70.00+ started regressing lots of stuff. Try a 6x.xx version.

also for the TNTs, go further back IMO, like around 12

Well the readme says, that the cards are supported. Is this seriously that important?

Wikipedia says alot of things too......

Maf wrote:

Well the readme says, that the cards are supported. Is this seriously that important?

Even a Geforce2 freaks out on its latest "supported" drivers, so go older.

Forceware 71.84 works without a hitch running the OEM GeForce 256 DDR in my Dell PIII box. I'm running DirectX 9c and Win98SE.

However, if your card isn't OEM or retail from nVidia it might have trouble with nVidia's drivers. I had an Asus branded GeForce 2MX that would give no end to glitches with drivers from nVidia but I found some drivers on the Asus support site that worked just fine with the card.

Basically, it's best you make sure the drivers come from the same people that made the card as there were minor variations from manufacturer to another that made a difference in the software.

GXL750 wrote:

Basically, it's best you make sure the drivers come from the same people that made the card as there were minor variations from manufacturer to another that made a difference in the software.

And this is actually a good TIP, thanks, i'll give it a try 😉

GXL750 wrote:

Forceware 71.84 works without a hitch running the OEM GeForce 256 DDR in my Dell PIII box. I'm running DirectX 9c and Win98SE.

However, if your card isn't OEM or retail from nVidia it might have trouble with nVidia's drivers. I had an Asus branded GeForce 2MX that would give no end to glitches with drivers from nVidia but I found some drivers on the Asus support site that worked just fine with the card.

Basically, it's best you make sure the drivers come from the same people that made the card as there were minor variations from manufacturer to another that made a difference in the software.

This is true. OEM boards or onboard devices sometimes work fine with the OEM drivers but become unstable with the "official" drivers that cover that chipset or device. If you are using an OEM video card then you should roll back to the OEM drivers if the official ones are giving you problems.

For TNT/TNT2s, I personally never went beyond the old 2.08 Detonators. At least for my Diamond card, anything newer than that causes some seldom-occurring (but annoying) screen tearing issues on the Windows desktop - may have to do with the fact that the Diamond card is quite different from NVIDIA's reference design. I never had those issues with Diamond's drivers or older NVIDIA drivers.

The 30.82 set is the very last one I recommend for anything from the original GeForce to GeForce3. Anything newer than that doesn't really give you any significant performance gains, and actually can introduce new issues. I recall the 4x.xx drivers greatly benefiting GeForce4 users, but those benefits were negligible on older cards. There's always a point where NVIDIA still supports a chip in their drivers (read: mainly for just maintaining compatibility with Windows under 2D), but doesn't bother to address or fix any problems with the chip, usually due to it being phased out or obsolete in production.

Pippy P. Poopypants wrote:

For TNT/TNT2s, I personally never went beyond the old 2.08 Detonators. At least for my Diamond card, anything newer than that causes some seldom-occurring (but annoying) screen tearing issues on the Windows desktop - may have to do with the fact that the Diamond card is quite different from NVIDIA's reference design. I never had those issues with Diamond's drivers or older NVIDIA drivers.

The 30.82 set is the very last one I recommend for anything from the original GeForce to GeForce3. Anything newer than that doesn't really give you any significant performance gains, and actually can introduce new issues. I recall the 4x.xx drivers greatly benefiting GeForce4 users, but those benefits were negligible on older cards. There's always a point where NVIDIA still supports a chip in their drivers (read: mainly for just maintaining compatibility with Windows under 2D), but doesn't bother to address or fix any problems with the chip, usually due to it being phased out or obsolete in production.

Interesting.

I remember using the Nvidia drivers with my Geforce3 until about 6 months to a year after the GF4 came out (at which point I got lucky and got what was essentially a free-to-me TI 4600, though it cost my dad money 😜 ). I never had a problem, 2D or 3D, but then again, they couldn't have done too the drivers in a year's time, and I was running XP at that point. I'm guessing their Win9x support was a lot less forgiving. Old card on an "old" operating system and all that.

So, I've just tested 30.82 and some old 3.62 - system boots without problem, but both TNT2 from ELSA and Creative are not running 3dmark2k tests. I'll try tomorrow one more time with a fresh format. By the way, where can I get original drivers (or driver cd) for TNT2 Ultra from Creative (CT6870)?

EDIT:
Well I forced myself and did format + fresh install of win98, then installed via 4in1 drivers and then installed the 3.62 drivers. Both card tested again, 3dmark99 and 2000 not working - freezing with black screen when runing the tests. Guys, what do I do wrong? 😐

Are you sure the problem is with your graphics card?

Tetrium wrote:

Are you sure the problem is with your graphics card?

No. 😀

But, I doubt that all these cards are dead in the same way just like that. On the other hand, I rebuild the computer with completly different components and the problem lasts.
On the other hands, all 3dfx cards work without problems (from v1 to v5).
Maybe some crucial item in BIOS is wrongly set?

Maf wrote:

Maybe some crucial item in BIOS is wrongly set?

Unlikely, if you're using 2 different boards.

And you're sure you replaced every single part, including different memory modules, different power supply, etc?

Tetrium wrote:

And you're sure you replaced every single part, including different memory modules, different power supply, etc?

Well, not exactly all (I left the same HDD and PSU), but they are 100 % OK. Other cards/components are working without problems and have been for a long time. Maybe there is something AGP related in BIOS which causes problems? Or maybe there is some important win98 driver which I'm missing? I can provide screenshots if that matters.

What brand is your PSU?
Could you give the exact model number and the rail values?

Like I mentioned before, it's doubtful you're using 2 completely different motherboards that both are causing the exact same symptoms because they both somehow are using the exact same BIOS settings.
If you think it's a BIOS setting, try setting to fail-safe

The PSU is ModeCom 300W (FEEL III-300ATX) - I know, sounds crappy, but this is really enough for this machine.

It probably is crappy. Sorry mate. My suggestion would be to try another PSU, preferably from a known brand.
If possible, unmount the PSU from your system and have a look inside with a torch or a LED flashlight and check if you can spot any bulging or leaking capacitors.

Well I'll do it - I'll try with Chieftec 400W.
And if it works, I'll god dammit send you a beer 😉

Maf wrote:

Well I'll do it - I'll try with Chieftec 400W, and if it works, I'll send you a beer.

Perfect, I can imagine myself now...basking in the sun...cold beer in my hand...perfect! 😁

Anyway, interested what your results will be with the other PSU 😉