Re: Modems in a Retro build?

Posted on 2023-03-05, 00:42

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

That's why the softmodem in my NEC/PackardBell Versa E400 comes with a program that displays the "LEDs" in a window :D Still with no manual or tooltip... the activity and online ones are obvious, only maybe 8 remain :P But those blinky lights were glorious. Visual feedback for uploading, downloading …

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Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today

Posted on 2023-03-05, 00:19

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Recieved a Macbook Pro 2011 that I bought. Need new battery. Need new rubber feet. Need SSD installed can run MacOS, Windows and Linux. Probably even BSD Unix if I dare to venture into that. I really like the build quality on this machine. Got one on launch week (last computer I didn't pay for …

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Were you ever hurt by a computer?

Posted on 2023-03-05, 00:04

by

by Ryccardo

in Milliways

in Milliways

Was going to mention this fact in another post, but then decided to start its own discussion for it: Around 2013 the battery on my early 2011 Macbookpro8,1 inflated, which actually bent out a corner of the all-metal case; I noticed that when, surfing the web in bed at about 1 AM with school the …

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Re: Yet another case identification (~2000)

Posted on 2023-03-04, 23:11

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Unfortunately those are the only photos "available" online (after searching for "case pc dex -samsung", decoding Google's spy redirect result URL, and going to the wayback machine) - we threw away ours around 2009 and only saw one abandoned on the road maybe 7 years ago 🙁

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Yet another case identification (~2000)

Posted on 2023-03-04, 21:52

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Very long shot but I was wondering if anyone's ever seen a PC case like this: 34-xcms_label_gallery100_3451.jpeg 35-xcms_label_galleryfoto febbraio 2012 004.jpeg 36-xcms_label_galleryfoto febbraio 2012 005.jpeg 37-xcms_label_galleryfoto febbraio 2012 006.jpeg At the top right looking at it from the …

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Re: Gaming on my Intel Atom

Posted on 2023-03-04, 21:24

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

That first gen Atom performance is going to be interesting. It's not like any old games or drivers would be tuned for one and it's a lot different than the popular CPUs. I thought Atom (before becoming "tablet/neo-netbook CPU whose higher end models are called Celeron and Pentium") was Japanese for …

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Re: Modems in a Retro build?

Posted on 2023-03-04, 20:39

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

I actually put both of mine (PCI softmodems, by the way) in the "PC case full of junk - 5 €" I was selling at Marzaglia, you guess the interest it generated :P I'd actually like to run my own dialup ISP off a Mac Mini G4 but: 1- can't be bothered enough to learn 2a- can't be at my grandparents' home …

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Re: Sony Vaio vgc-ra280g and Windows Media Center 2005

Posted on 2023-03-04, 20:19

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

For the latter, this might be it? https://driverpack.io/en/hwids/PCI%5CVEN_4444%26DEV_0016 Note - drp.su is perhaps the most honest of these for-profit driver/dll sites but why bother taming their program if you have a direct download (zip) option? 😀

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Re: Mystery Circuit - ID needed

Posted on 2023-03-04, 14:21

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Reminds me of the ALI M5819P RTC, does it get battery power on some pin?

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Re: Xbox 360 time?

Posted on 2023-03-04, 10:16

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Probably the first too - the previous model uses a supercapacitor to keep the SMC running... for barely 3 hours and they have the reliability of a Varta battery on a 286 or a Maxell in a Mac! So, most third party dashboards got (S)NTP support into them and it tends to work... ...but the 360 was the …

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Re: Copying Windows 95/98 over to a CF card (Libretto 50CT)

Posted on 2023-02-27, 22:57

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I am able to mount the HDD and see all the files. Is it a matter of just formatting my CF card to FAT16 and copying over the files? Or is there some special partitioning that I need to do before that? To boot DOS you need a valid MBR (doesn't have to be specific), an appropriate executable PBR, and …

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Re: IDE adapter file transfer

Posted on 2023-02-26, 22:37

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Can you read known good files off it fine, and is the name shown in device manager correct? (This should exclude bad connections on the converter) What if you open it in a disk editor (such as HxD as administrator)?

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Re: Thin client for DOS and Windiws 98

Posted on 2023-02-24, 21:47

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Excellent website for this topic: https://www.parkytowers.me.uk/thin/hp/t5520/ Sound is AC97, this isn't intrinsecally a no-no when it comes to DOS compatibility but it's often less than ideal; indeed looking at that page and https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=73068 the VT8233 is a no go... …

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Re: Opinion on running windows 95 on a 486DX4 100 with write back

Posted on 2023-02-24, 16:57

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

How much memory? IMO the practical minimum is 32 MB, which should be plausible but above average for an arbitrarily picked 486... Pentium 1 100 with 16MB is... "eh", swapping all the time on all but the lightest operations (like explorer+notepad+a VB5 program with maybe 12 variables)

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Re: tekram dc-680c vlb ide cache how to use with ide zip drive?

Posted on 2023-02-23, 20:14

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

The former 2 are usually the original design passive-ish IDE cards, aren't them? If that's the case, no problem - won't be bootable but it's not like your card would have been :) Actually, you should check whether they'll conflict with your good IDE controller - hopefully the "minor" card can be set …

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Re: IDE/CF adapter causing screen corruption/missing characters

Posted on 2023-02-22, 21:55

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

CompactFlash can work at both 3.3v and 5v. Neither is "correct." Some IDE adapters have a jumper to make a linear regulator convert 5v to 3.3v for the card's power, but that's pointless since the 5v IDE address/data lines are connected directly to the card's pins. Apparently you need to use 3V mode …

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Re: What retro activity did you get up to today?

Posted on 2023-02-21, 18:30

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by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Drilled 8 holes in sheet metal in 1 hour for the very future PC104 case I'm making! (It'll be an Icop 6071, dual PS/2, floppy, VGA, one serial, probably sound output and USB but still undecided on those, same for SSD as I already have a fine 2GB CF card but after adding adapter and 44-pin cable the …

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Re: Toshiba t4900ct CF adapter

Posted on 2023-02-17, 23:04

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

😀

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Re: I need assistance identifying this early-mid 2000's computer case

Posted on 2023-02-17, 22:49

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Nothing to say really except that it's (quite loosely) inspired by the SGI O2 case for the front curve, and the P4 era Dells with the small swinging cover...

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Re: Post your Packard Bell computers here!

Posted on 2023-02-17, 20:41

by

by Ryccardo

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Post-sellout PB but my mom (an accountant) bought me this used laptop from one of her customers around 2004: https://allegrolokalnie.pl/oferta/retro-laptop-do-gier-packard-bell-igo-versa-e400 (no affiliation, just nice photos and no 5 attachment limit :D ) Apparently called an "iGo 4000" (but the …

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