appiah4 wrote:

Nice! I have, right next to me, an Athlon64 PC myself, a 3200+ Clawhammer with an X1950PRO AGP; it's a fantastic PC. I plan to upgrade it to a 3700+ soon, though. Socket 754/939 Athlon64s were things I really missed out on (went from AthlonXP right to Athlon64 X2 AM2 stuff) so I am REALLY enjoying using this system as a fast single processor Windows XP box.

I have really fond memories of that setup, so I plan to take really good care of it: it needs to be recapped and cleaned, I already ordered a new orb-like copper heatsink for the nForce4, got a red USB3 card to fit into the PCIe 1x slot, and I'll be upgrading the CPU and RAM down the line. I'm really digging the all red look, too. Back when I got it I thought it looked tacky, but now I think it looks beautiful!

For the CPU upgrade I kinda wanna try a Turion: lower voltage requirements so I have more headroom when overclocking, plus it has E stepping so it comes with SSE3 and more memory dividers. The last BIOS update for this mobo adds support for some Turion CPUs, so I may go that route.

This was me between the early 1990's-2008: 286, 386, 486, K6-2/300, Socket A (AMD K7 SD-RAM), Socket A (DDR), Socket 754.

I have a Socket 754 system running Windows XP Pro SP3 on there, but, it hasn't been powered on in a while.

bjwil1991 wrote:

This was me between the early 1990's-2008: 286, 386, 486, K6-2/300, Socket A (AMD K7 SD-RAM), Socket A (DDR), Socket 754.

I have a Socket 754 system running Windows XP Pro SP3 on there, but, it hasn't been powered on in a while.

Similar for me, 754 was the last one I used between 1990 -2012 (Socket 7, Slot 1, Socket A SDR, Socket A DDR, Socket 754), after it I used only laptops. And then Max Payne 3, Diablo 3, and Borderlands 2 were all announced for 2012 so I got a socket 775 Core2 Quad build with used parts and stuck a GTX 460 in there.

From 2008-Present, it was AM2+ and currently AM3+ for my desktops. My main laptop has a PGA 989, and the other boards are Socket 370 for one of my desktops, and the others are either Socket 7-ish (laptop), or PGA (Intel laptops). The oldest has a MOS 6502

I installed OS/2 Warp Connect on my 486. Trying out a Disc-on-module to see how it works, and I've not played around with OS/2 in years.

Interesting.

As Kurt and I were planning our next vintage hardware move I came across this digging through my stash of extras.

It's an unused sticker with what I believe is actual 4MB of RAM encased in a plastic bubble. How strange. This just happened to be in the baggie that was with that black full tower case I picked up last week.

Interesting.

Enjoying a glass of this, while reading Vogons....

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/glenfid … -solera-whisky/

I ran IE 5.0 on my 486 and it brought up the default msn.com homepage. I was shocked that it actually loaded (no mandatory TLS??) and had legible text, let alone images and links that worked.

brostenen wrote:

Enjoying a glass of this, while reading Vogons....

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/glenfid … -solera-whisky/

Jealous. I had to make do with a peated beer - Big Belly Brewing's Aethelstan. Not bad, but no Glenfiddich 😉

Vintage PC-wise a very frustrating evening. I'm trying to get my MIDI-setup working correctly. I recently acquired an Edirol UM-550 patchbay, and I want to have my MT-32 and Roland (GM) digital piano as output and various retro PCs as inputs, so I can just click a few buttons to route any given signal to any synth.

Sounds simple, should be simple, but somehow all my DOS builds have decided not to do MIDI at the moment. I thought it might be the UM-550 doing something odd, but connecting the PCs directly to the MT-32 didn't do anything either. Finally I dug up my MusicQuest and tried that: worked flawlessly, both directly to the MT-32 as well as through the UM-550. So my patchbay setup is working fine, it's just all the regular cards messing up. Note that I tested with both vendor-supplied diag software and Civilization (1), neither of which need intelligent mode, so that's not the problem. No idea what is yet, I set all the other cards to the exact same IO 0x330 IRQ 2/9 as the MusicQuest (and removed the MusicQuest), but nope, nothing. The cards certainly aren't dead - all other functionality seems to work fine, and I've tested on a clean instal DOS 6.22 system, so no software conflict.

To at least get something positive out of the evening I put my Unicomp Model M USB back together. I'd removed all the key stems and keycaps and washed them, put the upper casing in the dishwasher and cleaned the bottom plate thoroughly, as it was filthy when I got it. Now it's sparkling clean. Must say I'm slightly underwhelmed by the keyboard - the keys do their clicky thing, but it feels flimsy compared to the old IBM model Ms and build quality is much lower: there are rough edges on the plastic all over the place and the casing really needs screws to stay together. Still, it beats some rubber-dome chicklet keyboard 😀

This weekend I intend to do the same to a 1989 IBM M, it's even dirtier, but built like a tank and works perfectly of course.

