity

in Milliways

in Milliways

I have a functional knowledge of how disk interfaces worked in the DOS days. But, for the most part, when I was going through this stuff as a teenager, the hardware and software was all developing at around the same pace so that things worked together without a lot of fuss. I mean, there was some …

---

Re: 486 Multimedia dream build ( 1993/94 ).

Posted on 2020-02-03, 19:28

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

IMO, it's fine. An SB16 works for a 486 too, but doesn't do a heck of a lot that the SB Pro doesn't unless you're doing multimedia stuff in Windows. As far as MIDI.... I would just look at getting one of those new DIY MPU-401 clones rather than using hardware of the day. All those onboard MIDI …

---

Re: Early 90s 386 build as close to period correct as possible.

Posted on 2020-02-03, 19:23

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

My dad bought a 386DX/33 with 4MB RAM, but upgraded it to 8MB shortly after, so that's perfectly reasonable for a 386DX, IMO. Definitely helpful if you use Windows. A couple years later I got my own 486SX/25 with 2MB. That was painfully, woefully inadequate. I added 4MB a year or so later, and the …

---

Re: Can the PAS16's SCSI interface run multiple hard drives

Posted on 2020-02-03, 19:10

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

You need SCSI Works 1.3. Here are the download links I used: https://storage.microsemi.com/en-us/speed/obsolete/future_domain-trantor/scsiwks1_exe.php https://storage.microsemi.com/en-us/speed/obsolete/future_domain-trantor/scsiwks2_exe.php I think Disk 1 had the MAMV1.SYS file. I loaded MVSOUND.SYS …

---

Re: Electric Shock by AT Power Switch - Bad Power Supply or Bad Wiring?

Posted on 2020-02-03, 18:57

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

If the rubber/plastic insulation covers aren't staying put, pull them off and add some heat shrink over those spade connectors. Bring it right up to the end, but don't cover the end so you can still install them on the switch. :-) The second issue is, even without the ground wire on the switch cable …

---

Re: When was booting from cd-rom possible ?

Posted on 2020-02-03, 18:45

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I'm familiar with the floppy emulation, but there's been other types of bootable CD/DVD's since than, yes? It's just one of the options when you author the disc. For e.g., you can emulate a floppy, a "hard disk", or no emulation. AFAIK, floppy emulation and no emulation are the most common. I made …

---

Re: HDD with high load/unload cycle count... should I recycle it?

Posted on 2020-02-03, 18:29

by

by SirNickity

in Milliways

in Milliways

Just preference, but I don't play around with unreliable drives. If it starts acting up, I replace it with something else. The biggest hassle, IMO, is taking the case apart and sourcing another drive -- not the loss of data. I like to run real hard drives, but that doesn't mean I trust them. I just …

---

Re: Creative 3D Banshee - Anyone have original install disks?

Posted on 2020-01-31, 21:21

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

So far, I've only used it on my test bench to provide video out on an AGP motherboard that I was using to test RAM sticks. Like an idiot, I totally did not consider that my target system -- a Pentium 166 MMX on a 430TX board -- does not have an AGP slot. So now I'm on the hunt for a PCI variant, …

---

Re: Soundblaster 2.0 restoration

Posted on 2020-01-31, 21:18

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

It seems to me like it would be more trouble than it's worth to fabricate new OPL2-compatible chips, unless one had access to the lithography of the original die. In which case... it's gray market, but it's still more or less the real thing -- just not sanctioned by Yamaha. If Yamaha has a problem …

---

Re: Help with setup of Media Vision PAS16 with Sony 2x CDROM drive.

Posted on 2020-01-31, 21:07

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

Some random info I could find digging around in the PAS SDK files: // Each product will some/all of of these features .. #define bMVSCSI 0x0008 // 0000000000001000b SCSI interface #define bMVENHSCSI 0x0010 // 0000000000010000b Enhanced SCSI interface #define bMVSONY 0x0020 // 0000000000100000b Sony …

---

Re: Replacing my Pentium 75 - what's the worst that could happen?

Posted on 2020-01-31, 20:42

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

The worst that could happen would probably involve wounding yourself or a loved one on a pin of the old CPU, the wound getting septic and dying in slow agony. It's true. This happened to me. Check! I'm using a heatsink and fan for the P75 right now and I even put on cooling paste, but I kinda had …

---

Re: "Invalid media type reading drive C" error

Posted on 2020-01-31, 20:33

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Maybe a BIOS translation issue? Is it set as normal, large, or LBA?

---

Re: When was booting from cd-rom possible ?

Posted on 2020-01-31, 20:30

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

The usual progression of these things is that: - The spec emerges - Things start supporting the spec (BIOS) - Software starts to use the spec (Windows install CD, etc.) - The crippling bugs and limitations get fixed IIRC, I was recently able to accidentally boot from a CD with a floppy emulation …

---

Re: Repairing flat flex cables

Posted on 2020-01-31, 20:20

by

by SirNickity

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Pictures. Repair for things like this are often an exercise in exploiting available options.

---