Working with a few ALR (Advanced Logic Research) collectors since I obtained a bunch of new old stock ALR gear in the Pentium Pro haul. Finally got around to testing one of the two variant dual Socket 8 ALR boards. The larger of the two motherboard models were in mint condition and suffered no barrel battery damage (the batteries were clipped out immediately). Both boards accept external batteries luckily with a two pin lead. Unfortunately, the smaller variant did suffer some barrel battery leakage trace damage, but I wasn't sure how bad it was. With a huge sigh of relief it looks like the trace damage was just surface oxidation and after a thorough white vinegar and 90% alcohol treatment the boards I have tested so far are alive and well with no issues!!! It would have been a shame if these hard to find new old stock boards would have been scrap or at least a headache repair. One of the cleanest engineered dual Socket 8 boards I have ever come across and the labeling of the slots, jumpers, CPU sockets, memory slots, etc. on these boards is clear and easy to read. If only most manufacturers did this.

Recapped the CPU section of my recently bought ACorp 6VIA81P.

It originally had some crappy Teapo 1500uF 6.3v and 470uF 16v that were literally HALF the size of these new ones.

Used 7 Panasonic FL (2x 1000uF 16v and 5x 1500uF 6.3v) and 3 Rubycon MBZ (1500uF 6.3v)

That's amazing. I recapped my ATI Radeon 9600XT AGP card that had 2 caps that were bulged (1 had the bottom almost imploded, but, no electrolyte on the card) with 5 new caps (better to replace the other 3 caps as they were not too far behind) with the 10V 1000uF rated at 10000hr@105C and it works, except Windows 98SE doesn't like the card (no Direct3D support or AGP Texture Mapping, which is odd, plus, I have the AGP chipset drivers installed and are working properly) and if I turn on the Fast Write in the BIOS on my Socket A(462) DFI KM266Pro-MLV motherboard, the system reboots, but, it works with it enabled on my Socket 370 motherboard with the Fast Write enabled.

I also found out the card has DIP switches behind the VGA port, which theoretically controls the refresh rate (switch 1-1 and 1-2 UP: 50Hz, switch 1-1 and 1-2 DOWN: 60Hz).

bjwil1991 wrote:

That's amazing. I recapped my ATI Radeon 9600XT AGP card that had 2 caps that were bulged (1 had the bottom almost imploded, but, no electrolyte on the card) with 5 new caps (better to replace the other 3 caps as they were not too far behind) with the 10V 1000uF rated at 10000hr@105C and it works, except Windows 98SE doesn't like the card (no Direct3D support or AGP Texture Mapping, which is odd, plus, I have the AGP chipset drivers installed and are working properly) and if I turn on the Fast Write in the BIOS on my Socket A(462) DFI KM266Pro-MLV motherboard, the system reboots, but, it works with it enabled on my Socket 370 motherboard with the Fast Write enabled.

I also found out the card has DIP switches behind the VGA port, which theoretically controls the refresh rate (switch 1-1 and 1-2 UP: 50Hz, switch 1-1 and 1-2 DOWN: 60Hz).

I didn't replace all the caps - the smaller filtering caps (i.e RAM, AGP and ISA) are still Teapo 330uF 16v because I don't have enough replacements and I need to measure how much voltage goes through them. If they don't reach the 16v rating, I might replace them with Rubycon YXGs. (I usually scavenge boatloads of these from dud Palit/Xpertvision cards, somehow they LOVE to use Rubycon, which is a good thing!)

Also, the mobo has support for 133MHz! It seems it can be switched to 133MHz using a jumper which sets operation mode between Normal and Turbo (Turbo being the 133MHz setting).

The good: upgraded my idiotic Packard Bell from a P3-1000EB to a Celeron 1400A. Apart from reporting a 153MHz bus speed (it's obviously running on 100MHz) it's doing fine.
The bad: starting to get graphical glitches & artifacts, even in Win2k desktop. Pleasepleaseplease let the onboard Voodoo3 - or more specifically: its RAM - not be dying 😮

Wish there was a way to use a toggle switch on Pentium II boards to switch between normal speed and turbo, like a turbo switch, for example, but, that's unlikely.

bjwil1991 wrote:

Wish there was a way to use a toggle switch on Pentium II boards to switch between normal speed and turbo, like a turbo switch, for example, but, that's unlikely.

Well, that jumper I have can be used as a turbo switch I guess. Not sure as I haven't played with the board so much to find out.

Went to the emergency doctor, in order to get my foot checked. On december the 31'st, I accidentially poured boiling water on my foot. Now there is a burn the size of little over a pingpong ball. Yeahh.... No real infection (yet?!!) and I got a shot against Tetanus. I remembered that the last time I got one, was a couple of years before late 1993. About time if you ask me, as I have cut my self on rusty knifes and saws, more times than I can count on one hand since last time I got that vaccination. Plus the claws and teeth from cats in my hands, and even a raptor have had it's claws deeply planted in one of my hands. Ahhh.... Then back home, and using the rest of the evening on reading old 1990's computer magazines.

Pic's or it did not happen they say... Uhmmmm... Might be too graphic for Vogons this time. 🤣

dionb wrote:

The good: upgraded my idiotic Packard Bell from a P3-1000EB to a Celeron 1400A. Apart from reporting a 153MHz bus speed (it's obviously running on 100MHz) it's doing fine.
The bad: starting to get graphical glitches & artifacts, even in Win2k desktop. Pleasepleaseplease let the onboard Voodoo3 - or more specifically: its RAM - not be dying 😮

It's dying 🙁

That's with the original CPU back and everything set to most conservative defaults. With a Voodoo3-3000 PCI in the same system running the same drivers, it looks perfect, so it really is the onboard Voodoo 😢